Japan - Tabuse cements hoop legacy

From www.yomiuri.co.jp
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Like a rock star walking onto a stage, even the simplest of acts by Yuta Tabuse always draws deafening cheers from the Link Tochigi Brex fans.

Tabuse's popularity hasn't wavered since his days at Noshiro Kogyo High School in Akita Prefecture, where his Magic Johnson-like wizardry on the court made him the biggest name in the sport.

The 1.73-meter Tabuse worked some real magic last week when he led the expansion Brex to a Japan Basketball League title in the team's postseason debut.

But instead of the fancy between-the-legs, no-look passes, and blazing speed up and down the court, it was leadership and court savvy that paved the way for the 29-year-old and his teammates to celebrate after an unexpected three-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Aisin Sea Horses.

The point guard has entered the next phase of his career.

"I think he's going to have a huge influence [on basketball in Japan]," Brex coach Tom Wisman told Hard Drives after the JBL finals at Yoyogi No. 2 Gym in Tokyo.

"He is such a great leader and such an example to the other players in his professionalism. He is safe with the ball. He has really learned how to play the game, and he plays smart.

"His leadership is something as a coach you've got to have on your team," said Wisman, who is done with the Brex and will now coach Japan's national hoop squad.

Tabuse, playing in the backcourt with the league leading scorer Takuya Kawamura, has raised the bar but thinks he hasn't peaked.

"I think I can do more," he said. "I need to raise my level and dominate more. I need to be scoring 20 points a game."

Tabuse reluctantly came back to Japan two years ago to join the Brex, in part because his high school coach Mitsuhiko Kato was hired as coach.

But Kato was in over his head and Link Tochigi struggled to an 0-4 start. Kato got the quick hook last season, the team severing ties after 10 games.

The Brex eventually failed to make the playoffs, but pulled off an unlikely upset this year by drowning the Sea Horses in defense.

Wisman's 2-3 "amoeba" zone helped the Brex hide defensive deficiencies win five straight postseason games. The Sea Horses were discombobulated and exposed for lack of consistent shooting from behind the arc, where they were 17 of 68 in the series.

Regular season MVP Kosuke Takeuchi of Aisin had a big first half in Game 1, but was a nonfactor the rest of the series, blowing his top and fouling out of Game 2 and treating the ball like a hot potato when he had open looks.

Tabuse led the defensive charge by scrambling along the perimeter and Tochigi's Ken Tanaka, who has played for four teams and won two JBL championships with the Toyota Alvark, said Tabuse has solidified his place in hoop history here.

"We need more guys like him," Tanaka said. "I think for his career, he definitely needed this, and Japanese basketball needed this. I think it shows that he actually did something. He didn't go overseas, come back and not do anything."

And he did it with a roster that isn't exactly stacked with first-rate players.

When asked if this was the most talented team he had been a part of, Tanaka paused, looked off to the side and seemed to be thinking aloud: "That's hard to say. But like the coach has been saying all year, we have the biggest heart.

"Talent-wise, we found a way to make it work and it worked out in the end.

Tabsue came back to Japan to get more court time and show potential NBA suitors what he can do. But the point guard wasn't zipping around defenders like he did when he was named the top rookie in 2002-03 while playing one year for the Alvark. Instead, he was making the right pass and getting his team in the right position to stop Aisin.

But the truth is, not many guys pushing 30 make it to the NBA.

"Tabuse's opportunity [to return to the NBA] might not be entirely closed. But NBA windows only stay open for a short time," Wisman said.

Wisman and marksman Kawamura were also important to the title run, butTabuse deserves a lot of the credit.

The Brex will miss Wisman next season, but Tabuse remains the biggest Link.