Tsuji leads Japan’s 12-man FIBA Asia Challenge roster
TOKYO (2016 FIBA Asia Challenge) – Japan's OQT star play Maoto Tsuji has been named in Japan's final roster for the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.
TOKYO (2016 FIBA Asia Challenge) – Japan's OQT star player Naoto Tsuji has been named in Japan's final roster for the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.
Tsuji skipped the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha-Hunan, but he starred for the Akatsuki Five at the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Serbia.
The 27-year-old is considered one of the cornerstones of this Japan team. His versatility, quickness and three-point shooting ability will be key for the Akatsuki Five in Tehran. This certainly looks to be in-line with what national team coach Kenji Hasegawa is planning for his squad.
| Japan 12-player roster for FIBA Asia Challenge | |||
| Naoto Tsuji | Yuki Mitsuhara | Makoto Hiejima | Ryusei Shinoyama |
| Atsuya Ota | Ryoma Hashimoto | Takanobu Nishikawa | Yuma Fujii |
| Takatoshi Furukawa | Ira Brown |
Yuya Nagayoshi |
Teneketsu Harimoto |
"We will be looking at more speedy game with hard work," he says.
Joining Tusji on the team will be four players with past experience representing Japan. Makoto Hiejima, Atsuya Ota, Ryoma Hashimoto and Takatoshi Furukawa all featured for Japan at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changhsa-Hunan.
Having experienced players is also a boon, according to coach Hasegawa, who will expect these veterans to be the team's leaders on and off the court.
"We are just formed as a team, having some members who took part in the Jones Cup and other important international games," Hasegawa adds. "Our style is not changed a bit, but we have more enthusiasm to get in the top five or higher in the tournament."
As part of their preparations for the FIBA Asia Challenge, Japan participated in the 38th annual William Jones Cup in Taipei City in July. They finished seventh in that friendly tournament with a 3-5 record.
"We had relatively younger team in the Jones Cup," explains Hasegawa. "But it was our intention, and we improved as a team and as individuals."
Japan will play regional rivals Korea and debutants Thailand in Group D of the 9-18 September tournament in Iran.
The East Asians twice played the final of the FIBA Asia Challenge but failed to win in both occasions. They lost the 2010 edition final to hosts Lebanon before losing to Iran on home soil two years later.
FIBA