The Tokyo Cinq Reves have taken their fair share of bumps and bruises during their inaugural season, but coach Motofumi Aoki is guiding the team in the right direction.
With an 8-12 record to date, the Cinq Reves (French for "five dreams") are within striking distance of a playoff spot. Never an easy task for an expansion team.
Tokyo's size (216-cm center and University of Kentucky alum Jared Carter, 211-cm post player Jonathan Jones, 201-cm forward Dennis Carr and 201-cm forward Akihito Inoue) and experience (guard Cohey Aoki has been in the league since its inception in 2005) have paved the way for success.