Rui "Louis" Hachimura is the next big thing coming out of Japan, and many are already paying attention to the 16-year-old basketball player's post-high school career.
In fact, Hachimura, who was born to a Japanese mother and a father from Benin, has publicly stated that he wants to leave Japan to play at a U.S. university upon his graduation from Meisei High School, and several American colleges seem to be showing an interest thanks to Hachimura's stellar performance at August's FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai.
Japan finished 14th in the 16-team competition with a 1-6 record, but Hachimura shone individually and ended up as the tourney's top scorer (22.6 points per game). Japan was completely outplayed by the eventual-champion United States, losing by a 122-38 score in the round of 16 stage, but Hachimura accounted for 25 of Japan's total points.