The Link Tochigi Brex dismissed head coach Mitsuhiko Kato on Sunday just 10 games into the season, the team said Monday.
The JBL club released a statement that it came to the decision because it could not expect positive growth under the current circumstances. The team went 3-7 under Kato, who signed a three-year contract with the newly promoted team from the second division this past spring.
The Brex has hired Thomas Wisman, 59, to take over for Kato.
Kato is a former coach at perennial powerhouse Noshiro Technical High School of Akita Prefecture, and led the team to numerous national titles. Kato is also a mentor of Yuta Tabuse, the first Japanese-born player in the NBA who reunited with him on the Brex this season after coming back from the United States.
The statement said that the club is discussing what Kato's next post will be, so he is likely to remain in the organization.