The rules for participation of foreign players have changed from this tournament.
The 101st Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Basketball Championship will be held from January 6th to 12th at the National Yoyogi Stadium Gymnasium 1 and Gymnasium 2 (both located in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo).
For the Emperor’s Cup, 8 B1 club spots, 4 B2 club spots, and 1 B3 club spot are allotted from the B League as top league recommendation spots.A total of 24 teams, including adult recommendation spots, university recommendation spots, and block representative spots that win each block, will compete in a tournament format and aim to be the best in Japan.
This year’s Emperor’s Cup was changed to a concentrated competition schedule due to a crowded competition schedule, and the rules for player participation were also changed significantly. Up to two foreign players can be registered, and only one can be on the court. Players registered as special Asian players in the B League will also be treated as foreign players. As before, only one naturalized player can be registered and can play alongside one foreign player at any given time. The B League uses On the Court 2, which allows two foreign players to play at the same time, but a different style of play is required.
In the first round, Shinshu Brave Warriors and Rising Zephyr Fukuoka will appear in the B2 bracket, as well as Toyama Grouses and Altiri Chiba, who have been promoted to B1 this season. Shinshu will play Yamagata Kubera, Fukuoka will play ONELYS wakayama, Toyama will play Clipper Club, and A-Chiba will play Pacific Rim University. In addition, it will be interesting to see how far not only Nippon Sport Science University, which is recommended by universities, but also intercollegiate champion Hakuoh University, who won the block, and Nippon Keizai University, who won third place for the first time in intercollege, will advance.
[Emperor’s Cup Final Round 1]
January 6th
11:00 Camellia (Hokkaido block representative) vs Rintatsu (Tokai block representative) @ Yoyogi Daiichi
11:00 Toyama Grouses (B2 frame) vs Clipper Club (Shikoku block representative) @Yoyogi Daini
14:00 REBORN (Hokushinetsu block representative) vs Nippon Sport Science University (university frame) @ Yoyogi Daini
14:00 Altiri Chiba (B2 frame) vs Pacific Rim University (China block representative) @Yoyogi Daiichi
17:00 Yamagata Kubera (Tohoku block representative) vs Shinshu Brave Warriors (B2 frame) @ Yoyogi Daini
17:00 JR East Akita PECKERS (working adult) vs Hakuohdai (Kanto block representative) @Yoyogi Daiichi
20:00 Nihon Keizai University (Kyushu block representative) vs Yokohama Excellence (B3 frame) @ Yoyogi Daini
20:00 Rising Zephyr Fukuoka (B2 frame) vs ONELYS wakayama (Kinki block representative) @ Yoyogi Daiichi
