Now entering his third season in charge of the Akita Northern Happinets, septuagenarian sideline supervisor Kazuo Nakamura's influence goes far beyond his current team.
Nakamura's proteges are working throughout the bj-league, with three of them serving as head coaches in the 21-team circuit: Ryuji Kawai (Shinshu Brave Warriors), Koto Toyama (Bambitious Nara, an expansion club) and Shuto Kawachi (Sendai 89ers). The three men, who served under Nakamura with the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, are all beginning their first seasons with their respective teams.
Kawai's Brave Warriors have missed the playoffs in each of their first two seasons. He stepped into the spotlight as Hamamatsu head coach in 2011 after Nakamura guided the club to back-to-back championships, then stepped down to take over in Akita, his hometown.