NEWSWORTHY
After scoring 18 points to help Japan beat Iran in a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier at Ota City General Gymnasium on Monday, Yuta Watanabe's mind quickly turned to the United States where he will soon be fighting to make a name for himself ...
Japan overcomes Iran through explosive performances from Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe
Japan's star duo of Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe proved their talent on Monday evening, coming through down the stretch in the hosts' 70-56 win over Iran in a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier at Ota City General Gymnasium. Japan (4-4), which cruised past Kazakhstan ...
Akatsuki Five stars Watanabe and Hachimura ready to enjoy Iran showdown
Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura had fun playing together on the Japan men’s basketball team for the first time during Thursday night’s victory over Kazakhstan. On Sunday, the two star forwards agreed that they would like to continue to have fun — and deliver another ...
Journey for Japan's hoop team to end with game for 7th place
The Japan men's national basketball team's bizarre, unprecedented journey at the Asian Games is nearly — and finally — coming to an end. The Akatsuki Five, who lost four players as a result of a scandal earlier in the tournament, will play with eight men ...
Japan trounces Taiwan, earns spot in second round of FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers
The Japan men's national team's quest to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still alive. The Akatsuki Five overpowered Taiwan 108-68 in their final first-round game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at Taipei Heping Gymnasium on Monday night. Japan got off to ...
Dynamic duo Rui Hachimura, Nick Fazekas ignite Japan's offense in victory over Australia
Rui Hachimura and Nick Fazekas were as good as advertised. And they helped the Japan men's national team big time, helped produce a huge win. Hachimura and Fazekas scored 49 combined points in Japan's 79-78 victory over Australia in a FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier on ...
New Japanese citizen Nick Fazekas hoping to make immediate impact for Akatsuki Five
Nick Fazekas could be a difference-maker for the Akatsuki Five, who are desperate for a win in the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers. The 33-year-old big man donned the jersey of the Japan men's national team for the first time during a two-game exhibition series ...
Rising star Rui Hachimura makes impressive debut for Japan men's national team
Fast, strong, big, smooth, phenom, hope, slam dunker, highlight film. The list goes on and on when you think of words and phrases to describe Japan's hoopster Rui Hachimura. You can probably now add "rock star" to the list. On Friday night, the 20-year-old athletic forward made ...
Japan bolsters roster with Rui Hachimura, Nick Fazekas ahead of FIBA World Cup qualifiers
Japan's men's national basketball team will have its back against the wall during the Asian qualifiers for next year's FIBA World Cup. The Japanese, however, are hopeful that the addition of a couple of stars will help turn the tables in their favor in the ...
Japan women rout Taiwan in exhibition contest
The Japan women's national team dominated at both ends of the floor and annihilated Taiwan 96-66 in an exhibition game at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi on Friday night. Evelyn Mawuli knocked down 5 of 6 3-point shots en route to a team-high 19 points for ...
Japan women's basketball team steadily gathering speed on road to Tokyo Olympics
Despite the disadvantages in height and size, those involved in Japanese women's basketball believe Japan's women can reach their lofty goals by just executing their brand of basketball. The country's women's hoop team has achieved success over the last few years and last year was ...
Despite the best efforts of Makoto Hiejima, Japan on Sunday fell to its fourth consecutive loss in Asian FIBA World Cup qualifying, a clutch runner from the Philippines' Jayson Castro with 10 seconds to go ensuring victory in an 89-84 win in Manila. Hiejima was ...
