JPN – Japan U17 star Nagaoka loving her time in France

RODEZ (2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) – Moeko Nagaoka exploded for 34 points on Saturday in leading Japan to a surprise 87-80 win over Canada.

Even more astonishing, the Japanese power forward wasn’t the game’s top scorer as Nirra Fields had 36 for the Canadians who could not do little to slow down their amazingly quick opponents.

FIBA.com caught up with the Hokkaido native and talked about her time in France so far.

FIBA: You won your game yesterday against Canada and you were the best scored player in your team. Is it important for you?
Nagaoka: Yes it is, but to win the game is the most important thing for me and for the team.

FIBA: What do you think about the other teams in this tournament?
Nagaoka: All the teams are very strong and can score a lot of points. The level of competition is very high.

FIBA: Is this your first time travelling to Europe? To France?
Nagaoka: It is my first time in France but I went to Lithuania last march with the U18 women’s national team.

FIBA: What did you know or think about France before you arrived?
Nagaoka: I heard that in France there are a lot of different foods. In Japan the image of France is the city of Paris. I heard that the city is dirty with a lot of papers on sidewalks. So I thought that France is a dirty country.

FIBA: And now that your are here, what is your opinion about the country?
Nagaoka: Now that I am in Rodez, I have changed my way of thinking because the city is very clean. France is a beautiful country.

FIBA/LOC