High school / university is not a strong school, but he himself is almost unknown … “New ace” named Keita Imamura led the Ryukyu Golden Kings to the B League championship | Basketball | Shueisha’s general sports magazine Sportiva official website web Sportiva

This season, the man who has carried the “Ace” on his shoulders led the Ryukyu Golden Kings to their first victory in the B League in a slightly different way from the conventional image of an ace.

On May 28, in the second match of the B League Final, the Ryukyus defeated the Chiba Jets, who had a record 53 wins and 7 losses (80%, 8 minutes, 3 rins) in the regular season, 88-73. , Last year, he won the throne that slipped out of his hands while standing on the same stage.

Keita Imamura (left) and Hiro Watanabe (right) enjoying a champagne fight after winning

The decisive battle to decide the top of the league. Last year, he finished the season without even winning against Utsunomiya Brex. After the series ended, Ryukyu’s head coach Dai Oketani said that the experienced Utsunomiya “told us not to ride”, but as he said, the opponent’s skillfulness stood out more than the point difference. .

Keita Imamura stayed courtside and watched as Utsunomiya lifted the trophy at the ceremony. Burning that scene into my eyes, it was as if I was accumulating fuel for the next season’s resurrection.

Exactly one year later. The 27-year-old, who has been fed up with the frustration of the previous year, shakes off a kind of demon that the team that was strong in the regular season, which is the final, cannot win easily, and shows his friends on the stage of the ceremony with a big smile. I was delighted.

“Last season and this year, we continued to use the word patience, but we knew that we couldn’t win the final stage with just that. I am grateful for the fact that I have won the championship, and I think that ‘I will go with the feeling of trying to win (on the other hand)’ is one of the reasons why the Ryukyu Golden Kings have not been able to become champions.”

This season, even more than the previous year, he was called an ace by everyone around him, including Oketani HC. Dwayne Evans, who was selected as the best five of the league, has moved to Hiroshima Dragonflies, and has increased to play as the first option in offense. Even in defense, he raised his level by being conscious of how to defend against opponents.