CHENGDU (China) - This will be the first-ever edition of the Women's Basketball League Asia (WBL Asia), but the Fujitsu Red Wave have been big players in the women's basketball scene long before that.
The Red Eagles will be on a mission to prove their status as Asian women's basketball's elite here in Chengdu.
History
The team was founded in 1985 and quickly made their way upwards in the Kanto Corporate League. In 1993, they adopted the name "Red Wave" based on the concept of the team being "a red wave would threaten strong teams". The concept took to life as the Red Wave were promoted to the first division of the Japan League (now called the “W League”) in that same year.
The Red Wave broke through again in 2004 for their first Final appearance in the All-Japan Championships. Two years later in 2006, they won it all for the first time and went on to win three consecutive titles.
Their first W League title, however, came In 2007, accomplishing the impressive feat of a double crown that season along with winning the All-Japan championship. Since then, the Red Wave have been perennial contenders in the W League, finishing as runners-up in 2014, 2015, and 2021.
They finally won their second title in this past 2023 season.
Emblem
Mascot
The Red Wave's mascot is a Sea Eagle named Reddy - derived from the team color and being "ready to go". Reddy is noted as Impatient, competitive, and mischievous, but kind to children and she also likes to play one-on-one.
Path to WBL Asia
The Fujitsu Red Wave enjoyed a dominant 2023-24 season in the WJBL. They finished as the top seed heading into the Playoffs with a 23-3 record. They survived an upset in the Semi-Finals, suffering a loss to the Chanson V-Magic. The Red Wave had to sweat it out in the Finals again, losing to Denso Iris in Game 2, before clinching the title with an 89-79 win in the decisive Game 3.
Players to Watch
There are a lot of big names to watch in the inaugural WBL Asia, but there might not be a name bigger than Olympic record-holder Rui Machida. In 2021, the point guard set the all-time single-game high with 18 assists against France to lock up a spot in the Final and Japan's first basketball medal in the Olympics.
In the previous WJBL season, Machida led the way for the Red Wave with 9.6 points and 8.7 assists per game.
Of course, the Red Wave are more than just their dynamic point guard. The team also features Olympians in sharpshooting Saki Hayashi (11.1 points per game on 41.5 percent three-point shooting) and team captain Yuki Miyazawa (13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game).
FIBA