Most of the players on Japan's roster for the current FIBA World Cup didn't make the trip to Belgrade three years ago for the Olympic Qualification Tournament ahead of the 2016 Rio Games.
Despite not being part of that team, which looked helpless in an 88-48 loss to Latvia and an 87-71 defeat against the Czech Republic, the members of the current Japan squad wanted to show the country had improved.
Japan met the Czechs again on Tuesday night in a Group E clash at the ongoing FIBA World Cup. One of the goals for the Asians in the contest was to show the world the strides they've taken in the past three years.