When University of Portland (Ore.) point guard Taishi Ito was asked to take on a leadership role as a freshman, he handled the role admirably.

He started the final 15 games of the 2006-07 season. He helped his team earn its first West Coast Conference tournament victory in more than a decade last March, scoring a team-high 16 points in a 55-41 first-round triumph over Loyola Marymount University.

"Those games gave me more confidence for this year," Ito said in a recent telephone interview with The Japan Times.

"It was my first year with the program and the program was in transition and it still is a little bit," said second-year Portland coach Eric Reveno, who spent nine years as an assistant coach at Stanford University, his alma mater.

"He (Ito) was a tremendous leader and for him to be able to take that role on was pretty outstanding," added Reveno, who was a center in the JBL for the Nippon Mining team for four seasons, starting in 1989.

The youthful Pilots (6-13 overall, 1-3 in the West Coast Conference) entered the weekend with a three-game losing streak, all losses by five points or less. Reveno's squad has only one senior.

A 183-cm, 77-kg sophomore from Mie Prefecture, Ito embraces the challenge of being a floor leader and helping this Pilots team find its identity.

"Sometimes I've got to pick them up and lead this team," he said from Portland.

"I think a point guard has to be a coach on the court, so I try to talk to everybody as much as possible and I try to understand what coach thinks," said Ito, who was named to the West Coast Conference's All-Freshman Team in 2006-07.

Before moving to Portland, Ito teamed up with backcourt mate K.J. Matsui to help perennial national powerhouse Montrose Christian Academy, a Rockland, Md., school, grab headlines across the United States during three years on the varsity squad. Playing under the well-regarded Stu Vetter, Ito's team went 68-9 over his three final high school seasons.

This success on the hardwood taught Ito a lesson every point guard should remember: the importance of communication.

"He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does people listen," Reveno said. "He speaks with purpose and conviction. . . . He was hesitant at first being a freshman. This year, he's more comfortable and vocal."

Taishi's older brother, Takuma, also attended Montrose Christian and then went on to work as a manager for the Virginia Commonwealth University men's team.

The 21-year-old Ito has yet to face Matsui at the college level, but he's eager to take the court against his good friend, who became Japan's first Division I men's basketball player when he enrolled at Columbia in New York City three season ago.

"I would be very excited," Ito said, his voice rising to a more animated tone. "I played with him when I was in high school, and this time I'd enjoy playing against him. But this time I don't want to lose I'd just play hard and try to beat them if it happens."

Maybe the schedule-makers can grant Ito's wish and line up a game between the West Coast Conference and Ivy League institutions. Even it that doesn't happen, both guys will have plenty of words flowing out of their mouths when the topic is hoops.

"He is like my brother," Ito said, and so, the two student-athletes have plenty to discuss.

"I just call him and ask him how he's playing. I never watch him play on TV. He just tells me if he's playing good or struggling or whatever."

Ito has now spent about one-fourth of his life in the United States, adjusting to American culture, a new language and being away from his family for long stretches of time.

So how has this translated to the team dynamic?

"What I sense from Taishi is a great mix of the stereotypical Japanese commitment to team and teammates and with a nice blend of American desire to excel individually," said Reveno, whose team was visited by Japanese high school coaches during a recent road trip to the East Coast.

"He has a very good balance. He's got the nice mix of the team-first attitude, but at the same time he wants to be good. He definitely has the desire to be the best player he wants to be."

Determination to excel is Ito's trademark, and there's still plenty of room for improvement.

He leads the team in assists (55) is No. 2 in steals (19) and routinely knocks down free throws (31 of 37), but has struggled to make his shots (27 of 96).

Whether he's struggling or dominating during a particular game, Ito cannot change who he is — a Japanese college basketball player in the United States. This fact keeps him passionately motivated to get better.

"Because he comes from a place where not everybody gets this opportunity, he cherishes the chance to play college basketball and appreciates the chance to play at the highest level," Reveno said.

Ito still has two years of college ball to play after this season. It gives him ample time to work on becoming a better shooter and ratchet up his defensive presence for Portland.

"(Already), he is a tenacious defender," Reveno said. "What he lacks in overall athleticism he makes up for in desire and understanding . . . He has a ton of desire to guard quicker point guards, driving to the basket and what not. This allows him to be effective even against quicker perimeters players."

In the future, Ito, a business major, said he would like to open his own business or manage a restaurant his family owns.

But if he chooses to remain a full-time athlete in the foreseeable future, does Ito have the potential to pursue a professional career in Japan?

"The landscape of the game has changed since I was there in 1993," Reveno said, "but I would think he would be able to that today."

Editor's note: Columbia University shooting guard K.J. Matsui will be profiled in an upcoming edition.