Latest news with #B-League
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Japan guard Tominaga joins Hokkaido in B-League
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Sharpshooting Japanese guard Keisei Tominaga has signed a contract with Levanga Hokkaido for the 2025-2026 season, the B-League club announced Tuesday. The 24-year-old former U.S. college standout saw limited game time the past season playing for the Indiana Mad Ants in the NBA's developmental G League. "I'll use my ability behind the three-point line and give all I have to contribute to the team winning the B-League for the first time," Tominaga, who will wear No. 30 for Hokkaido, said in a statement. The Aichi Prefecture native played for Ranger College in Texas and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tominaga represented Japan both at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, while he also represented his country in 3x3 basketball at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The Mainichi
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Utsunomiya clinches B-League title in Game 3 thriller
Utsunomiya Brex guard Makoto Hiejima, right, attempts a shot during Game 3 of the B-League basketball finals against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Yokohama Arena on May 27, 2025. (Kyodo) YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Makoto Hiejima poured in 14 fourth-quarter points to lead Utsunomiya Brex to a championship-clinching 73-71 victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Game 3 of the B-League basketball finals on Tuesday. With just three points through the first three quarters, the veteran shooting guard exploded in the final period at Yokohama Arena, hitting 5-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Utsunomiya won the best-of-three series opener 81-68 on Saturday before Ryukyu evened things up with an 87-75 victory the following day. Contesting their fourth-straight finals, the Okinawa-based Golden Kings led 51-44 going into the fourth quarter of Game 3 before Brex came back to take their first lead since the opening period at 67-66 on a three-pointer from finals MVP D.J. Newbill with 1:15 left. Hiejima, who finished with 17 points and three assists, gave coach Zico Coronel's squad the lead for good on a corner three-pointer with 33 seconds on the clock. Ryukyu received a lifeline when Keve Aluma was fouled on a three-point attempt with Utsunomiya up 73-70 and less than a second left. The forward miss his second free-throw, however, forcing him to intentionally miss the third in an unsuccessful attempt to score two points off a rebound. The Utsunomiya players dedicated the team's first title since 2021-2022 to former head coach Kevin Braswell, who died aged 46 during the season in February after suffering complications from emergency heart surgery. The team kept a framed photograph of Braswell on the bench throughout the remainder of the season, including the finals, and the players shouted his initials, "KB," for motivation during their huddles. "We've been to funerals and cried together, and now we get to cry tears of joy," said Coronel, who started the season as Braswell's assistant. "It means the world to us to honor Kevin."
The Mainichi
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Utsunomiya beats Ryukyu 81-68 in B-League finals opener
YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Guard D.J. Newbill scored 25 points and had six assists to lead Utsunomiya Brex to an 81-68 win over the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the opening game of the B-League basketball finals on Saturday. Utsunomiya, aiming for its first title since 2021-2022, took a 24-20 lead into the opening change and led the rest of the way at Yokohama Arena. Guard Atsuya Ogawa and big man Gavin Edwards chipped in with 15 points each for Brex, which connected on 16 of 39 three-point attempts. The Okinawa-based Golden Kings, missing injured point guard Ryuichi Kishimoto, got 18 points from swingman Vic Law, but the team made just six of its 23 shots from beyond the arc. Playing in their fourth straight finals, the 2022-2023 champion Golden Kings will try to square the best-of-three series on Sunday.
The Mainichi
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Yokohama B-Corsairs sign star point guard Ando
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Yokohama B-Corsairs of Japanese basketball's top-tier B-League said Monday they have signed a contract with Seiya Ando, one of the best point guards in the country, for the 2025-26 season. Ando joined the Shimane Susanoo Magic in 2021 and has helped the team reach the postseason for the third time in four campaigns. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 20.4 points per game, the third highest in the B-League first division. "I'll try to perform at my full potential," the 32-year-old former national team member said through his new club.
The Mainichi
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Teen has sights set on being Japan team's next Rui Hachimura
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A youth basketball standout with dreams of emulating Los Angeles Lakers power forward Rui Hachimura has emerged as an intriguing prospect for the Japanese men's national basketball program. Already standing 201 centimeters at age 15, frontcourt player Adam Elmasri is being developed at the highly regarded youth academy of B-League club the Yokohama B-Corsairs. The youngster, born to a Japanese mother and Australian father, drew attention at the under-15 tournament for B-League academy sides in March where he helped his team reach the semifinals. He was also selected for the subsequent training camp for Japan under-16 national team candidates. Elmasri, who calls Hachimura his role model, is clear about his ambitions. "I want to go to the NBA, that's my purpose," he said. Originally from Yokohama, he moved to Australia at a young age and began playing basketball at 11. He returned to Japan last October and joined Yokohama's youth program. While his game is still raw, he has shown great potential. Among those with high hopes for Elmasri is B-Corsairs academy director Takashi Shirasawa, who previously coached Akira Jacobs, a member of Japan's 2024 Olympic team currently playing at the University of Hawaii. "He has a ton of talent," Shirasawa said. "It will be exciting to see how he develops and how we can help." Elmasri said his coaching at the academy emphasized frontcourt play, but he hoped to develop an all-around game, enabling him to fill a range of positions. "Right now, I'm very tall compared to the group that I'm playing in, for sure, so I'm focusing on center and power forward," he said. "But I think in the future, maybe even under-18s, I'll start trying to be an all-around player." While he aims to follow in Hachimura's footsteps to the NBA, Elmasri also hopes to take part in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics in Australia, where he maintains strong connections.
