Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Aug 20, 2013
Constant change, lack of plan hurt bj-league's viability
by Ed Odeven
Entering its ninth season, which tips off in October, the bj-league has never been in worse shape. It has grown too big, too quickly and its overall mismanagement — especially at the league office, but also with many teams — has reached epic proportions. ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Jun 30, 2013
Brown imparting wisdom to Japan squad
by Ed Odeven
Larry Brown, the Basketball Hall of Fame coach, has never been accused of embracing job stability. So maybe it's not surprising that his older brother, Herb, also a basketball lifer, has had a nomadic existence in the coaching business, too.
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Jun 26, 2013
Golden Kings star McHenry shined as league's top player in 2012-13
by Ed Odeven
As the summer begins, with the regular-season and playoff memories now neatly stored in our brains, it’s time to highlight top individuals from the bj-league’s eighth season. Anthony McHenry was a team leader and all-around force for the Ryukyu Golden Kings once again. The ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP May 25, 2013
Geary's vision, drive keyed Yokohama's title run
by Ed Odeven
There was something refreshing, interesting and fun about the Yokohama B-Corsairs from the beginning. It wasn’t always the easiest thing to explain in a few short words. Sure, there were the carefully orchestrated parts — the Xs and Os, in-game adjustments — but the ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP May 8, 2013
Cartwright gives parting thoughts on experience in Japan
by Ed Odeven
Head coach Bill Cartwright returned the Osaka Evessa to respectability after a remarkable plunge in the season’s first four months. The Evessa, who were 5-19 before Cartwright showed up in Osaka in January, had fallen to heights never experienced before in the three-time bj-league ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Apr 21, 2013
Yokohama's Big Three key to club's second-season success
by Ed Odeven
Veteran forward Taketo Aoki, a player in the bj-league since the beginning in 2005, called his boss, Yokohama B-Corsairs head coach Reggie Geary, “a great coach” during a post-practice conversation on Tuesday. Yokohama captain Masayuki Kabaya said that Geary is quite adept at “making ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Mar 31, 2013
Cummings, father share hoop bond
by Ed Odeven
Terry Cummings' success as an NBA player inspired his son, T.J., who now plays for the Sendai 89ers, to follow in his footsteps.
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Mar 10, 2013
Rickert says Cartwright emphasizing defense for Osaka
by Ed Odeven
With 12 games in the books since Bill Cartwright took over as the Osaka Evessa’s new head coach, his message at the gym, wherever practices and games are held, has been simple and constant. Cartwright preaches “defense, defense, defense,” Evessa big man Rick Rickert ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Feb 17, 2013
Garrison develops into first-rate coach
by Ed Odeven
Matt Garrison did not set forth to reinvent the wheel when he was hired as the Niigata Albirex BB head coach for the 2011-12 season. So after replacing longtime bench boss Masaya Hirose, who was at the helm for 11 seasons in the team’s ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Jan 27, 2013
Time to stop nonsense on import rule, expand to 48-minute game
by Ed Odeven
Formed as a six-team breakaway circuit from the old-guard JBL, the bj-league aimed to usher in a new era of pro basketball in Japan in 2005.
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Jan 20, 2013
Veteran athletes, coaches adamant that corporal punishment has no place in sports
by Ed Odeven
The tragic death of a 17-year-old Osaka high school student and basketball captain in December sheds light on a disturbing aspect of Japanese culture that has existed for decades: corporal punishment. It’s not a secret; most Japanese know about it, experienced the humiliation associated ...
BJ-League | HOOP SCOOP Dec 30, 2012
Time for 2013 resolutions for bj-league
by Ed Odeven
It’s time to look ahead to 2013 as each of the bj-league’s 21 teams search for ways to improve. So here’s one columnist’s suggested New Year’s resolutions for all teams. The Ryukyu Golden Kings, league champions in 2011-12, are off to a brilliant start ...