Japan look to go 'up-tempo'

TOKYO (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - If Japan are going to have a chance of beating the competition at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade this summer, they are going to have to do one thing very well. They are going to have to play fast.

That was a point head coach Kenji Hasegawa tried to drive home this week in a two-day mini-camp at the Ajinomoto National Training Center.

We are trying to become an up-tempo team and we cannot be slow during practice. We have to always keep in mind playing with speed and taking quick actions. - Hasegawa

The objective, Hasegawa says, is to get to the next level. If Japan are able to win an OQT that has the Czech Republic and Latvia with them in Group B, and Serbia, Angola and Puerto Rico in Group A, they will definitely hit the next level. Winning the OQT would put them in the Olympics for the first time since 1976.

Hasegawa went into this week's gatherings looking to build on the team's first mini-camp, one that centered on physical tests and shooting drills. In addition to stressing the need to go up-tempo, the coach focused on offensive and defensive formations in the second camp.

When they face the European teams in Group B, Latvia and the Czech Republic and potentially Serbia in a Semi-Final or Final, Japan's bigs are going to be challenged. Hasegawa wants his low-post players to take the right approach.

"If the players make a move inside and get open, they could take shots, but if there is contact or if they are not free, it is not worth taking shots at the world level," he said. "We are trying to have the players get open outside."

If the bigs pass the ball back outside to the players behind the arc?

"From there," Hasegawa said, "they could play isolation, shoot from outside. We are trying to have them make baskets from outside." 

The coach, meanwhile, wants a lot of competition for places in the squad.

"For people to grow, sometimes they have to overcome difficulties," he said. "It would be a pity if the players continue to drop out and only 12 players are left. The final 12 players and five starting players must be achieved by the players and not awarded. By achieving this through competition, they would be able to perform on the world stage."

Having the correct attitude, Hasegawa says, is crucial.

"Always aim at high goals, work hard every single day and build up," he said. "The practice in this camp is part of this process."

The next camp will be 8 June.

FIBA