A look at this year's foreign-born players and coaches in the bj-league.
FOREIGN PLAYERS AND HEAD COACHES IN THE BJ-LEAGUE.
(At last count, there are 83 import players and nine foreign head coaches.)
Numerical Rosters as of Opening Day (Oct. 8, 2011)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Iwate Big Bulls – expansion team
Coach: Vlasios Vlaikidis (Greece)
7 Shin Jae Rok G/F (South Korea)
15 Thomas Kennedy F (Detroit Mercy)
22 Shawn Malloy PF/C (New Orleans)
25 Sean Coleman F (Houston)
32 Matthew Smith PF/C (Warner)
Akita Northern Happinets
20 Stanley Ocitti PF/C (Binghamton)
33 Brandon Wallace F (South Carolina)
34 Casey Crawford F (Colorado; his father, Steve, pitched in the major leagues)
55 Michael Gardener G (Southeastern Louisiana)
Sendai 89ers
Coach: Bob Pierce (American, Biola University grad who hails from Oregon; ex-Asia scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers)
5 O’Neal Mims F (Angelo State)
9 Johnny Dukes F (San Francisco)
21 Rashaad Singleton C (Florida Southern)
22 Dan Fitzgerald F (Marquette)
Niigata Albirex BB
Coach: Matt Garrison (American, Biola University grad)
1 Dwight Gordon G (UC Riverside)
3 Erron Maxey SF/PF (Providence)
20 Nile Murry (TCU)
31 James Keefe PF/C (UCLA)
54 Chris Holm C (Vermont)
Toyama Grouses
00 Haakim Johnson SG/SF (Pikeville College)
21 Brian Harper F (Paine College)
34 Devin Searcy F/C (Dayton)
50 Ira Brown F (Gonzaga)
Shinshu Brave Warriors – expansion team
5 Derek Raivio G (Gonzaga)
24 Lee Roberts PF (Findlay)
32 Edward Morris PF (Pittsburgh)
34 Tyler Hughes C (Kansas State)
Saitama Broncos
Coach: Dean Murray (from South Carolina; former NBA D-League head coach)
2 Kenny Satterfield PG (Cincinnati; ex-NBA point guard)
10 Darin Satoshi Maki PG (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
11 Jayme Miller F (Cal State Northridge)
35 John “Helicopter” Humphrey SG/SF (Middle Tennessee State; popular AND 1 player)
41 John Flowers F (West Virginia)
45 Gabriel Hughes C (California)
Chiba Jets – expansion team
Coach: Eric Gardow (from Wisconsin; former Qatar national team head coach)
3 George Leach C (Indiana)
11 Maurice Hargrow G (Minnesota)
15 Gaston Moliva F (Richmond)
44 Jamel Staten F (Minnesota State-Mankato)
Yokohama B-Corsairs – expansion team
Coach: Reggie Geary (former NBA point guard; ex-NBADL head coach)
1 Chas McFarland C (Wake Forest)
6 Faye Pape Mour C (from Senegal; Kanto Gakuin University in Japan)
10 Marcus Simmons G (USC)
19 Giyoh Shey G (Cal State Los Angeles)
24 Justin Burrell F (St. John’s)
Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix
4 James Peters F/C (UNLV)
21 Jeffrey Parmer F (Florida Atlantic)
34 Wayne Arnold G (Tennessee State)
Jermaine Dixon G (Pittsburgh)*number not assigned yet
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Shiga Lakestars
Coach: Alan Westover (from California)
0 Ray Nixon F (Wisconsin)
4 Julius Ashby C (Colorado)
19 Dionisio Gomez F (from Panama; Arkansas)
30 Josh Peppers F (Central Florida)
Kyoto Hannaryz
2 Jermaine Boyette F (Weber State)
7 Rick Rickert F (Minnesota)
30 Lee Cummard G (BYU)
41 Lance Allred C (Weber State; former NBA center)
Osaka Evessa
Coach: Ryan Blackwell (former Syracuse University forward)
1 Lawrence Blackledge F (Marquette)
3 Lavell Payne F (Central Florida)
10 Kevin Tyner G (Western Oregon)
44 Lynn Washington PF (Indiana)
50 Wayne Marshall C (Temple)
Shimane Susanoo Magic
Coach: Zeljko Pavlicevic (from Croatia; two-time Euroleague-winning bench boss)
3 Michael Parker F (Evergreen State)
4 Jeral Davis C (Talladega State)
8 Reggie Golson F (Southeast Missouri State)
10 B.J. Puckett C/F (Clayton State)
Takamatsu Five Arrows
1 Michael Nunnally F (Pacific)
7 Paul Butorac C (Eastern Washington)
12 Kevin Smith F (Richmond)
32 Nyika Williams C (Pacific)
Rizing Fukuoka
2 Gary Hamilton PF (Miami, Fla.)
7 J.R. Inman F (Rutgers)
15 Kevin Palmer G/F (Texas A&M)
25 Emil Kim G (UC Irvine)
32 Carlos Dixon F (Va. Tech)
Oita HeatDevils
Wendell White F (UNLV)*number not assigned yet
4 Zach Atkinson C (UC Irvine)
33 Matt Lottich G (Stanford)
34 T.J. Cummings PF/SF (UCLA; longtime NBA player Terry’s son)
Miyazaki Shining Suns
6 Darryl Dora F/C (Texas Tech)
34 Ivan Harris F (Ohio State)
44 Lewis Witcher PF/C (Va. Tech)
Ryukyu Golden Kings
5 Anthony McHenry F (Ga. Tech)
21 Reggie Okosa F (from Nigeria; La Salle)
33 Dzaflo Larkai F (from England; Bellarmine)
50 Jeff Newton F (Indiana)
