Hiejima has big hopes for Japan

TOKYO (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Makoto Hiejima and his Japan teammates are on a mission. They have a burning desire to lift the national side to new heights in international basketball.

The players want to win games and qualify for major tournaments. They want success. They need success.

By not only playing attractive basketball but also winning important games, Team Hayabusa can raise the profile of the sport in the Far East nation.

Japan certainly won some fans with their performance at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in China. By making a surprise appearance in the Semi-Finals, they stayed in the hunt for a spot in the Rio de Janeiro Games. Hiejima had a significant role for the team, leading the way in scoring with an average of 15.9 points per game.

By beating Qatar, 81-67, in the Quarter-Finals and assuring themselves of a top-four place in Changsha-Hunan, Japan gained a spot in one of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs). They will play in the Belgrade OQT, 4-9 July.

Japan will be in Group B with Latvia and the Czech Republic. A top-two finish would then throw them into a Semi-Final against Serbia, Angola or Puerto Rico. The Semi-Final winners will then square off with a spot in the Olympics at stake.

I am very excited to play against top teams from different continents in a very tense atmosphere with the Rio Olympic Games on the line. I know that all countries that we will be facing are strong and I know that it will be a tough road ahead of us. However, these chances do not come by too often so I will enjoy the game and we'll give our best shot. - Hiejima

A 1.90m point guard, the Fukuoka-born Hiejima is likely to be in the Japan set-up for a long time. He is only 25.

Hiejima's first FIBA Asia Championship was in 2013. He was good then, but much more influential last year.

While Hiejima enjoys running up and down the floor and being a key man in the Aisin Seahorses squad in club basketball, there is different feeling he gets when wearing the Japan jersey.

"It is always an honor to represent Japan and play for our country," he said to FIBA.com. "I feel that it is our duty to try our best to become one of the top nations in the world. It is very important for us to be stronger, to make basketball one of the major sports in Japan."

Makoto Hiejima (JPN) excelled in Changsha-Hunan

Something that will help Heijima and his teammates improve the popularity of the game will be FIBA's new system of competition.

Over a four-year cycle from 2017 through 2021, national teams will play regular home and away games to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Continental Cups.

"I believe that the new competition system will contribute to the development of basketball in Japan," Hiejima said.

"With more national team games played in Japan, it will bring more exposure to the media and fans, and they will be watching top Asian countries fight for their spot in the 2019 World Cup.

Also, it will be a great motivation for the players to play national team games in front of our fans and be enthusiastically cheered by our great fans. I feel that it will be important for us to win such games to develop and grow basketball in Japan and to become one of the leading sports. - Hiejima

FIBA