“Honestly, I think Makoto[Shin Hiejima]should be here. I don’t know why I’m here when I can play in Australia and speak English.”
On August 31, the press conference after the dramatic victory began with Yuta Watanabe’s words.
The Japan Men’s National Team, who failed to advance to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, started the battle in the ranking match on this day. The fate of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, which has been a goal since before the tournament, is still in their hands. If they win both of the finals, regardless of whether other countries win or lose, they will be able to get the best results in Asia and the right to participate in the Paris Olympics.
Today’s opponent is Venezuela. It’s an experienced team with many veterans. For that amount, if you can bring it into the physical fight, you can win. It was a strategy to aggressively cut into the inside and scratch the opponent’s defense. However, even if there was a heavy contact from the opposing defense when entering the paint, the referee did not blow the whistle. I missed the shot while being hit by my body and was robbed of the ball.
While frustration builds up, the lead was taken by 12 points at one point in the first half. Shortly after the start of the second half, they caught up to 1 point difference, but they were pushed away again, and with 8 minutes and 12 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the difference was widened to 15 points with a bad flow.
Shin Hiejima, 33 years old and the oldest member of the team, saved Japan from such a predicament.
Scored 11 points in 3 minutes and 45 seconds after trailing by 15 points. Using his signature footwork, such as sidesteps and stepbacks, he evaded the defense, sinking shots one after another and narrowing the opponent’s lead to two points. After that, with 1 minute and 55 seconds remaining, it was Hiejima who scored Japan’s come-from-behind shot. He received a pass from Yudai Baba in a quick attack, scored a shot, and invited a foul to make a successful free throw, taking a 76-74 lead. With 47 seconds remaining, he widened the point difference to 5 points and sank a 3-point shot that decided the victory. With 17 points in the 4th quarter alone and 23 points throughout the game, he became the driving force behind the victory.
Hiejima’s strength is that he can create offense and score even when the flow of the team is not good.
HC Tom Horvath talks about Hiejima’s success.
“He’s a veteran, so he’s looking more at the big picture than just what’s in front of him. I knew the team wasn’t scoring, so I was trying to get the flow going (two games in the first round). He was great against Finland, he was great tonight, he wasn’t very good against Australia[at the end of the first round]but after those games he still explodes like that, and that’s what’s great about him. It really woke the whole team up and got the flow going, which was great.”
Watanabe’s comment at the beginning was his dissatisfaction with Hiejima, who was undoubtedly the driving force behind the victory, not appearing at the press conference. Hiejima, who has a shy off-court personality, is the type who wants to leave the press conference, which is the center stage, to other players.
Watanabe’s dissatisfaction with Hiejima wasn’t limited to the press conference.
“I keep saying that there aren’t many players in the world who can stop him. To be honest, from my point of view, (Hiejima’s performance in this match) was not a surprise at all. I know Makoto Hiejima.
Although he has the ability to always be an ace, he usually feels more comfortable playing a supporting role. That is Hie Island. Watanabe and the captain, Yuki Togashi, have been begging Hiejima to play more aggressively and show his ability all the time.
Hiejima himself is well aware that this is his weakness. Many people tell him that he should be able to do more, but due to his personality, he often cannot reach his full potential.
At the beginning of August, during a warm-up match, I had this conversation with Hiejima. At that time, 15 people participated in the representative training camp. The roster battle for the final roster of 12 continued. Hiejima, who is a veteran and has a lot of experience in international competitions, seemed to be right if you think about it normally, but he himself says, “I feel like I’ve finally survived this far. was saying
And then he went on to say:
“Even this personality… I wish I had more confidence, but well, I think that’s one of my strengths.”
During the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, there were times when I didn’t find my role or place in Horvath’s basketball. He also said that with the tournament approaching, he was finally starting to understand what the team wanted from him and how to showcase his talent.
For Hiejima, it may have been more difficult to fight against himself than against his opponent. Still, he says that the reason he clings to the national team despite his worries is because he feels happy to compete against the world. As a representative member of her team, she has fought against the world many times, and has been frustrated without winning. She doesn’t want to leave the world stage as she is. I had that thought.
When asked about his performance after the war against Venezuela, Hiejima said:
“I’ve had some frustrating experiences up until now. I think Tom chose me because he wanted the experience of the Olympics and the World Cup, and I was able to prove that experience today.”
One win away from participating in the Paris Olympics. He came as close as I could reach with my outstretched hand. Watanabe, Togashi, HC Horvath, teammates, fans, and possibly Hiejima himself sincerely hope that Hiejima will continue to show confidence as an ace in the next match against the Republic of Cape Verde. .
Text = Yoko Miyaji
2023-09-01 13:37:33
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