Tanaka takes humbling senior team experience to be U16 leader

TOKYO (FIBA U16 Asian Championship) - Chikara Tanaka is one of the next hopes of Japanese basketball. Many hoops fans in Nippon already are dreaming of him playing alongside Rui Hachimura in the senior team. But Tanaka has a chance this spring do something that only Hachimura has done - lead Japan through the FIBA U16 Asian Championship to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.

Hachimura averaged 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.3 steals as Japan finished third at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2013 - qualifying for the U17 world spectacle the next summer, where Hachimura was the tournament's leading scorer at 22.6 points to go with 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

Now it's time for Tanaka to take the mantle and bring Japan back to the U17 World Cup. First the half-American guard must help Japan grab a top-four showing at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Foshan, China, where Tanaka and co. are drawn into Group D with Korea, Lebanon and India.

"Mr. Torsten Loibl, the head coach, tells us that this U16 team has a higher level of plays as compared to past U16 teams because we have done several training camps together already," Tanaka said. "With our training experiences, I want to play with good confidence and achieve good results."

Tanaka will be the youngest player on the Japanese team in Foshan, not turning 16 years until May. But that will not matter, according to the young talent.

"I want to take a leadership role and help our team to win without thinking of the age difference," said Tanaka.

The 6ft 0in (1.84m) Tanaka has been the topic of a lot of talk that he can be a real star in the future. But he experienced two major doses of reality earlier this year and last November as he was invited to the Japanese senior national team camp ahead of the two windows of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.

"If we can make it to the World Cup, not only myself but also Japanese basketball overall will surely get so excited. I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience for me to play in one of the biggest international events and also that it will surely be the key step in my basketball career."Chikara TanakaChikara Tanaka

"When I first got called to the national team camp in last November, I was so nervous, thinking not to bother the older players," he recalled. "Then I was really bad without being able to show any of my talents."

This was a level much higher than anything Tanaka had experienced before that.

"The national team players were all physically strong and there were lots of things I couldn't follow. Also, they played very smart and I realized I didn't have enough basketball IQ," he said. "It was so frustrating."

Things were a bit better the second go-around ahead of the second window.

"This time, when I heard I would be at the camp again, I decided to play better for sure. I have still a lot to achieve, but I want to keep doing my best to get over my weak points."

Just being less nervous allowed Tanaka's game to shine through - the potential that has so many people excited, including the coaches in the Japanese basketball federation who invited Tanaka to the camp to see what he's made of and watch him learn from those same elders who were so intimidating to the young man back in November.

"I wanted to see and try how much I can do with what I have in this top-level basketball team. I think my offensive ability like driving is my good point, but my shot is not yet stable. I want to make sure to finish my offensive plays by making shots and also not only play offense but play hard on my defense too," Tanaka said.

The young Japanese talent has a clear role model whom he watches and looks up to - Kyrie Irving.

"I often watch Kyrie Irving playing, like how he uses screens and where he does one-on-one moves," Tanaka said.

Irving's move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics also has changed Tanaka's look at the game a bit.

"He has moved to the Boston Celtics and is required to play more as a team. And I think that brings more wins to the team," Tanaka has noticed. "He has less individual scoring, but he makes more rebounds, steals and assists. That teaches me that it is important to play by making the best of your other players."

Rui Hachimura playing at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2014 - Japan's only appearance in the U17 global event.

Hachimura of course did not get Japan to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup on his own. Hayato Maki averaged 18.5 points and 2.8 assists while Gen Hiraiwa chipped in 12 points and 8.6 rebounds at the U16 Asian tournament in 2013. 

And sure, Tanaka is getting a lot of the attention because of his talent. But he will need his teammates to help him be the leader he wants to be. After all, the goal of the team - and the country - is to reach the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2019 in Argentina later this year.

"If we can make it to the World Cup, not only myself but also Japanese basketball overall will surely get so excited," he said. "I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience for me to play in one of the biggest international events and also that it will surely be the key step in my basketball career."

A key step that Chikara Tanaka would then have in common with another Japan's biggest future hopes - Rui Hachimura.

FIBA