Japanese
star’s NBA dreams continue
Akiko
Sugimori/Daily Forty-Niner
By
Ayana Ando and Karl Peterson
Daily Forty-Niner
With
each successive year, professional basketball
in America becomes more and more international
with many of the NBA’s stars coming
from overseas, but there still were no players
from Japan, until now.
The
most famous Japanese basketball player signed
with the American Basketball Association’s
Long Beach Jam which plays its home games
at The Pyramid.
Japanese
treasure, Yuta Tabuse, 23-year-old, 5-foot-9
inch, 160 pound point guard, with bleach
blonde hair that caught the eye of teammate
and former NBA lottery pick DerMarr Johnson,
was the first Japanese basketball player
to ever join an NBA training camp last month,
when he was invited by the Denver Nuggets.
Tabuse
had steered the Noshiro Tech High School
basketball team to the three consecutive
national high school titles and it familiarized
his name nationally. Tabuse played at Brigham
Young University, Hawaii in 2000. In the
Japanese Basketball League that Tabuse attended
in 2002-2003, Tabuse was the leading all-star
team vote getter as a member of the Toyota
Alvark team.
After
being cut by the Nuggets last month, Tabuse
landed with the Jam.
“I
was not shocked at all,” said Tabuse
of his experience playing for the Nuggets
“I don’t regret it because I
did everything that I had to. I really did
do my best.”
Playing
for the Jam is a great place to be recognized
by the NBA. Laker’s scout, Bill Bertka
has attended practices and prior to the
season even beginning, Jam player Matt Carroll
was signed by the Portland Trailblazers.
Tabuse who began playing basketball in second-grade
said he was influenced by his sister. Tabuse
said he watched many NBA games and players
on TV since he was young, thinking the NBA
is the top level of the world, and always
wanted to be like them.
“As
long as I am a basketball player, I want
to play in the NBA,” said Tabuse.
“If
my dream comes true, I want to make a present
of a big house to my family. You can cry,
can’t you? I had been living quite
far away from my family for a long time,
and they have spent a lot of money for my
dream. That’s why I want to show them
my piety somehow, and this is the only way
that I can think of.”
Tabuse
said the difference between basketball in
the United States and Japan is that the
U.S. basketball players put soul in every
specific movement.
“Their
efforts to play basketball are different.
Technique comes after it. They put their
whole heart in each play. Their fights and
spirits for basketball are impressive.”
The
fast break style of play that Long Beach
Jam aims to use, is Tabuse’s strong
field. In its first two games the Jam have
scored 193 and 144 points, using the up
and down style that characterized head coach
Paul Westhead’s teams at Loyola Marymount
University and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“The
basketball style of the Long Beach Jam requires
from us a lot of energy. However, I learned
and was trained to fast break a lot at Noshiro
Tech. High School, so I want to turn my
previous experience into an advantage,”
said Tabuse.
“Fast
break is the style Tabuse used most and
cultivated in Noshiro Tech High School,”
said Makoto Higashiyama, a master’s
of kinesiology and physical education and
the manager of the Cal State Long Beach
men’s basketball team for two years.
“Yuta
knows how to make the most of the other
four players’ faculties. Also, he
has speed and the technique of passing that
are enough to redeem the height difference
with others. As one of his fans, I really
hope he becomes the first Japanese NBA player
ever,” Higashiyama said.
Teammate
and former NBA player Corey Gaines said
that Tabuse is small but he is a fighter
and that his diminutive stature may be a
disadvantage when guarding bigger players
but that Tabuse’s speed will run the
legs off of the opponent by halftime.
Yoshihide
Ogisu, an athletic trainer of the Jam, said,
“I respect him so much. He came here
alone to play basketball from Japan, and
keeps challenging to enter the NBA. I understand
how hard it is though, I hope he hangs in
there and let his dream comes true.”
“I
was so happy and excited when I heard that
Yuta signed Long Beach Jam this month, and
now I can’t wait to see his play at
our school,” said Tetsuro Miura, an
international student from Japan and a junior
film major.
“I came here to let my dream comes
true too. Seeing his figure that keeps trying
for his dream gives me a lot of encouragement.
I hope we both can make our dreams come
true someday,” added Miura.
Among
the other players trying to make their as
well as Tabuse’s dreams come true
are former UCLA stand out Matt Barnes and
Long Beach City College and Alabama University
alum Schea Cotton.
The
Long Beach Jam will hold its first home
game against the Fresno Heat Wave at The
Pyramid on Dec.9.
“I’m
smaller than other players, so I especially
feel excitement when I compete with the
rivals who are taller than I and score against
them. I’m very happy if spectators
can enjoy the game through my play. It’s
my pleasure to hear they had fun,”
said Tabuse.
“I’ve
played at The Pyramid sometimes for the
practice. I think The Pyramid is magnificent
as a university athletic gym. Please come
to The Pyramid on Dec.9, watch the game,
and cheer us up!”
Portions
of the interviews with Tabuse were taken
in Japanese and translated to English by
the reporters.
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