George Washington University freshman Yuta Watanabe has averaged 20 minutes, 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds through six games this season.
The 203-cm forward has come off the bench in all of GWU's games to date. He's knocked down 50 percent of his 3-point shots (8-for-16).
The Colonials (4-2) are 3-0 at home.
In a recent interview with The Washington Times, GWU coach Mike Lonergan said the 87.5 kg Watanabe, who hails from Kagawa Prefecture, displays toughness despite his skinny frame.
"The thing I like about (Watanabe), he's not soft," Lonergan told The Washington Times last month. "(He) kind of reminds me of Kevin Durant, when everybody said he couldn't bench 185 (pounds, or 84 kg) — or whatever it was — at the combine, but it didn't really affect him. . . . He just didn't get pushed around, even though he looked so skinny. . . . Yuta, for his weight, he's pretty tough."
What impression has Watanabe made on the GWU coach?
"(Watanabe) has a high basketball IQ, and he really listens," the coach told The Washington Times. "He's improved every day. ... It's kind of like it was at his prep school. . . . I saw him in September, and to see him by March — his prep school tournaments near the end of the year — he made such strides, just being comfortable with his teammates and everything. And my hope is the same thing will happen here."