In February, two games of FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying Window 1 were held at Ariake Coliseum. This is the first official match of the Olympic year for the Japanese men’s national basketball team, which qualified for the Paris Olympics at the FIBA World Cup held in Okinawa last summer. Although there was no connection to the tournament, it was a match that served as a fresh start for the Paris Olympics.
Before those two games, Yudai Baba uttered the word “determination” many times.
Became the driving force behind defeating China for the first time in 88 years
“I came to the World Cup with a lot of thoughts. It’s my first national team match since the World Cup, so I think it’s a match where I can see how much I’ve grown, and it’s also connected to Paris, so I’m going to take it one match at a time. , I want to go into it with the determination that this is a national team match.”
“(The thing that has improved since last summer) is the emotional part more than anything. After all, you have to be determined, and to be honest, I didn’t have that part in the World Cup, and I honestly thought there were times when I wasn’t able to get results. This season… I came here with a determination that made the difference between winning and losing, so I think that will be reflected in the national team match.”
Ready to play with responsibility. Be prepared to take the shots you need to take and attack when you need to attack. He is determined to lead the team without hesitation even in situations where victory or defeat is at stake. He is determined that every day and every game will be a battle as he prepares for Paris and beyond that for the NBA. Such various thoughts were contained in the word “preparedness.”
Baba missed the match against Guam in the Asian Cup qualifiers due to poor condition, but when he returned for the match against China, he hit 3-point shots with all his might from the beginning of the match, and in the second half, the opponent’s defense closed down. He quickly became the driving force behind the victory, scoring 24 points, the most on the team, through drive-ins and aggressive plays that got behind the defense.
2024-03-05 08:33:11
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