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Nagi Sato, who overthrew the All-Japan Champion and led Yokohama U15 to the final of the Jr. Winter Cup “I always do it with the feeling that ‘I will decide'” – Basket Count | Basket Count

One of the best scoring guards in the generation who scored 50 points in all rounds became the driving force behind the victory

On January 7, the men’s and women’s semi-finals of the Jr. Winter Cup were held, and in the men’s team, the Yokohama B-Corsairs U15 defeated Yokkaichi Maryknoll Gakuin, the champions of this year’s All Japan Junior High School Basketball Tournament, 59-46.

Yokohama U15 took the lead with 21-11 by effectively sinking a 3-point shot from a quick switch between offense and defense, centering on Nagi Sato, an ace who led the team with 9 points in the first quarter alone and the engine at full throttle from the beginning. take. In the second quarter, the probability of shooting outside decreases, and the offensive rebound is continuously stolen, resulting in a bad flow. However, he continued his tenacious defense without losing concentration and did not let Maryknoll run. Wrap the game while holding the initiative with an 8-point lead.

Sato plays an active part again in the second half. When he captures the opponent’s defense with his good high-speed drive, he not only scores himself but also creates shooting opportunities for his teammates, demonstrating his presence as a starting point for attacks. Also, in defense, the entire team quickly gathers together to prevent the opponent from driving and force single shots. As a result, in this quarter, the opponent’s field goals were reduced to 3 out of 19 and the lead was extended to 15 points, and even in the 4th quarter, neither the amount of exercise nor the intensity decreased, and Maryknoll did not give an opportunity to counterattack. escaped.

In this match, Sato recorded 24 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. The key player in the victory, who led the team in offense and defense, cites the fact that Merinol’s weapon, the transition, was blocked. “Yesterday, we won two tough games and got the momentum going, and I think the fact that everyone kept wanting to win led to this result. ”

“I want to go out into the world, so I want to become the best in Japan and step up.”

Sato is known as a scoring guard representing a generation, and attracted a great deal of attention when he scored 50 points in the first round of the final tournament in all the juniors who participated in Yokohama Municipal Daido. “Not just today, but always with the feeling that ‘I’ll decide for myself’. I played with the same feeling as usual.”

Sato talks about his strong commitment to scoring goals in this way, but he is not a player who plays complacently. “Every team knows that I will come to score with Zenchu.

Also, he aggressively shot 3-point shots from the beginning of the game, as he said, “My drive is my weapon, but that alone can protect me, so I’ve been improving my shots on the outside. , He also has the cleverness to actively drive in the second half after turning the opponent’s consciousness outward.

Speaking of Daidochu, where Sato is enrolled, it is also famous as the school where Yuta Tabuse graduated. “I want to go out to the world, so I want to become the best in Japan at this tournament and step up,” he says with a great senior in mind. And Yuki Kawamura, who is active in Yokohama BC, is cited as the player image he is aiming for.

“In the top team, there is a good role model in Kawamura. My style is a little different from me, who is score-first, attracts the opponent and passes the ball, but Kawamura is good at passing and scoring goals. I want to be a player who can both score and pass.”

As he says, the type is different, but in terms of influence over the game, Sato was on par with Kawamura today. If Sato can continue to play with the same quality as today in tomorrow’s final, the result he wants should come naturally.

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