The winless Gunma Crane Thunders, who have been handed 35-, 38- and 43-point losses, fired original coach Tadashi Hayashi and named Ryan Blackwell his successor, the Eastern Conference squad announced Thursday.
Gunma (0-8) plays host to the Yokohama B-Corsairs (2-2) this weekend.
Blackwell was dismissed as the Osaka Evessa bench boss after last season, his second at the helm. Osaka went 67-35 in his two seasons in charge, reaching the playoffs twice and the Final Four in 2010-11.