Soichiro Inoue fulfilled his role of 3-point shooting, defense, and rebounding.
Yudai Baba leads the team with his aggressive attitude both on offense and defense.
“FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifying Window 1”(Hereinafter referred to as Window 1) The second match will be against China. They stood up and allowed an 11-point lead, the largest of the game, at 3-14. As Shin Hiejima (Utsunomiya Brex) says, “Now we don’t panic anymore and are able to respond to any situation. That’s also something that we’ve all gained confidence from our experience at the FIBA World Cup and are able to compete.” , by sticking to the Japanese style, a comeback began.
With 4 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Teves Umi (Alvark Tokyo) aggressively attempted a foul, got fouled, and made two free throws, successfully reversing the score to 35-33. After that, there were moments when they were caught up in a tie, but they maintained the lead until the end and won 76-73. This is the first time in 88 years since the 1938 Berlin Olympics in a major FIBA tournament (*The East Asian Championship is hosted by FIBA Asia; the 2012 Stankovic Cup, the predecessor to the FIBA Asian Cup, is an invitational tournament and is not counted as a major FIBA tournament). I gave it a gold star.
In addition to rewriting a long and dark history, head coach Tom Horvath will seek revenge against the team he lost to in November 2021. “It was a great victory and gives the team confidence. It was a big step towards the Paris Olympics,” he said happily. It happened only two and a half years ago since the last match, but among the members who had a frustrating experience at the time, the players who were on the court that day were Hiejima, Yuki Togashi (Chiba Jets), and Yutaro Suda (Nagoya Diamond Dolphins). ) There are only three people. Head Coach Horvath has the following to say about his growth and changes in such a short period of time:
“Now that everyone understands the Japanese style, the roles of each person have become clearer.For the past two and a half years, we have had training camps and games with overseas teams joining us and many players being replaced. During that time, the level of the main members did not drop and they gradually improved.It is amazing to see such growth in such a short period of time.Everyone believed in themselves and worked hard, even during the B.League season. It’s all thanks to the continued efforts of the players, and I’m really proud of the players.”
Yudai Baba (Nagasaki Veruca), who was absent from the match against Guam due to poor condition, showed off his extra strength. On offense, they sank four 3-point shots, and when China responded, they advanced to the paint area and scored 24 points. Head coach Horvath will also evaluate the defense. Baba himself said, “We didn’t want to play a passive defense.As Coach Tom always says, we wanted to express a defense that takes action from ourselves on the court.” That mentality has been something I’ve always kept in mind since the B League.
Soichiro Inoue (Koshigaya Alphars), who fired off two 3-point shots in the opening minutes and sparked a counterattack, said, “The foreign players in the B League are stronger, so I didn’t feel like we were going to lose because of our defense. I often match up with foreign players in practice and games, so I think I was able to use the various experiences I had with B2 Koshigaya Alphas, such as how to get used to body collisions, in this match.” I will fulfill my role including “It was a physical game, but we didn’t lose at all.Two and a half years ago, we lost there, but as the B League has become more competitive and there are more matchups with foreign national players, The big thing is that we have gotten used to it,” said Head Coach Horvath, expressing his gratitude for the environment that makes “everyday life world-class.”
After starting Window 1 with two consecutive wins, they will next play a home match against Mongolia on November 21st, and then travel to Guam for an away game on the 24th. In the meantime, the Paris 2024 Olympics are waiting. Taking their first win in 88 years as a source of great confidence, the players who will now return to their teams will prepare for the B League, which will resume on March 1st, and will work on the issues they learned from the K games to help them grow.
2024-02-25 12:40:26
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