There have been only a few players who hailed from Japan to have played hoops at NCAA D-I level. So perhaps no one really knew what sort of expectations to have of Yuta Watanabe in his first season at George Washington University.

He didn't even know himself.

"To be honest, I had some worries before the season about how much playing time I'd be given," Watanabe told The Japan Times in a recent telephone interview from Washington D.C.