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Individual stat leaders (through end of November)

11/30/2014

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)
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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)

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A nation's sport in disarray

11/28/2014

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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?

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Where losing is a perennial expectation

11/8/2014

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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."

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Examining a chronic problem

11/6/2014

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Without a major presence on a weekly basis on national TV news programs (where are the game highlights?), the bj-league will continue to mire in obscurity in the overwhelming majority of locales in Japan's 47 prefectures. It expands every season, but that hasn't carried the league to major status on the national scene.

A Tokyo Weekender feature in February 2011 on the now-defunct Tokyo Apache provided spot-on insight about the problem:

"Gaining a foothold in the Japanese sports landscape has been tough for the league, which lags far behind baseball, soccer and sumo among other sports. Media coverage is scarce in major outlets and finding games on terrestrial television is a chore. The sport is popular at the grassroots level — the annual high school tournaments draw respectable crowds — but has failed to resonate with fans on the professional level."

Full story: http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2011/02/high-hopes-for-the-bj-league-2/

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The recipe for success

11/1/2014

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In an interview with NBA.com, Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon discussed what's needed to elevate the game in Africa. The same things are needed to be done within Japan's basketball circles, including the scholastic, collegiate, national team and pro levels.

"When the money is invested properly, when the infrastructure is built, when the politics are taken out of the systems, then the talent from Africa to the NBA will take off," Olajuwon said. "For now there are the raw players, but you still must find your own way to make it."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2014/news/features/fran_blinebury/10/30/the-international-influence-hakeem-olajuwon/

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Individual stat leaders (through end of November)

A nation's sport in disarray

Where losing is a perennial expectation

Examining a chronic problem

The recipe for success

Ed Odeven

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