AMMAN (Jordan) - So sustainable has been the Japan women's basketball program to the point that the rising names already serve as an inspiration to much younger athletes.

Mai Yamamoto, for instance, is the one player An Kanazawa looks up to, as the youngster admires the way the 23-year-old performs against bigger foes with her 1.65 M (5'5") frame.

"My height is not much different from her," said the 15-year-old shooting guard, who stands at 1.71 M (5'7"). "But, it amazes me how she goes up against bigger players from different countries and how she finishes, and how she hits her three-point shots at important times."

Yamamoto, at her age, has already earned plenty of accolades in the global stage. A part of the team that copped silver in the FIBA U18 Women's Asian Championship 2016, she'd go on to win two more medals in the seniors squad, including a Women's Asia Cup gold in 2021.

She's also attained success in the halfcourt game, leading Japan to a golden finish in the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup 2018 to give the country its first-ever world title in basketball.

Indeed, Yamamoto has made a mark in the Akatsuki. Kanazawa definitely still has a lot of work ahead to be like her idol, but there's no doubt that she could be on the way.

A look at the ongoing FIBA U16 Women's Asian Championship-Division A competitions is proof. Japan swept their way to the Semi-Finals to secure a spot to the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup as well, and Kanazawa herself has been a major reason behind their campaign.

So far, she's leading the team in scoring with a tournament second-best 18.7 points on 47.8-percent field goal shooting, including a 35.8-percent accuracy from deep.

"From junior high school, I was good at offense and my teammates and coaches in the U16 team continue to tell me to shoot, therefore, I feel confident in shooting," said the cager out Oka Gakuen High - the same school of Yamamoto. "If there is an open space, I don’t hesitate but just shoot."

Head coach Natsumi Yabuuchi likes not just Kanazawa's scoring ability but her infectious energy, too. "She has been showing her potential of scoring what she is good at," she said.

"We don’t have a lot of set plays but she is finding her timing and is able to attack. She is bringing in energy to the team," the former Olympian continued.

From the mat to the hardwood

Those are high praises for someone who didn't have basketball as her original sport. Kanazawa disclosed that she started out with karate, eventually earning a black belt.

But she moved on from martial arts back in fifth grade, when she was invited by a friend to play basketball. From there, she chose to take hoops seriously.

Fast forward to now and Kanazawa finds herself playing for the Japanese national team in the FIBA stage, a stint that began after seeing action in a national junior high tournament.

"The Nippon Junior High School Tournament was my first nationwide tournament," she recounted. "At that tournament, I was able to see how my level was and we were able to finish second. After that, I was first called to the national team and after a couple of camps, I was officially part of the team."

Aside from the talent, being coachable was also one of the reasons why Yabuuchi and her staff found it easy to include her to the 12-player lineup for the Amman tilt.

"She understands her role very well and has a positive attitude towards what the coaches ask her to do," said the veteran bench tactician.

But being one of her mentors, Yabuuchi still hopes that Kanazawa would morph even better, which she's optimistic about. "I want her to grow as a player that is also strong at defense for the team," she offered. "I want her to become a player that can move people’s hearts when watching her play."

Woman for others

Asked about her ultimate goal as a basketball player, Kanazawa said that she would want to be part of the Japan women's seniors team and play in the ever-prestigious Olympics.

Playing in sports' biggest stage has become a dream for many aspiring Japanese hoopers, especially after the women's national team's silver finish in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

But she understands that it would take a lot for her to prove that she deserves to be called up in the future, So for now, the goal is to succeed as much as she can in the youth scene.

"My goal is to make it to the Japan Women’s National Team and play in the Olympics. To make that goal, I will continue to play hard and keep making it to the under category national teams," she said.

An plans to start in the current U16 showpiece, where the goal is to help Japan finally bag home the championship after settling for runner-up finishes in five of the last six editions.

Winning so, should that happen, won't just be for their batch. For Kanazawa, it's also dedicated to their predecessors who tried, some of which are now their seniors in the Akatsuki.

"We want to win a championship for our fellow players," she said. "I am only focusing on winning the championship and can only imagine that. We will work together and do our best."

FIBA