Shibuya captain Leo Vendrame hopes Emperor's Cup can lead to team's first-ever B. League crown
After achieving one of their goals for this season, the Sunrockers Shibuya are now moving on to shoot for the second: the B. League championship. After capturing the team's second All-Japan Championship title with a 78-73 win over the Kawasaki Brave Thunders at Saitama Super ...
The Sunrockers Shibuya are back on top of Japanese basketball for the first time in five years. The Tokyo side claimed the Emperor's Cup title on Sunday with a nail-biting 78-73 win over the Kawasaki Brave Thunders in the All-Japan Championship final at Saitama Super ...
Sunrockers, Brave Thunders advance to Emperor's Cup final
The dynamic duo of Sebastian Saiz and Ryan Kelly guided the Sunrockers Shibuya to their first Emperor's Cup gold-medal game with a 96-69 win over the Shiga Lakestars in the All-Japan Basketball Championship semifinals at Saitama Super Arena on Saturday. Saiz, a 205-cm Spaniard, collected ...
Sunrockers continue to make progress under coach Tsutomu Isa in second year at helm
Sunday's game provided ample evidence of the growth and potential of the Sunrockers Shibuya under Tsutomu Isa, who became head coach in October 2018 after the team opened last season with a 1-7 record. In a rare display of an entire team producing offensive numbers ...
Sunrockers dominate Diamond Dolphins through full-squad effort
All 12 Sunrockers Shibuya players who dressed for Sunday's home game against the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins had a hand in the team's first-half scoring. Literally. Every Sunrocker in uniform — Kohei Sekino, Sebastian Saiz, Faye Samba, Leo Vendrame, Yusei Sugiura, Ryunosuke Watanabe, Daisuke Noguchi, Kenta Hirose, ...
Kelly helps Sunrockers gain split with Alvark
The Sunrockers Shibuya avenged their series-opening defeat by downing the Alvark Tokyo 77-65 on Monday night in Tachikawa. Ex-Duke University forward Ryan Kelly led Shibuya (12-4) with a game-high 28 points. Floor leader Leo Vendrame poured in 18 points, dished out four assists and made ...
Albirex control overtime period to secure victory over Sunrockers
Nick Perkins and Lamont Hamilton provided a potent one-two punch to carry the Niigata Albirex BB to a gritty 97-92 overtime victory over the Sunrockers Shibuya on Sunday afternoon. Perkins, a rookie forward from the University at Buffalo, scored seven of his game-high 34 points ...
Sunrockers get back on track in win over Brave Thunders
The Sunrockers Shibuya delivered a gut-check performance on Sunday afternoon, ending a two-game losing streak. Shibuya, which entered the week with a 5-0 record, got back on track with a 91-71 victory over the Kawasaki Brave Thunders at Aoyama Gakuin University Memorial Hall. Sunrockers frontcourt dynamo ...
Shibuya's Robert Sacre announces retirement
Robert Sacre, one of the top all-around centers in B. League history, has retired. The Sunrockers Shibuya made the announcement on Wednesday, which sparked a shock wave of surprise around the league. Sacre, who turned 30 on June 6, joined Shibuya in 2016 after four seasons ...
Brex dominate Sunrockers as postseason approaches
By their own high standards, the Tochigi Brex got off to a bit of a slow start in Sunday's series finale against the Sunrockers Shibuya. But coach Ryuzo Anzai's title-chasing club seemed to flip a switch in the second quarter, transforming a close game into ...
Veteran coach Bob Nash confident in Jun Nakanishi as Fukuoka's new GM
Jun Nakanishi launched his pro basketball career during a period of major changes — nonstop expansion for a decade — here. And so he has witnessed the ups and downs of Japan pro basketball since the inception of the now-disbanded bj-league in 2005. As a ...
Former Gonzaga center Robert Sacre replicates Bulldogs' success for Sunrockers
The Gonzaga University men’s basketball team is generating plenty of headlines during the ongoing NCAA Tournament on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. And rightfully so. Coach Mark Few's team, a top seed, has reached the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive season, and junior ...
