Shogo Takada and Ginga Chibo led the team as high school sophomores who were born early.
Makoto Shiratani, who is eligible to participate in the next tournament
The Japan Men’s U16 National Team did not reach the top four at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023, and moved on to the match for 5th-8th place. They went into their first match against Jordan with a fresh mindset and won 72-58. The last game was against Iran, just like the opening game. There were times when they were behind by 11 points in the first half, but they fought through without giving up and came back from behind with two minutes remaining. Just like in the opening game, they won in a one-goal contest and won 73-71. I finished the tournament in 5th place.
Regarding rebounding, which is an issue for Japan, Benedict Kenichiro (Iona Prep School) had a great performance, reaching double digits three times in six games, and averaging 9.7 rebounds, finishing third in the tournament. Makoto Shiratani (Yokkaichi Maryknoll Gakuin Junior High School), who continues with an average of 8.5 hits, is the youngest and is eligible to participate in the next FIBA U16 Asian Championship. The fact that these two 194cm players were able to rebound against opponents over 2m is a bright future for Japan.
Shogo Takada (Fukuoka University Ohori High School), a second-year high school student who was born early, averaged 16 points, while Ginga Chiho (Kaishi Kokusai High School) also averaged 12.5 points, becoming a source of points for Japan. I hope that he will lead his fellow players in next year’s FIBA U18 Championship, and that he will use this frustrating experience as inspiration to grab his ticket to the world stage next time.
They fell one step short of reaching the FIBA U17 World Cup, where the top four teams from this tournament qualified. However, the players definitely improved, and the fact that the difference was almost negligible must have given them confidence. He is only 16 years old and can become any kind of player in the future, so I look forward to his further growth.
■Final result
Winner: Australia
Runner-up: New Zealand
No. 3: China
4th place: Philippines
5th place: Japan
6th place: Iran
7th place: Qatar
8th place: Jordan
2023-09-25 13:56:24
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