Ochiru’s Impact: Haguro vs. Utsunomiya Tech – Winter Cup 2025

Haguro, representing Yamagata Prefecture, accepts international students from Mongolia as members of its basketball team. However, unlike other private high schools that accept international students, Haguro’s emphasis is not on whether the students can play basketball, but on whether they want to study in Japan. Sainbilg Ochir, whose mother is a prominent figure in the Mongolian educational world, is no exception.

Ochil, who participated in last year’s U18 FIBA ​​Asia Cup as a member of the Mongolian national team, is also very good academically. In addition to Mongolian, he is fluent in Japanese, which he learned in the three years since coming to Japan, and is also fluent in English. After graduating from high school, he took the university entrance exam in English and passed with flying colors.

Ochiru says, “Japanese is difficult, so if anything I’m better at English,” but he has also grown significantly as a basketball player over the three years he spent in Haguro. His classmate Ayuto Kashiwazaki highly praises his humanity, saying, “When it comes to basketball, his passion and concentration are truly amazing.He just takes the initiative, and everyone else gets on board.I think he has that kind of ability.”

In the first round against Utsunomiya Tech, the 198 cm Ochil recorded 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots before committing 2 fouls and being benched at 7:23 of the 2nd quarter. Coach Hitoshi Saito says, “He doesn’t really do anything unnecessary. He sticks to the basics and does the dirty work well.” Ochil doesn’t tend to lower the ball after grabbing a rebound. After grabbing a rebound, he can assess the situation while looking around the court, so there are fewer turnovers (one in this game).

After Ochiru went to the bench, Haguro pulled away from Utsunomiya with 12 consecutive points, including a drive by Sota Saito and a 3-point shot by Kashiwazaki, and entered the first half with a lead of 24 points. They continued to control the game both offensively and defensively in the second half, resulting in a landslide victory over Utsunomiya Tech, 105-74. Haguro ran a well-balanced offense with six players scoring in double digits, led by Taiga Saito’s 28 points. “I got into foul trouble, but I was confident that we could win until the end. I was able to rebound,” said Ochil, who contributed to the victory with 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in 20 minutes and 55 seconds of play.

“Last year I was selected for the 5-on-5 national team, but from next year I would like to be selected for the 3×3 national team,” says Ochil, whose dream is to compete in the Olympics in 3×3, where the women’s national team defeated the United States 18-15 at this year’s World Cup. Behind this vision is the ever-increasing passion for basketball in his home country of Mongolia. On the other hand, he also has a strong desire to play in the B League, so the second round match against Fukuoka University Ohori will be a great opportunity to show off his presence. Of course, even after entering university, he plans to spend his days improving as a basketball player.