B.League ushers in new age for Japan basketball

TOKYO - It was not too long ago that Japan's Basketball Association (JBA) was suspended by FIBA for having two competing professional leagues that hampered the country's national development program for basketball.

It was not too long ago either when Japan's national team finished outside the top eight at the FIBA Asia Championship 2013, further emphasizing the seeming tailspin in Nippon hoops.

Oh, how things have changed.

Japan's Akatsuki Five finished among the top four in the FIBA Asia Championship 2015, played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia this past summer and had a solid showing in the recent FIBA Asia Challenge 2016.

In addition to that, Thursday marks the beginning of the inaugural B. League season - the fruit of the labors of the JBA to fix their club system in the hopes of providing ample foundation for their national basketball program.

With Japan's united front manifesting itself in this promising new league, it really feels like the beginning of a new age in Japanese basketball.

The 2016-2017 B. League season will feature 36 teams divided into the first and second divisions, and the competition begins tonight at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. One of the most popular and talent-laded former NBL clubs, Alvark Tokyo, will tip off hostilities by tangling with the 2015-2016 champions of the former BJ League, the Ryukyu Golden Kings. This will be the only game today before the weekend features a bigger slate of games to more fully intensify the season’s opening weekend.

Everyone in Japan feels good about this new league as it features a full 60-game season and a fresh start for all teams and, in a way, for the JBA itself. One of the main objectives, of course, according to B. League chairman Masaaki Okawa, is to broaden the sport's fanbase and deepen its relevance in Japanese society.

FIBA rules will be followed by the B. League, and many arenas and stadiums have been refurbished to accommodate the league’s heightened playing venue standards. Unlike before when many of Japan’s best players were divided between the NBL and the BJ League, now all of their finest hoopsters belong to the B. League, which should make it easier to coordinate in terms of forming national pools, especially considering FIBA's New Competition System.

This means that the usual suspects - both old and new - will be the faces of the B. League. Former NBA player Yuta Tabuse is sure to draw the crowds for Tochigi Brex, while living legend Takehiko Orimo - the oldest player at age 46 - is still around to give his club, Levanga Hokkaido, a sense of continuity and nostalgia. Popular players like the Takeuchi twins (Kosuke with Tochigi Brex and Joji with Alvark Tokyo), Makoto Hiejima (Seahorses Mikawa), Naoto Tsuji (Kawasaki Brave Thunders) and naturalized player Ira Brown (Sunrockers Shibuya) are also certain to make a lot of basketball headlines this season.

Here are the teams and their divisions:
B1 East Division: Levanga Hokkaido, Akita Northern Happinets, Sendai 89ers, Tochigi Brex, Chiba Jets and Alvark Tokyo.
B1 Central Division: Sunrockers Shibuya, Kawasaki Brave Thunders, Yokohama B-Corsairs, Niigata Albirex BB, Toyama Grouses and San-en NeoPhoenix.
B1 West Division: Seahorses Mikawa, Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, Shiga Lakestars, Kyoto Hannaryz, Osaka Evessa and Ryukyu Golden Kings.

The B2 teams, meanwhile, are also divided into three divisions. The East teams are the Aomori Wat’s, Iwate Big Bulls, Yamagata Wyverns, Fukushima Firebonds, Tsukuba Robots and Gunma Crane Thunders. The Central teams are the Tokyo Excellence, Earthfriends Tokyo Z, Shinshu Brave Warriors, Fighting Eagles Nagoya, Nishinomiya Storks and Bambitious Nara. Finally, the West teams are the Hiroshima Dragonflies, Shimane Susanoo Magic, Takamastu Five Arrows, Ehime Orange Vikings, Kumamoto Volters and Kagoshima Rebnise.

FIBA