TOKYO (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Julio Lamas is not happy with Japan's 0-4 record in the Asian Qualifiers, but he still remains hopeful for their games in the third window.

Japan had a great opportunity to secure their first win in the second window when they hosted Chinese Taipei on 22 February, but the Akatsuki Five dropped the ball and lost on their own home floor, 70-69. Lamas immediately knew that they blew a golden chance, but a few days later his wards very nearly sprang an upset of their own against fancied Philippines only to, once again, fall short in the end. The 53-year-old veteran head coach lamented how their team defense and rebounding were lacking.

"We played much better on offense, scored many shots and had many free throws because we were deep offensively," he said. "But we didn't do well in our rebounding. We lost a lot with our rebounds. They scored 21 points off the second chance shots, and that's one big reason we were beaten."

Indeed, in both their second window fixtures, the Japanese were out-rebounded by both Chinese Taipei and Philippines. The Taipei quintet outworked Japan on the boards, 46-37, while the Filipinos were even more ferocious, out-rebounding Japan, 47-29.

For Lamas, who is famous for his success with the Argentina national team, which he coached in the London Olympics 2012 and at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain, Japan have displayed great offensive skill, but they still need much improvement on their defense. He knows that to beat opponents of the Philippines' caliber or better, Japan need to play at a very high level.

"We had good penetration from the perimeter, and our big guys rolled well to the basket," he explained. "We actually started the game really well, but played so-so in defense. To have a chance to beat a team like Philippines, we need to play very good. It is not enough to play good or so-so. We need to play very good for the whole game to have a chance to beat a team like Philippines."

With their current winless record, Lamas knows they have an uphill climb to earning a berth in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers. Still, he remains optimistic that they can still accomplish their mission as long as they finally get a breakthrough win in the next window.

"We still have a chance, but it's a complicated situation, of course," he said. "We need to beat Chinese Taipei to get those two points right on the last day and maybe have a chance to still qualify."

One cause for Lamas's optimism is the possibility of having more of Japan's elite level talents in the fold for the third window. In particular, he is looking forward to having US NCAA players Yuta Watanabe, who has just played out his eligibility for the George Washington University Colonials, and Rui Hachimura, who currently stars for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. If he had his way, Lamas would undoubtedly have both young forwards banner the Akatsuki Five in the third window against Australia and Chinese Taipei.

"We expect to have training camp in June, and hopefully have our US NCAA players back in the pool like Hachimura and Watanabe," he said. "If that happens, I think we will be more complete and play better on both offense and defense."

FIBA