Fukuoka University Ohori won the Winter Cup for the fifth time and consecutively. The team was made up of the 3rd year students, who take basketball seriously, and the talented 1st and 2nd year students ran wild to their heart’s content.In the end, the underclassmen showed a steady performance, and the 3rd year students became heroes in each game, showing an ideal way to win. Coach Sota Katamine is still young at 37 years old, but he has won many titles and has set even higher goals as the team enters its golden age. We asked Coach Katamine to look back on winning the Winter Cup and talk about his aspirations for 2026.
“I was more tired than last year, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment.”
──Congratulations on winning the Winter Cup. This time it was a consecutive victory. Now that you have returned to Hakata and settled down, how do you look back on the tournament?
Last year, we went into the tournament with confidence because our team was strong, and we were able to fight with a strong stance against Yokozuna sumo wrestlers. So I won, so I felt a sense of relief. This year was a real challenger, and I went into each match with the mindset of not knowing how it would turn out, so I pushed forward with all my might. So I was more tired than last year, but that’s why the tournament gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
──The team grew throughout the tournament, and we saw many positive aspects in each match.
I agree. In particular, in the games against Tsuchiura Nihon University in the quarterfinals and Tottori Johoku in the semifinals, we were able to play full-court basketball. This year’s team, this year’s third-year students, lost when they played passively, so it was good that we were able to prepare tactics to prevent that from happening.
──2nd year player Fukui Honda and 1st year player Makoto Shiratani got a lot of attention, but there were many players who didn’t rely on these two and said, “Today’s ace is me.”
Both Fuki and Jack showed stable performances, but I was very happy to see some third-year students really shine in each game, with Yo Yoshioka having good days, Kizuna Katsumata having good days, Santos and Manoel Hajime having good days, and Sakutaro Kurihara making valuable 3-point shots.
──In the final, captain Rio Enoki became a hero. Enoki is a player that Coach Katamine has trusted and entrusted to him as point guard since his first year.
That’s exactly what happened, and I trusted him enough to know that I wouldn’t regret it if Enoki didn’t work out. Not only his basketball performance, but more than that, I have watched him as a person over the past three years, and I have trusted him not only in his ability to play basketball, but also in his daily life without anyone criticizing him, and sent him out onto the court. I am truly grateful that Enoki showed such a great performance in the end and repaid the favor by winning the championship, and all I can do is applaud them.
“I feel like I’m learning a lot.”
──In the final, you won a complete victory 97-71 against Higashiyama.
I was hoping that I could win against Higashiyama in the final. We played against many different teams this year, but I honestly thought they had the most power, including their scoring ability. However, since we played against Fukuoka Daiichi the day before, our performance in the finals inevitably fell. If this match had been played in a more energetic state, I think it would definitely have been a battle for single digits. However, this is the difficulty of the tournament, and on the other hand, we had been to the finals three years in a row and were used to the main court and the finals, so it turned out like that. I don’t think there is that much of a difference in their inherent powers.
──Coach Katamine, do you feel like you’re getting used to that stage now that it’s your third consecutive year in the finals?
After all, you have to calculate everything backwards. I was counting backwards from the finals and doing various things like time sharing, and this year I was more anxious about the first match (Hotoku Gakuen) and second round (Haguro). In that sense, starting the quarterfinals by replacing Katsumata and Yoshioka with Teruhiro Sakurai and Santos and adjusting their playing time as they progressed through the competition led to their high performance in the semifinals and finals. Although I am still young, I feel that I have had a wonderful experience and am learning a lot.
──You said on New Year’s Day last year that “2025 is a puzzle.” It’s been a year since I’ve been able to get the pieces together.
I was hooked. The third years were able to fill in the gaps between the first and second year students, and they were also able to become the pieces that helped us win. In that sense, the work of the third years was great.
They themselves said they would win, so I faced them without compromise, and at times we clashed with them. In response, they followed me without leaving me. This may just be my opinion, but I think the third-year students trusted me. I also thought that no matter how harsh or harsh I told them, these guys would never leave. So, on the other hand, I thought I would regret it if I didn’t tell the third-year students, so I was even stricter than usual. It was admirable that they showed that answer in the Winter Cup.
“I want to do my best with the goal of making it to the final round of the Emperor’s Cup.”
──Yuto Wakukawa, an alumnus who was in charge of commentary for the final, said, “If possible, I would like to play basketball under your teacher again.” This is a great blessing for the coach.
That makes me very happy. During my three years at Ohori, I was quite noisy, which annoyed the players, and gave the impression that they wanted to graduate early and go to university or play professionally, but I’m glad that they said that later on.
However, although I’m happy, we can’t be complacent with each other; now that we’ve graduated from Ohori, our mission is to play an active role in a higher category and show and enhance the value of the Trojans. My job is to train the current players to continue to be strong Ohori, and to ensure that the seniors can proudly say, “I’m from the Trojans.” I’m thinking of making big flowers bloom in each other’s places.
──A third year student who had a great approach to basketball will be leaving the team, but there are many underclassmen who are the main players, and this year’s team seems to have high expectations. What kind of team will you build?
I don’t want to have a small team. It is important to work diligently like we did this year, but each player has their own temperament. In fact, I want to develop talented players and create a team that can win even when playing against higher-ranked players, and I want to do my best with the goal of making it to the final round of the Emperor’s Cup.
──Finally, please give a message to everyone who will support Ohori in 2026.
Thank you for your continued support in the 2025 season. Thanks to everyone’s encouragement and support, we were able to achieve the best results. The Trojans will continue to work hard to become an even more attractive team in 2026. Thank you for your continued support.
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