Fourth season set to commence Oct. 3
The first three seasons in league history zoomed by — or so it seemed — in the blink of an eye, with new stars emerging before our eyes and dominant teams and individuals producing many unforgettable moments and games. Team and league officials are now ...
Alphas reach B2 after swatting Bee Trains
The B. League third-division runner-up Koshigaya Alphas earned a promotion to the second flight with a crushing 86-64 win over the Hachioji Bee Trains in the B2/B3 promotion playoff game before a crowd of 2,057 at Yokohama Arena on Sunday. Power forward Kyle Richardson led ...
Nomadic Neumann lived an incredible basketball life
Johnny Neumann forged an unconventional path in life. As a prep basketball phenom at Overton High School in Memphis, Tennessee, in the late 1960s, Neumann was recruited by UCLA's John Wooden and Kentucky's Adolph Rupp, coaching titans of powerhouse programs in that era. He had ...
Josh Peppers and Michael Parker reaping rewards after years of hard work in Japanese hoop scene
John Neumann gave the green light to bring American forwards Josh Peppers and Michael Parker to Japan. He had a good reason: He needed good players to make Rizing Fukuoka competitive during the expansion team's inaugural 2007-08 campaign in the bj-league. An astute talent evaluator, ...
Arnold’s game remains all about the team
Watching a pure shooter, when the shots are falling like raindrops during a summer storm, is a picture of pure art. Basketball fans were treated to this image last Sunday at Hiratsuka Gymnasium when Wayne Arnold, an accomplished star in the 24-team bj-league, put on ...
Blackledge sparks Osaka in rout of Fukuoka
Lawrence "Trend" Blackledge put his stamp on Friday's game against the Rizing Fukuoka. The talented forward's all-around effort — 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals — helped steer the Evessa to an 89-68 triumph, and the hosts extended ...
Improved play has Fukuoka back in playoff race
There's no magic formula for the Rizing Fukuoka to swiftly climb in the Western Conference standings. But first-year coach Tomohiro Moriyama's club has made steady progress in recent weeks. The Rizing improved to 10-14 on Sunday after a 71-66 victory over the visiting Aomori Wat's ...
Bryant still hoping Fukuoka can make playoffs
The Rizing Fukuoka face an uphill climb in their quest to make the playoffs. But that won't stop bench boss Joe "Jellybean" Bryant from preaching fundamentals and pushing his players to keep improving. Though the Rizing are 11-31 and tied with Takamatsu for the worst record ...
Hot 3-point shooting carries Shiga past Fukuoka
Led by a trio of 3-point shooting specialists, the visiting Shiga Lakestars halted the Rizing Fukuoka's three-game winning streak on Thursday night, winning the bj-league series opener 95-93. Shiga's Ray Nixon, a University of Wisconsin product, buried 8 of 13 long-range shots en route to ...
Peppers lifts Rizing past Bambitious
Like teammate Cohey Aoki did in Saturday's series opener, Rizing Fukuoka star Josh Peppers carried his team on the offensive end on Sunday afternoon. Peppers poured in 33 points (three more than Aoki had a day earlier) and added 19 points and 10 rebounds to ...
Fukuoka triumphs in first game under new coach Joe Bryant
In a game that went down to the wire, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the Rizing Fukuoka's new head coach, was able to instill confidence in his players on Saturday night. He kept his message simple and direct. "If you can believe, you can achieve," Bryant told them. That's ...
Big Bull Peppers proud to be underdog
The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Josh Peppers of the Iwate Big Bulls is the subject of this week's profile. Position: Forward Age: 28 Ht: 200 cm Wt: 92 kg Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee College: Central Florida Noteworthy: Since 2007, Peppers has played for five bj-league franchises ...
