The Takamatsu Five Arrows have had a topsy-turvy season. It started off fairly well, with a 13-7 record to open up the season.
But the team has experienced a dramatic nosedive in recent weeks. Third-year bench boss Kenzo Maeda's team (17-23) has lost 12 of its last 16 games, including eight straight from Jan. 13 to Feb. 9, and is currently in seventh place in the 10-team Western Conference.
After a historically bad 2011-12 campaign (2-50, the worst in league history), the Five Arrows made big strides last season, finishing 22-30. And now the team is attempting to qualify for postseason play for the first time since going 33-19 in 2008-09 under original coach Motofumi Aoki, who has led three franchises since then — Tokyo Apache, Shinshu Brave Warriors and his current club, the Tokyo Cinq Reves.