Players nearly half his age are beginning their professional careers, and high-energy guard Masahiro Oguchi continues to make his mark for the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix and defy the odds. He remains a textbook example of gutsy play and the importance of veteran smarts for a team's success.
The latest example: Oguchi, who turned 40 on Jan. 6, started in the backcourt, scored 14 points, knocked down 3 of 5 3-pointers, and went 3-for-3 at the foul line, grabbed four rebounds and made one steal in the Phoenix's 79-74 road victory on Saturday over the Takamatsu Five Arrows.
Oguchi, the bj-league's oldest player, also picked up three fouls. It's a reminder of his relentless, feisty defense, tone-setting traits that have helped Hamamatsu improve to 32-15 by winning the series opener.