Macho forward Gary Hamilton of the Rizing Fukuoka is an imposing physical presence on the court; he's one of the best athletes and all-around players in bj-league history. His younger brother, Jordan, was a first-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the same draft that included second-round pick Jeremy Tyler, who suited up for the Tokyo Apache last season.
New York Daily News college basketball guru Dick "Hoop" Weiss recently revealed his Midseason Report Card (Feb. 6). On his Second Team All-American squad he chose senior center Tyler Zeller of North Carolina. His Freshman All-America Team includes center Cody Zeller of Indiana.
If the name Zeller sounds familiar, it should. Luke Zeller, Tyler and Cody's older brother, starred for the Shiga Lakestars in 2008-09. He's been playing in the NBA Development League.
In other words, the level of imports that are associated with the bj-league is impressive. Families with true basketball pedigree have been a major part of the upstart league, and it's a major reason why JBL teams and the Japan Basketball Association should figure out a way to schedule as many interleague games, exhibitions, tournaments, whatever (a best-of-three series between the JBL and bj-league champions) as soon as possible.
This would be a step in the right direction for the sport here.
In the bj-league, where three imports generally start, teams are making the necessary investment to bring good imports to Japan in order to be competitive and build solid foundations for their teams.
In the JBL, the one-import-on-the-court rule does not give the Japanese players enough quality competition against foreigners on a regular basis. That's a fact.
New York Daily News college basketball guru Dick "Hoop" Weiss recently revealed his Midseason Report Card (Feb. 6). On his Second Team All-American squad he chose senior center Tyler Zeller of North Carolina. His Freshman All-America Team includes center Cody Zeller of Indiana.
If the name Zeller sounds familiar, it should. Luke Zeller, Tyler and Cody's older brother, starred for the Shiga Lakestars in 2008-09. He's been playing in the NBA Development League.
In other words, the level of imports that are associated with the bj-league is impressive. Families with true basketball pedigree have been a major part of the upstart league, and it's a major reason why JBL teams and the Japan Basketball Association should figure out a way to schedule as many interleague games, exhibitions, tournaments, whatever (a best-of-three series between the JBL and bj-league champions) as soon as possible.
This would be a step in the right direction for the sport here.
In the bj-league, where three imports generally start, teams are making the necessary investment to bring good imports to Japan in order to be competitive and build solid foundations for their teams.
In the JBL, the one-import-on-the-court rule does not give the Japanese players enough quality competition against foreigners on a regular basis. That's a fact.
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