The recent decision by promising basketball prospect Yuta Watanabe to attend George Washington University next season came as bright news for his home country.
And as much as Watanabe has rare talent, the 19-year-old out of Kagawa Prefecture has received valuable support from people around him as he tried to become a better player and eventually reach the furthest point he can.
Donald Beck, the head coach for the NBL's Toyota Alvark, was one of the people who gave Watanabe some advice as he considered crossing the Pacific Ocean to attend preparatory school in the United States last year.