THE BJ-LEAGUE INSIDER - Basketball Writer in Japan blog

Final 2014-15 stat leaders

4/27/2015

SCORING
1. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (23.8)
2. Josh Peppers - Fukuoka (21.4)
3. Richard Roby - Akita (20.0)
4. Scootie Randall - Iwate (19.7)
5. Warren Niles - Yokohama (19.6)
6. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (19.6)
7. Josh Dollard - Osaka (19.0)
8. Patrick Sanders - Shinshu (18.9)
9. Gary Johnson - Saitama (18.8)
10. Wendell White - Sendai (18.8)

ASSISTS
1. Tatsuya Suzuki - Nara (7.0)
2. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (5.9)
3. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (4.9)
4. Kenji Yamada - Yokohama (4.5)
5. Masaya Karimata - Fukushima (4.4)
6. Richard Roby - Akita (4.3)
7. Takehiko Shimura - Sendai (4.2)
8. Ruben Boykin - Akita (4.0)
9. Takato Saito - Shinshu (4.0)
10. Tatsunori Fujie - Toyama (3.9)

REBOUNDING
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (13.7)
2. Sam Willard - Toyama (12.0)
3. Terrance Shannon - Fukushima (11.6)
4. Michael St. John - Nara (10.9)
5. Carl Hall - Yokohama (10.7)
6. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (10.6)
7. Joe Werner - Toyama (10.1)
8. Chris Holm - Sendai (9.8)
9. Nyika Williams - Saitama (9.7)
10. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (9.7)

STEALS
1. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (2.8)
2. Damian Saunders - Aomori (2.5)
3. Richard Roby - Akita (2.3)
4. Koji Nagata - Saitama (2.1)
5. Gary Johnson - Saitama (1.9)
6. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (1.9)
7. Masaya Karimata - Fukushima (1.8)
8. Shunki Hatakeyama - Osaka (1.8)
9. Carlos Dixon - Gunma (1.8)
10. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (1.6)

BLOCKS
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (3.5)
2. Jeral Davis - Sendai (3.4)
3. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (1.9)
4. Tyran Walker - Akita (1.7)
5. Carl Hall - Yokohama (1.6)
6. Jared Carter - Nara (1.2)
7. Nyika Williams - Saitama (1.2)
8. James Hughes - Fukushima (1.2)
9. Todd O'Brien - Oita (1.2)
10. Richard Roby - Akita (1.1)

3-POINT SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
1. Masahiro Oguchi - Hamamatsu (44.9)
2. Shingo Utsumi - Kyoto (44.6)
3. Edward Yamamoto - Shimane (44.0)
4. Shigehiro Taguchi - Akita (42.5)
5. Takehiko Shimura - Sendai (40.9)
6. Yusuke Kodera - Gunma (40.4)
7. Shoji Nakanishi - Shinshu (40.0)
8. Nile Murry - Hamamatsu (39.9)
9. Patrick Sanders - Shinshu (39.6)
10. Kimitake Sato - Niigata (39.3)

FREE-THROW SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
1. Cohey Aoki - Fukuoka (93.3)
2. Akitomo Takeno - Akita (93.0)
3. Kirk Van Slyke - Fukuoka (90.2)
4. Yuichi Ikeda - Niigata (86.9)
5. Shigehiro Taguchi - Akita (86.7)
6. Edward Yamamoto - Shimane (85.7)
7. Mohamed Abukar - Shinshu (85.4)
8. Patrick Sanders - Shinshu (85.2)
9. Koki Yabuuchi - Takamatsu (84.9)
10. Shun Watanuki - Kyoto (84.8)

FIELD-GOAL SHOOTING PERCENTAGE (all shots)
1. Kibwe Trim - Ryukyu (63.4)
2. Carl Hall - Yokohama (62.3)
3. Kevin Kotzur - Kyoto (62.3)
4. B.J. Puckett - Takamatsu (59.6)
5. Deshawn Stephens - Akita (59.4)
6. Nyika Williams - Saitama (57.1)
7. Melvin Ely - Gunma (57.0)
8. Will Foster - Tokyo (56.6)
9. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (56.2)
10. Isiah Brown - Shimane (55.5)

Sweet 16 representation

3/23/2015

With the busiest weekend of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament now wrapped up, let's take a look at which bj-league players' schools are still preparing for their next games as March Madness picks up steam.

Here are the current bj-league players who went to those schools before their pro careers were launched:

-Kentucky (Nara's Jared Carter)
-Louisville (Shinshu's Terrence Jennings, Niigata's Stephan Van Treese)
-Gonzaga (Iwate's Abdullahi Kuso, Tokyo's Will Foster, OIta's Drew Barham)
-Wisconsin (Shiga's Ray Nixon)
-Wichita State (Yokohama's Carl Hall)
-Arizona (Toyama's Jamelle Horne)
-North Carolina (Takamatsu's Justin Watts)
-Notre Dame (Niigata's Russell Carter)

Individual stat leaders

3/2/2015

Through games of March 1 (source: bj-league.com)

SCORING
1. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (22.6)
2. Josh Peppers - Fukuoka (21.1)
3. Richard Roby - Akita (20.8)
4. Scootie Randall - Iwate (20.7)
5. Patrick Sanders - Shinshu (19.9)
6. Warren Niles - Yokohama (19.4)
7. Jemal Farmer - Tokyo (19.4)
8. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (19.1)
9. Wendell White - Sendai (19.1)
10. Masashi Joho - Toyama (18.7)

ASSISTS
1. Tatsuya Suzuki - Nara (7.0)
2. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (5.7)
3. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (4.6)
4. Akitomo Takeno - Akita (4.3)
5. Richard Roby - Akita (4.3)
6. Masaya Karimata - Fukushima (4.2)
7. Kenji Yamada - Yokohama (4.2)
8. Tatsunori Fujie - Toyama (4.1)
9. Takato Saito - Shinshu (4.0)
10. Takehiko Shimura - Sendai (4.0)

REBOUNDING
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (13.6)
2. Terrance Shannon - Fukushima (11.6)
3. Sam Willard - Toyama (11.4)
4. Chris Holm - Shiga (11.1)
5. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (10.9)
6. Michael St. John - Nara (10.8)
7. Nyika Williams - Saitama (10.2)
8. Chehales Tapscott - Nara (9.9)
9. Todd O'Brien - Oita (9.8)
10. Carl Hall - Yokohama (9.6)

STEALS
1. Damian Saunders - Aomori (2.5)*
2. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (2.4)
3. Richard Roby - Akita (2.3)
4. Koji Nagata - Saitama (2.0)
5. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (1.9)
6. Shunki Hatakeyama - Osaka (1.9)
7. Gary Johnson - Saitama (1.8)
8. Mo Charlo - Hamamatsu (1.8)
9. Carlos Dixon - Gunma (1.8)
10. Masahiro Kano - Shiga (1.7)
*-No longer in the league

BLOCKS
1. Jeral Davis - Sendai (3.2)
2. Will Foster - Tokyo (3.1)
3. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (1.8)
4. Tyran Walker - Akita (1.7)*
5. Carl Hall - Yokohama (1.5)
6. Jared Carter - Nara (1.5)
7. Todd O'Brien - OIta (1.3)
8. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (1.3)
9. James Hughes - Fukushima (1.1)
10. Richard Roby - Akita (1.1)
*No longer in the league

Individual stat leaders

1/26/2015

Through games of Jan. 25 (source: bj-league.com)

SCORING
1. Kejuan Johnson (Sendai) - 22.0
2. Scootie Randall (Iwate) - 21.6
3. Josh Peppers (Fukuoka) - 20.9
4. Jemal Farmer (Tokyo) - 20.6
5. Warren Niles (Yokohama) - 20.2
6. Richard Roby (Akita) - 20.2
7. Patrick Sanders (Shinshu) - 19.2
8. Masashi Joho (Toyama) - 18.9
9. Gary Johnson (Saitama) - 18.7
10. Wendell White (Sendai) - 18.5

ASSISTS
1. Tatsuya Suzuki (Nara) - 6.5
2. Verdell Jones III (Fukushima) - 5.5
3. Takato Saito (Shinshu) - 4.4
4. Akitomo Takeno (Akita) - 4.3
5. Richard Roby (Akita) - 4.3
6. Masaya Karimata (Fukushima) - 4.2
7. Takehiko Shimura (Sendai) - 4.1
8. Tatsunori Fujie (Toyama) - 4.1
9. Ruben Boykin (Akita) - 4.1
10. Kejuan Johnson (Akita) - 4.1

REBOUNDING
1. Will Foster (Tokyo) - 13.5
2. Michael St. John (Nara) - 11.7
3. Terrance Shannon (Fukushima) - 11.4
4. Sam Willard (Toyama) - 11.4
5. Gyno Pomare (Aomori) - 11.0
6. Chris Holm (Shiga) - 10.8
7. Chehales Tapscott (Nara) - 10.0
8. Lawrence Blackledge (Iwate) - 9.7
9. Gary Hamilton (Osaka) - 9.4
10. Joe Werner (Toyama) - 9.2

STEALS
1. Damian Saunders (Aomori) - 2.5
2. Richard Roby (Akita) - 2.4
3. Kejuan Johnson (Sendai) - 2.1
4. Koji Nagata (Saitama) - 2.0
5. Gary Hamilton (Osaka) - 2.0)
6. Verdell Jones III (Fukushima) - 1.8
7. Josh Peppers (Fukuoka) - 1.8
8. Mo Charlo (Hamamatsu) - 1.8
9. Masashi Joho (Toyama) - 1.8
10. Gary Johnson (Saitama) - 1.7

BLOCKS
!. Will Foster (Tokyo) - 3.0
2. Jeral Davis (Sendai) - 2.6
3. Tyran Walker (Akita) - 1.7
3. Lawrence Blackledge (Iwate) - 1.7
5. Carl Hall (Yokohama) - 1.7
6. Todd O'Brien (Oita) - 1.4
7. Gyno Pomare (Aomori) - 1.3
8. James Hughes (Fukushima) - 1.1
9. Jared Carter (Nara) - 1.1
10. Richard Roby (Akita) - 1.1
Note: Walker played his final game with Akita on Jan. 18.

Individual stat leaders

12/31/2014

Through games of Dec. 28 (Source: bj-league.com)

SCORING
1. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (22.9)
2. Scootie Randall - Iwate (21.8)
3. Warren Niles - Yokohama (21.4)
4. Josh Peppers - Fukuoka (20.8)
5. Jemal Farmer - Tokyo (20.7)
6. Richard Roby - Akita (19.6)
7. Gary Johnson - Saitama (19.1)
8. Patrick Sanders - Shinshu (18.7)
9. Wendell White - Sendai (18.7)
10. Chehales Tapscott - Nara (18.3)

ASSISTS
1. Tatsuya Suzuki - Nara (6.5)
2. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (5.6)
3. Takato Saito - Shinshu (4.9)
4. Akitomo Takeno - Akita (4.4)
5. Masaya Karimata - Fukushima (4.3)
6. Ruben Boykin - Akita (4.2)
7. Takehiko Shimura - Sendai (4.2)
8. Tatsunori Fujie - Toyama (4.1)
9. Richard Roby - Akita (4.0)
10. Carlos Dixon - Gunma (4.0)

REBOUNDING
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (13.8)
2. Michael St. John - Nara (11.6)
3. Terrance Shannon - Fukushima (11.4)
4. Sam Willard - Toyama (11.2)
5. Chris Holm - Shiga (11.2)
6. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (10.5)
7. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (9.9)
8. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (9.9)
9. Carl Hall - Shinshu (9.5)
10. Chehales Tapscott - Nara (9.5)

STEALS
1. Damian Saunders - Aomori (2.4)
2. Richard Roby - Akita (2.3)
3. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (2.1)
4. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (2.1)
5. Koji Nagata - Saitama (2.0)
6. Gary Johnson - Saitama (1.9)
7. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (1.8)
8. Shota Konno - Osaka (1.8)
9. Shunki Hatakeyama - Osaka (1.8)
9. Carlos Dixon - Gunma (1.8)
9. Mo Charlo - Hamamatsu (1.8)
9. Yu Okada- Kyoto (1.8)

BLOCKS
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (3.2)
2. Jeral Davis - Sendai (2.9)
3. Carl Hall - Shinshu (2.0)
4. Tyran Walker - Akita (1.8)
5. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (1.8)
6. Todd O'Brien - Oita (1.4)
7. Richard Roby - Akita (1.3)
8. James Hughes - Fukushima (1.2)
9. Jared Carter - Nara (1.2)
10. Kevin Kotzur - Kyoto (1.1)
10. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (1.1)
10. Damian Saunders - Aomori (1.1)

Raising standards are a must

12/16/2014

More than 100 foreign basketball players, the majority of whom played college ball at NCAA Division I universities in the United States, bring important skills and a daily challenge to their teams at practice and in games in the bj-league and NBL.

The several hundred Japanese players who go head-to-head against these import players are given the chance to compete and learn ... and raise the standard of Japanese basketball. It's not an immediate occurrence. Improvement may happen in almost unnoticeable steps. But the influx of foreigners to Japan basketball, what with the growth of the bj-league and, to a lesser extent, the NBL (as it morphed from the JBL into its current name in 2013) is a good thing.

Japanese fans, players, coaches and media I have interacted with recognize the excitement level that foreigners bring to the game here -- dunks, fast-break layups, blocks, etc. -- are all a part of it. The added height and the swagger and aggressive play of the foreign players does not go unnoticed.

But figuring out how to market that aspect of the game has not gone particularly well for either league. The percentage of coverage the pro game receives in the Japan's major newspapers and magazines is microscopic in comparison to other sports.

As one item of evidence, the updated home attendance figures released after Sunday's games point that out. Only six of the 35 combined teams in the two leagues are averaging more than 2,000 fans a game. And of the bj-league's 22 teams, 14 are averaging less than 1,500, with five less than 1,000 a game (including Oita's league-worst 691 per-game average). The NBL's worst attendance average belongs to Wakayama (594).

This is an epidemic.

This isn't just numbers on a spreadsheet.

So what does all this mean? Somebody - a smart group or a visionary leader -- is needed to raise the level of promotions, to figure out a way to convince the movers and shakers at media companies that the sport ought to get big, bold, nonstop coverage in print, radio and TV, online the expanding range of mobile and tablet applications, too.

None of the teams cited above has must-read, must-see coverage on a nationwide scale. Nor do any of the star players on any of the 35 teams. Those things are needed to begin moving the sport in the right direction in a country where the only basketball player many people know by name is Yuta Tabuse, whose NBA career lasted four games.

Taking risks are necessary to break out of the current level of mediocrity that the sport is stuck in.

Read above how Frank Sinatra, as featured in a letter published to the Los Angeles Times, viewed the role of fame and reaching out to attain goals -- doing it with gusto and persistence. And pride.

The talents of the players in Japan's two top leagues are not being maximized by the mass media and promotional powers of this country to grow the game and educate the public about the teams, their players and their skills.

So, as a necessary step forward, getting the media to cover the sport on a year-round basis is an absolute objective the sport's leaders need to being pushing for.

A flawed strategy

12/3/2014

The Tokyo Cinq Reves have now played a grand total of 122 regular-season games over parts of three seasons in the bj-league. That's plenty of time to weigh the evidence and notice patterns in their overall performance.

They've won 35 and lost 87 (going 18-34 as an expansion team, then 13-39, and now at 4-14 entering Friday's series opener against visiting Osaka) for a winning percentage of 28.6 percent. Or, to put it more bluntly, they lose more than 71 percent of the time under head coach Motofumi Aoki, who's been in charge since the team's inception.

One obvious factor in the team's consistent poor play is the changing of the roster every season. Very few key players have been retained by this team -- or even signed to begin with among the Japanese free agents out there.

None of the Cinq Reves' foreign players from the 202-13 campaign were brought back for the 2013-14 season. And none of last season's import players are on the squad this season.

Roster continuity does matter and perpetual rebuilding is not a formula for success.

Will Tokyo management change course and adopt a strategy that can produce success?

The verdict is still out.

Individual stat leaders (through end of November)

12/1/2014

Through games of Nov. 30 (source: bj-league.com).

SCORING
1. Scootie Randall - Iwate (23.6)
2. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (23.1)
3. Warren Niles - Yokohama (22.8)
4. Jemal Farmer - Tokyo (20.1)
5. Gary Johnson - Saitama (19.5)
6. Josh Peppers - Fukuoka (19.3)
7. Richard Roby - Akita (18.7)
8. Terrance Woodbury - Shiga (18.5)
9. Wendell White - Sendai (18.41)
10. Josh Dollard - Osaka (18.40)

ASSISTS
1. Tatsuya Suzuki - Nara (5.9)
2. Verdell Jones III - Fukushima (5.9)
3. Takato Saito - Shinshu (5.2)
4. Masaya Karimata - Fukushima (5.1)
5. Akitomo Takeno - Akita (4.8)
6. Ruben Boykin - Akita (4.3)
7. Yutaka Yokoe - Shiga (4.3)
8. Carlos Dixon - Gunma (4.3)
9. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (4.1)
10. Richard Roby - Akita (4.0)
&
10. Takehiko Shimura - Sendai (4.0)

REBOUNDING
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (14.2)
2. Michael St. John - Nara (12.8)
3. Chris Holm - Shiga (11.6)
4. Sam Willard - Toyama (11.5)
5. Terrance Shannon - Fukushima (10.6)
6. Carl Hall - Shinshu (10.3)
7. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (10.2)
8. Stephan Van Treese - Niigata (9.9)
9. Adrian Moss - Sendai (9.8)
10. Kibwe Trim - Ryukyu (9.6)

STEALS
1. Richard Roby - Akita (2.3)
2. Damian Saunders - Aomori (2.2)
3. Gary Hamilton - Osaka (2.1)
4. Shota Konno - Osaka (1.9)
5. Kejuan Johnson - Sendai (1.9)
6. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (1.8)
7. Sam Willard - Toyama (1.7)
8. Yu Okada - Shiga (1.7)
&
8. Gary Johnson - Saitama (1.7)
&
8. Koji Nagata - Saitama (1.7)

BLOCKS
1. Will Foster - Tokyo (3.4)
2. Carl Hall - Shinshu (2.4)
3. Tyran Walker - Akita (2.2)
4. Lawrence Blackledge - Iwate (1.6)
5. Todd O'Brien - Oita (1.4)
6. Richard Roby - Akita (1.4)
7. James Hughes - Fukushima (1.3)
8. Anthony McHenry - Ryukyu (1.3)
9. Gyno Pomare - Aomori (1.3)
10. Kevin Kotzur - Kyoto (1.3)

A nation's sport in disarray

11/28/2014

The current set of overlapping crises, including the Japan Basketball Association's ban imposed by FIBA for failing to merge the NBL and bj-league (35 combined teams and years of warning and little visible progress for a breakthrough), that highlight Japan basketball's existence lead to the following:

1. Growing fan disgust.
2. Growing scrutiny from sponsors.
3. Decreasing priority to cover the sport for major media companies.
4. Frustration by all who could make a difference and be positive agents of change.

In addition to all of the above, the fact that the NBL and NBDL remain in many ways relics of the old men's corporate hoop leagues, isn't helping push the sport forward.

So instead of major corporations building or becoming title sponsors of home arenas for teams in the NBL and/or bj-league, major Japanese corporations are being lured to do so overseas ... including in China.

The new 15,000-seat Nissan Stadium is being used for Chinese Basketball Association games in Dongguan, China. (Meanwhile, in the bj-league, some teams are slated to play in as many as 10 home gyms for their 26 home games this season. A similar set-up is the norm in the NBL. Does that matter and/or cause the metaphorical light bulb to shine -- for Japan's basketball leaders?)

Now, if Japan had a clear plan to grow the sport in a smart way and build a system that could thrive, wouldn't Nissan be a potential sponsor for a Japan basketball arena(s)? And why not Toyota, another economic giant?

Where losing is a perennial expectation

11/8/2014

The Saitama Broncos, losers of 10 straight games to open the 2014-15 season, their 10th in the bj-league, have been so bad for so long that any winning streak (two games, I submit, as a rare example) is a shocking development.

The franchise has had one constant during its decade of nonstop chaos in the bj-league: team president Toshihiko Narita.

They change coaches every year.

Their best players rarely stay around for more than two seasons.

The revolving door that is their roster "strategy" is a recipe for disaster.

The Broncos, currently with a 20-day bye period after just five weeks of games, have played in 432 games in the fledgling circuit and lost 303 of them. They've also lost 57 of their past 62 games dating to the start of the 2013-14 season, when they went 5-47. They've never qualified for the playoffs despite being one of the bj-league's original two JBL breakaway teams and seen expansion teams join the circuit every year since the league's inception in 2005.

A recent response from bulls.com writer Sam Smith to a reader summing up the Philadelphia Sixers woes reminds me of the way the Saitama Broncos conduct business. It's a disgrace and disrespects the game, the league, and the fans.

To wit: simply replace the Sixers with the Broncos and take away the possibility of lottery picks (the bj-league draft is often bypassed by most teams as a money-saving tactic).

In part, Smith wrote, "They simply hope to get a high lottery pick in the draft and potential star. It’s the way the best teams have been built. No argument there. But their absolute disregard for the spirit of competition and the dignity of the sport tarnishes everyone and they do not seem to care. You don’t want to be on a boat with a member of 76ers management because it’s pretty likely women and children first would just be an antiquated guideline for them. What they are going to find out is there is a price to pay. Because when you purposely lose as they are doing you make losers of your players. And they come to accept failure more than most players. It becomes a difficult habit to break."