Don’t count out Japan

At the 14th Asian Games in Busan this September, national coach Joseph Uichico isn’t taking any team lightly. Sure, he’s working extra hard to prepare for defending champion China, host South Korea and darkhorse Lebanon. But that doesn’t mean he’s looking past contenders like Japan, Chinese-Taipei, Syria, and Qatar.

Japan, in particular, is a threat. And Uichico’s making sure that if the Philippines plays Japan in Busan, he’ll be ready to win.

Fans will remember that Uichico was then national coach Norman Black’s chief assistant when the Philippines lost to Japan in the battle for bronze at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The bitter setback left the Philippines out of the medal circle.

Japan has won the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) title twice, in 1965 and 1971. It placed sixth at the ABC tilt in Shanghai last year. Japan, however, hasn’t been as lucky in the Asiad where it has never won. At the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Japan fell to 10th spot as stars like Maikeru Takahashi, Masaki Gotoh, Takahiko Orimo, Kenichi Sako, and Takuya Kita were not in the lineup.

Japan enlisted naturalized player Dan Weiss, a 6-9 center from Santa Clara University, for the 1999 ABC tilt in Fukuoka but the national team finished only fifth. Coach Mototaka Kohama’s squad took South Korea to the brink before losing a 64-61 cliffhanger. In the previous ABC joust, Japan placed second and earned a ticket to the 1998 World Championships in Athens.

Kohama resigned as national coach after the 1999 debacle but replacement Kenji Yoshida fared worse in Shanghai. The word is Japan may bring back Kohama on the bench in Busan. Kohama coaches the Isuzu Motor Giga Cats in the Japan Super League and his players include Sako, Takahashi, Makoto Hasegawa, and Tatsuya Miyanokoshi. Another option is Shuji Ono who led Toyota Alvark to the Super League crown a few weeks ago. National mainstays Orimo and Koji Naya are Ono’s big guns at Toyota.

Political infighting has led to a split in the Japanese player ranks in recent years. For instance, Yoshida left out Kohama’s Isuzu players Sako, Takahashi, and Hasegawa from the Shanghai roster. Without the Isuzu stars, the national squad just couldn’t put up a decent fight. But in Busan, the word is Japan will send its strongest combination.

Because of American influence, Japanese basketball has become less and less robotic. Seattle SuperSonics assistant coach Dwane Casey was tapped to call the shots for Japan at the 1998 World Championships. Tom Wisman and Brian Goorjian were others hired to Americanize the national squad. In the recent Super League season, two clubs were coached by Americans – Paul Westhead for Matsushita and John Patrick for Bosch. Additionally, Wisman was a Kohama assistant at Toyota.

Then there is the presence of high-caliber imports to test the locals in the Super League. Among the imports who displayed their wares this season were Ron Hale, Tony Lang, David Booth, Charles O’Bannon, and Junior Burrough.

Legendary coach Pete Newell has worked for decades to upgrade Japanese hoops. Newell, 86, coached the US to the Olympic basketball gold medal in Rome in 1960. He is a revered figure in Japan and has been a consultant to the national team since 1962. In 1987, Emperor Hirohito bestowed on Newell the Order of the Sacred Treasure, a prestigious distinction never previously awarded to a coach. Newell received the fourth degree of the Order which has seven levels. The first degree is for presidents and heads of state. The second is for prime ministers. The third is for captains of industry.

Expected to lead the Japanese charge in Busan is the 6-2, 170-pound Orimo. The certified hotshot averaged 20.9 points in the Super League last season. He shot 44.6 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent from the line. Orimo, 31, shot at least 30 points in three of 20 games for Toyota which he led to a two-game sweep of Isuzu in the best-of-3 finals.

Takahashi, 27, will also be back in uniform for Japan. As Michael Dorsey, the Japanese-American played at Los Angeles City College and California State Northridge. He was born in Tokyo to a globetrotting American musician, Willie Dorsey, and a Japanese mother Ikuko Takahashi. The 6-6 forward started playing hoops in Japan in 1996. This past season, Takahashi averaged 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists for Isuzu. He posted a triple double in Isuzu’s 92-68 win over Toshiba last Nov. 25.

Japan is expected to enlist a naturalized player – either Weiss or Eric McArthur. The probability is McArthur, 33, will be picked. He’s more versatile and a better all-around talent. McArthur is about three inches shorter than Weiss but he’s quicker and more explosive. In the Super League, he grabbed 23 boards as Aisin upset Isuzu, 70-69, last Feb. 16. He posted double figure in rebounds in 17 of 23 games.

After graduating from California State at Santa Barbara, McArthur averaged 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds for Grand Rapids in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) regular season in 1990-91. In the playoffs, he raised his clips to 11.8 points and 13.5 rebounds. McArthur then packed his sneakers for Japan.

Uichico will never forget the nightmare of the Philippines’ loss to Japan in 1994. He’s looking for revenge in Busan. But that’s not all. Uichico’s priority is bagging the gold and to make it happen, the national team’s got to stay focused from start to finish – playing heads up against any team, heavyweight or lightweight, that’s in its path to glory.