It's time to get back to basics, coaches often say after a loss.
So don't be surprised if Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix coach Kazuo Nakamura has told his basketball team the same thing. The Phoenix (6-8) own a four-game losing streak, including three by six points or less.
In early November, the team was in first place in the Eastern Conference standings. Hamamatsu, which has stumbled to fifth in the conference, will return to action on Saturday against the visiting Rizing Fukuoka and look to break a negative trend — a failure to consistently win close games.