Team members surround Coach Akimoto (center front) holding a strategy board and listen to an explanation of tactics (all in Narashino City)
Basketball is the most registered high school extracurricular activity, ahead of track and field, badminton, table tennis, etc. Narashino will represent Chiba for the boys, while Chiba Keizai University and Funabashi City will represent Chiba for the girls at the annual year-end big event “National High School Basketball Championship (Winter Cup),” which starts on the 23rd. I visited each school’s gymnasium, which was filled with excitement just before the actual performance. (Kiyomi Ishii)
Coach Hiroto Akimoto (40), who is in his second year in office, exclaims as he moves the pieces on the strategy board. “Let’s be careful about foreign students jumping in like this.” How do you eliminate your opponent’s strengths? Club members scattered around the court checked each movement on the board one by one.
Roy is a key player in offense and defense.He silently takes shots even after the whole practice session is over.
“It’s not easy to win one game nationally. Our opponent is a private school that draws players from Japan and abroad,” says Coach Akimoto.
In the prefectural qualifying final in November, they defeated Takudai Koryo 89-79, and qualified for the Winter Cup for the second time in two years. The first match will be against Tottori Johoku (Tottori), which has two foreign students over 2 meters tall.
On the other hand, all members of Narashino’s bench are from within the prefecture. Roy Yutaro (3rd year), a 190cm tall player from Abiko City who is a key player in offense and defense, declares, “I won’t be deterred just because my opponent is 2m long,” and continues as follows. “The school’s motto as a whole is ‘Be as strong as a weed,’ so we will not give up no matter how difficult the situation may be.”
◆Since its establishment,
According to the school’s Vice Principal Yukiya Hara (46), “Be strong like a weed” were the words uttered by the first principal, Hisata Yamaguchi, in a speech at the school’s inauguration ceremony when the school was founded in 1957. Since then, even though it is not a school motto, it has been passed down to this day, and he explains that “every graduate knows it.”
T-shirt with “Narashino Spirit” engraved on it
Daichi Miyazawa, who wears a T-shirt with these words on the back, looks back on the past three years and says, “I like it.It’s the Narashino spirit that I’ve cherished as well.”
She is petite with a height of 170 cm. Due to a series of injuries, he was unable to practice many days during his first and second years. But as she watched his teammates play from off the court, she noticed something.
“This team doesn’t have anyone who can hit from outside. If he learns to shoot 3-pointers, he will definitely be able to contribute to the team.” After his return, there were many days where he hit shots in the quiet gymnasium early in the morning.
The results were demonstrated in a big way. It was a close match in the prefectural qualifying semi-finals against Nippon Taidai Kashiwa. He scored 38 points, including eight 3-pointers, and overwhelmed the opposition.
◆Aiming for the backs of seniors
Captain Daichi Okazaki (also the same) played the role of playmaker and led his team to victory with his skillful dribbling and quick passing. Although he has now grown to be Chiba’s number one guard, he was not even selected as a member of the prefectural team during his junior high school days.
The player he admires is Shuta Hara (29), a Narashino alumnus who plays for the B League’s Chiba Jets. He is influenced by the way he rose from an unknown high school days to the Japanese national team. His uniform number is 31, the same as his senior. “It’s my first national tournament. I’m sure I’ll be nervous, but I want to show Narashino’s basketball that never stops once it hits the waves.”
The goal is to achieve two wins, which is better than the number from two years ago. Director Akimoto’s tone is also filled with passion. “First of all, I’ll give 1000% in the first match, be tenacious like a weed, and go for the win, even if it’s just one point at the end.”
The Weed Corps challenge will begin at 2:00 pm on the 23rd at Musashino Forest General Sports Plaza in Chofu City, Tokyo.
A position in basketball. Their role is to carry the ball by dribbling when attacking from their own territory to the enemy’s territory, and to provide passes to their teammates. Since it is played mainly in an area far from the ring, it is played by relatively short players. Depending on their role, they are further divided into “point guard” and “shooting guard.”
A shot taken from outside the line drawn 6.75 meters from the ring. 3 points if decided. The shot from inside scored 2 points.
2023-12-13 23:47:13
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