THE BJ-LEAGUE INSIDER
  • Basketball Writer in Japan blog
  • 2014-15 team rosters
  • 2014-15 import players
  • 2014-15 season - by the numbers
  • Archived stories in The Japan Times
  • A look at the league's foreign coaches
  • What others are saying
  • Useful hoop sites in Japanese
  • (Through 2010-11 season) Top players in bj-league history: An in-depth analysis and survey
  • Year-by-year team involvement
  • 2012-13 Import players' college list
  • 2012-13 rosters
  • 2011-12 team rosters
  • 2011-12 foreign players and coaches list
  • Former NBA players' update
  • An introduction to the bj-league
  • Thought of the day
  • Memorable quotes
  • Media gets a raw deal
  • A source of inspiration
  • Interviews
  • Cost-cutting measures hurt league's image
  • The top Japanese rebounder is ...
  • The reality is ...
  • Respect for his peers
  • Best Five teams - 2005-06 to present
  • By the numbers
  • Not good enough
  • Poignant comments
  • JBL vs. bj-league and the problems both face
  • The way it is
  • Kawachi's impact
  • More memorable quotes
  • Photo gallery

Current Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell recognizes that Ryukyu's Dai Oketani and Akita's Kazuo Nakamura, who are nearly 40 years apart, understand what it takes to be successful.

"Great players definitely help make a coach better . . . sometimes. People say Phil Jackson was only good because he had (Michael) Jordan, (Scottie) Pippen, Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal), and Kobe (Bryant)," Blackwell said. "You have to also manage the players the right way, control large egos and get them to co-exist.

"I think Dai does a good job managing his talent in Okinawa. He definitely has one of the most talented teams in the league but he manages them well and they seem to have a lot of respect for him. His teams are well balanced and seem to have really good chemistry."

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.