Mototaka Kohama leaves behind a trail of memories with those who knew him well or casually crossed paths with him during his decades-long involvement in basketball.

After the Godfather of Japanese basketball's death on Jan. 12 at age 84 after a battle with cancer, those memories sprang up again for many individuals.

There were decades of games — some wins and losses stand out more than others — hard discipline and the teacher-pupil relationships that helped set the stage for 21st century basketball in Japan, too.