Struggling 89ers fire Toshihiro Goto, hand coaching reins to Daisuke Takaoka
Toshihiro Goto lasted less than one season in charge of the Sendai 89ers. The B. League second-division team on Thursday announced that he's been fired. The 89ers (13-15) have promoted assistant Daisuke Takaoka to fill Goto's position. Takaoka, a popular forward during his playing days, ...
Ito out as Tokyo coach despite making playoffs
Coaching changes are quickly shaking up the leadership foundation of the B. League. A new wave of hires adds intrigue and uncertainty to the summer break. The Alvark Tokyo this week formally announced that Takuma Ito would not continue as head coach for the 2017-18 season. ...
89ers trying to keep spirits up amid battle for first-division survival
Imagine how mentally tough it must be when your team gets mauled two days in a row by a division rival and is on the verge of demotion to a lower division. The Sendai 89ers got swept by the Chiba Jets, who have already clinched ...
Sato gives 89ers down-to-the-wire win over Levanga
The Sendai 89ers found a way to edge the visiting Levanga Hokkaido on Friday night. And it came down to the final second to make it happen. Shooting guard Fumiya Sato came through in the clutch, nailing an outside jumper with a second remaining on the ...
89ers' White delivers winning plays against Grouses
Wendell White made a pair of big shots in crunch time to lift the Sendai 89ers to a 75-72 victory over the visiting Toyama Grouses on Saturday. White's 3-pointer put the 89ers in front 73-72 with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. With 1:05 left, ...
SeaHorses pull away in third quarter in triumph over Sunrockers
A six-point halftime cushion sometimes pleases a basketball coach. But a larger lead is the goal. A greater margin is the target. When the SeaHorses Mikawa strolled back onto the court to start the second half on Saturday against the visiting Sunrockers Shibuya, the game quickly ...
MVP candidate Fazekas ignites Brave Thunders in narrow victory over 89ers
Title-chasing teams thrive on down-to-the-wire contests. The Kawasaki Brave Thunders edged the host Sendai 89ers, winning 91-86 on Friday while providing another example of this. Star center Nick Fazekas, a former NBA player, paced the Brave Thunders (34-6) with a game-high 34 points, nine rebounds and ...
Kanamaru sparks SeaHorses in rout of Levanga
The SeaHorses Mikawa delivered an impressive all-around performance, hammering the visiting Levanga Hokkaido 89-72 on Friday night. The title-chasing SeaHorses (27-8) shot 50.7 percent from the field. Sharpshooter Kosuke Kanamaru led the hosts' high-performance offensive output, putting 33 points on the board. Kanamaru made 4 of ...
Hannaryz grind out win over 89ers
Kevin Kotzur's double-double and 13-point efforts from Marcus Dove and Shingo Utsumi sparked the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz to a 63-58 victory over the Sendai 89ers on Friday night. Kotzur contributed team-high totals of 17 points and 12 rebounds for Kyoto (15-18), and blocked two shots. Dove ...
Alvark cruise past 89ers to usher in second half of season
The Alvark Tokyo opened the second half of the B. League season with a methodical 91-80 victory over the Sendai 89ers on Tuesday night. Tokyo won the rebounding battle (50-36) and sealed the victory at the free-throw line, draining 17 of 18 shots. Troy Gillenwater scored ...
The Osaka Evessa started and finished strong en route to a 79-67 victory over the visiting Sendai 89ers on Thursday night. The Evessa (16-12) jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the series opener in Osaka, and held the visitors to 36.8 percent shooting from ...
Brave Thunders cruise past Levanga
There's nothing new about Nick Fazekas scoring points in bunches. It happens all the time. The former NBA big man did it again on Friday night — 33 points to be precise. The Kawasaki Brave Thunders center also grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out six ...
