An annual tradition is growing. The Tohoku Cup, now in its fifth year, is a preseason event set up to help teams get prepared for the upcoming season. It has become a key testing ground for players as they get ready for the long grind of ...
Should statistical records from the bj-league, the JBL and its successor (NBL), the JBL2 and its successor (NBDL) be kept handy and recited frequently for the B. League? Or should the accomplishments of players and teams in Japan's men's basketball circuits be stored away and ...
Toyama Grouses guard Masashi Joho celebrated his 34th birthday on Sunday with a 27-point performance in the team's 98-90 win over the visiting Aomori Wat's. Joho, an enduring star throughout the bj-league's 11 seasons, helped the Grouses capture the Eastern Conference regular-season crown with a ...
Who's hot and who's not? These trends may affect how the final two weeks of the final bj-league season shake out and how teams position themselves for the upcoming playoffs. Let's use the past 10 games as a measuring stick for each of the league's 24 ...
The growing rivalry between the Aomori Wat's and Fukushima Firebonds reached another level over the weekend, when fourth-quarter offensive fireworks intensified in both games. In the series finale on Sunday, Aomori used a 30-point fourth quarter to close out a hard-fought 84-79 home win over ...
Men's pro basketball has thrived in Tohoku during the slow, difficult recovery from the March 11 disasters. Five years later, the sport has established a strong foothold and a tradition, laying the foundation for the future. A quick glance at the bj-league's Eastern Conference standings will ...
Starting big man Evan Ravenel dominated at both ends of the court on Sunday, guiding the Ryukyu Golden Kings to an 87-83 win over the Kanazawa Samuraiz. The Golden Kings (19-7 overall, 8-4 at home) earned a series split in Okinawa City. Ravenel had a game-high ...
The Osaka Evessa didn't shy away from feeding the ball to Takuya Soma on the perimeter on Saturday. Smart move. The 24-year-old swingman sank 9 of 16 3-pointers and scored a game-high 29 points, leading the Evessa to an 85-64 victory over the Niigata Albirex BB. Lawrence ...
Quietly, the Shimane Susanoo Magic have put together an impressive winning streak that's been overshadowed by other successful teams this season. The streak reached 10 games with Shimane's 78-59 victory over the host Aomori Wat's on Sunday While Western Conference rivals Kyoto Hannaryz and Hamamatsu ...
Since his arrival in Toyama for the start of the 2011-12 season, Masashi Joho, aka the consummate competitor, has been as fiercely determined to win as any player in the bj-league. What's more, he changed the course of franchise history when he first donned a ...
The Aomori Wat's have finalized contractual agreements with veteran guard Nile Murry and post player Quintin "Kwame" Alexander, the bj-league club announced on Friday. Murry, one of the most familiar and popular players in the league, was named the playoff MVP in May after helping ...
The Aomori Wat's have selected Nobunaga Sato as the second head coach in franchise history. The announcement was made on Wednesday. Sato, 44, was a longtime player in the JBL (the NBL’s predecessor), suiting up for Sumitomo Metal, Aisin, Fukuoka and Panasonic. "I am very grateful to ...
