Goddoor’s Takashi Yoshimoto achieved a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. [写真]=Basketball King
Basketball King Editorial Department
On January 4th, the first round of the men’s “Keio Jr. Winter Cup 2025-26 (2025 6th National U15 Basketball Championship Tournament)” was held at Keio Arena TOKYO, with Goddoor representing Hyogo Prefecture playing Black, representing Shimane Prefecture. Goddoor, who won the second tournament with Ryuku Segawa (currently Chiba Jets), is not a school club or a youth team of a B League club, but is a community-based club that stands out on the national stage.It is not tied to any particular junior high school or professional club, and boasts its strength through continuous coaching from an independent standpoint.
The Black Spartans fought more than evenly against the city club representative until the third quarter. The game was tense from the beginning, with Black Spartans aggressively attacking with Koton Sugimoto and Itsuki Fukuoka, not allowing Goddoor to score easily. God Door also responded with goals from Takashi Yoshimoto and Haruhi Fukui, and the scores remained even in the first half.
The Black Spartans remained persistent in the third quarter, and there were signs of an upset in the air. Turnovers occurred frequently, and the team ended up trailing by as many as 11 points.
It was in the final quarter that the tide changed dramatically. Goddoor raised their defensive strength to the next level and secured their advantage with rebounds and loose balls. From there, they quickly moved into transition, overwhelming the Black Spartans 29-4 in the last 10 minutes. Towards the end, there was some energy from the bench, and the match ended with a feeling of experience as a city club that has competed in national tournaments.
After the game, Black Spartans head coach Kotaro Kashiro frankly admitted that they were unable to respond in the fourth quarter. “We knew our opponent was strong, but it was difficult for us to sustain that for four quarters. In the second half, we made a difference in terms of rebounds and loose balls,” he said, praising his opponent, “His concentration and the way he entered the game was really great.” Touching on the background of running the club in parallel with junior high school club activities, he said, “I wanted to create a place where the third-year students could challenge themselves after they retire.I think that the children of Shimane who were able to experience all over the country will lead to the next generation.”
On the other hand, head coach Yuji Honma of God’s Door, who won the tournament, spoke about the difficulties of the national tournament, including the difficult first half. “We knew that our opponent’s No. 5 (Kokoon Sugimoto) and No. 7 (Tsuki Fukuoka) were our main players, so we tried various things in the first half and tried to create a development that would allow us to run in the second half,” he said, looking back on the match. “On this stage, from the first round, they made a lot of adjustments and took shots. These players have that kind of strength, so I told them at halftime that we should not forget to respect them.”
In the third quarter, there was a scene where they almost lost momentum due to their own turnover, and he warned, “If you give them an opening, they’ll let you go right away. That’s the national tournament.” However, he praised the players’ ability to respond, saying, “We were able to hold back and make our own basket in the second half.”
The explosion at the end was also the result of the style he had cultivated over the past year. “This year, we are small. That’s why we focused on being the best in Japan in transition. In order to pick up rebounds and loose balls, we used defense to say, ‘While the opponent takes one step, we take two or three steps.’ The first half was tough, but in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, our energy came out and we were able to run and win, which I think is the result of what we’ve been doing all year.”
In the first half, they couldn’t make any 3-point shots, and there were many periods where their transitions didn’t work as expected. However, he remained patient and did not change his style, which led to his acceleration in the second half. The philosophy and experience that they have accumulated as an independent city club was reflected in the final stages of the match.
With this victory, Goddoor advances to the second round. In the next match, they will face last year’s champions RIZINGS Tokushima. The biggest focus will be on dealing with ace Taisuke Hiraoka. Head coach Honma expressed caution, saying, “Once he explodes, it’s not easy to stop him. He’s a player that I think is number one in this generation,” and added, “The important thing is how we defend as a team, not individually.”
The two teams have played against each other several times this year, including in practice games, and it is said that Goddoor has the edge. However, head coach Homma emphasized, “Tomorrow’s game is completely different,” and looked forward, “I want to take proper precautions and face them as a challenger.”
Text = Norio Irie
