Saitama Prefectural Kuki High School is the school that puts the most emphasis on 3×3 in the high school basketball world. Coach Taku Hayakawa was quick to notice its usefulness and not only incorporates it into practice, but also actively participates in various competitions. He has also left behind some accomplishments to be proud of, including winning the U18 Japan Championship twice.
On November 23rd, the 3×3 Spreads Game, sponsored by HANDOFF Co., Ltd., was held at Kuki High School. Three teams from Kuki High School have entered, in addition to the top team KUKI GYMRATS, KUKI SECOND and KUKI NEXT. This time, there was no age restriction, so strong teams like UENOHARA SUNRISE were on the roster, and it was an opportunity for the three teams from Kuki High School to take advantage of the excitement, but KUKI GYMRATS showed a gold star from TOKYO DIME, which also has players who played in the W League until last season.
TOKYO BB was also included in the so-called “adult teams,” and Moe Sano, who was added to the roster this time, is a former Kuki High School player. Three years ago, in order to pursue 3×3, Sano chose to attend a vocational school instead of going to university and became a member of TOKYO BB.Since this spring, Sano has been working hard to balance work and 3×3 as a member of society. When he steps into the gymnasium of his alma mater, where he practiced every day for three years, the memories of those days seem to come flooding back to his mind.
「This is where I started to work hard, and because I attended Kuki High School, I am still able to continue playing basketball, and I think I have grown as a person, and I think it is thanks to Kuki High School and Mr. Hayakawa. The teacher was very strict on a lot of things, but he wanted us to think carefully while playing basketball. In the end, I couldn’t do it at all, so I just did what my teacher told me, but I was told not only to play, but also to do everything from the smallest things, like picking up trash. Mr. Hayakawa taught me important things as a person like that, and he made me want to move up.」
Needless to say, high schools are educational institutions, and Coach Hayakawa is also a teacher. It goes without saying that the lessons received in high school are important for the generation that will soon become adults and enter society. Sano, who has just taken a new step as a physical therapist, is especially keenly aware of the importance of the lessons he learned from the Kuki High School basketball team.
「Everything is positive. I’m a new member of society, but even when I look at other people in the same position, I think, “I’m doing my best.” It was because of this club that I was able to always have goals and work hard, and I think that’s still true in my life today. The best thing is that you taught me that.」
However, Coach Hayakawa said,She was a child who hated losing and worked hard.” From that time on, he was impressed with Sano’s desire to improve. Coach Hayakawa’s testimony shows that this desire to improve continues to drive Sano himself.
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