Osaka Evessa has failed to reach the championship in the last two seasons with a winning percentage of 50%. Now off, we have seen changes such as replacing foreign players and acquiring Japanese players who are ready to fight. While cherishing the history of the club, such as winning back-to-back titles during the bj league era, I feel a great determination in their attitude to challenge the new season with a new style. We interviewed GM Yuta Kuroki, who was newly appointed as GM in February this year and worked on off-duty organization for the first time.
“I want to give people dreams, hopes, and energy through basketball.”
── Japanese players such as Takayuki Nishikawa and Asahi Tashima, who have achieved results in the league, have been reinforced. Nishikawa was playing in B2. Please tell us about your intentions to acquire him.
While considering various factors, Nishikawa has the power to finish a 3-point shot without hesitation, he has high pick-and-roll skills in half-court basketball, and he also has size. Until last season, he was playing in B2, but he originally played in B1, and I got him when I thought he was in the best condition in terms of experience and age. During the interview with him, he said that he would like to play here because it would work well in our basketball, so he decided to transfer.
──Nishikawa won the B2 playoff MVP last season and is the Japanese player who scored the most goals in B2, so expectations are high.
I think the strength and height of defense will change in B1, but he has the skills to score well when he has the ball. He’s one of the players I’m really looking forward to this season as he’s been highly rated by his coaches even in the current training session where he joined the team. Above all, I think it’s good to have a good rivalry with Hashimoto Takuya, who can be considered in the same position and role, and to work hard to create competition within the team. Hashimoto returned last season after suffering a major injury, a torn Achilles tendon, but it was just before the season that he was allowed to return to competition, and he was not able to train satisfactorily during his off-season. He was frustrated after spending a season of indigestion, playing with a playing time limit and a fear of injury himself. Compared to previous years, he has changed the color of his eyes in this off-season training, so I have high hopes for him. I have high hopes that with the addition of Nishikawa, it will be an interesting line-up.
──Please tell us the reason why you acquired Tashima, who has a high level of experience, in the backcourt where there are many continuation players.
Until last season, there were many games where Tatsuya Suzuki was the starting point guard. Or there was also a time when New Bill played point guard. The coaches thought it would be a good idea to reinforce the point guard, regardless of whether Newville remained or not. Among them, Tashima’s ability to shoot from the outside was attractive, and he has game-making and control skills, and we decided to acquire him because he is a very smart player who can perform well. Tashima and Suzuki are slightly different types of point guards. I think that they are spending the off-season while embracing each other’s sense of competition within the team.
──In particular, it seems that this season will lead directly to raising the team’s level of competitiveness.
This season, I have the impression that all the Japanese players are playing with a sense of urgency in each position. We were aiming to raise the level of competition, but after all players want to play and perform well, so I think having stimulating players in the same position will have a positive impact on the team. This off-season is exactly what we were aiming for, with everyone having a sense of urgency and feeling that we are allies and rivals. The same goes for (Makoto) Kinoshita and (Rei) Goda. Both the young players and the veterans are working hard every day to practice.
──I think Fumiya Iio’s growth as a young player will also lead to a step up for the team, but please tell us your expectations for him.
Until last year, I was playing at Nihon University, and I was playing as a special designated player in Osaka. He was originally a player who was active all the way to college, and I evaluate him as a player who has the potential to grow further. He will be competing against Nishikawa, Goda, Hashimoto, and Kinoshita, so he is spending his first offseason as a professional, valuing every day. I think Iio’s presence is a great stimulus for the other players as well.
──It is expected that the west district will be a fiercely contested area this season as well, but what kind of battle do you want to show?
This is what I have been talking about with the head coach, but rather than winning with one player scoring 40 or 50 points, I have the idea that I want to win as a team, and it means winning as a team. I believe there is In that sense, it is necessary for all five players on the court to play basketball in a way that threatens the opponent, and I think it is important to achieve good results. To do that, each player has to play with confidence, and I think he has to fulfill his role. Rather than relying on someone else in important situations, it is absolutely necessary for everyone to have the feeling that “I will decide for myself”.
──GM Kuroki joined the club as a front staff member, became a team staff member, and has been involved in Osaka Evessa for a long time as an assistant GM and GM. What kind of club do you want to become?
I myself have been at this club for nearly 10 years, and my aspirations have not changed since I thought about working in the basketball world. I want to convey the appeal of basketball to as many people as possible, and I want to give as many people as possible the joy of basketball, and give them dreams, hopes, and energy through basketball. Of course, winning as a team is also important, and I want to stick to that. I also want to make the team a place where many children want to play at Osaka Evessa in the future. Our job is only possible if there are people who support us, so I think that we must first make sure that we are a team that will support us.
──Being a club in the big city of Osaka, there must be a lot of expectations and pressure, but please tell us your vision for the future.
Osaka is a big city, so I think that in order for the basketball world in Japan to become even more exciting, the teams in the big cities have to get more excited. I feel that I am involved in a very important job while feeling a great responsibility. If we take a short-term perspective and repeatedly do things where the dots don’t line up, it won’t benefit the club. I think that is important. For that reason, we must play hard in each match and take care of the customers and stakeholders in front of us. In the long run, Osaka will become a good and strong team. I think it will lead to something. After all, when I see a strong team, I feel that they are able to do that, so I would like to have many fans come and create an atmosphere that can not be beaten in the home arena. There is no doubt that the support of our fans and boosters will become our fighting energy and driving force. We will create a strong team so that many fans will be happy and support us.
2023-08-20 08:44:18
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