“77th All Japan University Basketball Championship (Intercollegiate)”Tokyo Medical and Health University won the championship for the seventh time in three years. The season will begin on January 5th as the women’s college basketball champion.“92nd Empress’s Cup All Japan Basketball Championship Final Round”I will be participating in One year has passed since head coach Toru Onzuka, who coached the Japan women’s national team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, returned to Tokyo University of Health and Human Services.“Because we were able to play to our strengths in difficult situations, or make fun of difficult situations and continue playing with good energy.”said Head Coach Onzuka, returning to Japan’s No. 1 position in women’s college basketball.
“I will do my best from now until the Empress’s Cup.”#5 Natsumi Kono (2nd year, 173cm, PG, from Gifu Women’s High School) was talking just after finishing her first intercollegiate match. 4th year student #91 Haru Owaki (178cm/PF/from Keishin High School) also“W-League teams are physically strong and have good finishing ability, and we still have areas that we lack. Still, this year has been the hardest weight training of the four years we’ve been in.”We have been working hard to strengthen our team based on our competitive experience and in anticipation of the two major tournaments.
In 2022, when Owaki was a freshman, they defeated two W League teams in the second round and advanced to the final round. Although they lost 2 points to Fujitsu Red Wave, 67-69, they proved that they can compete on an equal footing. After this year’s Empress Cup, it was announced that Owaki will join the Fujitsu Red Wave, captain #44 Shimizu Shion (167cm/PG/Gifu Girls’ High School graduate) will join the Mitsubishi Electric Corers, and #47 Furuyama Riko (167cm/SG/Chiba Keizai University High School graduate) will join Prestige International Aranmare as an early entry into the W League.
This season, Tokyo Medical and Health University won all of the Kanto University Women’s League games, and won every tournament from spring to fall without losing. For intercollege,“We’re here with the mindset of giving everything we’ve worked hard on this past year.Each one of us is playing with confidence in our roles.We’ve been training to that extent so that we can stand on the court with confidence without overestimating ourselves.”With his unwavering faith as a team, Owaki ran to victory in the intercollegiate championship.
Last year, Kono accompanied the Japanese women’s national team until just before the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics, and has absorbed a lot. The Empress’s Cup pairings have been decided, and the first round will be against Shiga Bank Lake Venus, representing the Kinki block. If they win that first match, they will face Denso Iris, which has Maki Takada and Himawari Ako representing Japan’s female players. Mr. Heno is“We know that it won’t be easy. As challengers, we believe that if we can use what we have accumulated so far, we can compete against W-League teams.”I will use my valuable experience to pursue my goals without hesitation.
Owaki and Kono are members of the Women’s Universidad Japan National Team, first-year students #6 Otowa Goto (179cm/SF/from Hamamatsu Kaiseikan High School), #34 Mendy Ciara (182cm/PF/from Chiba Keizai University High School), and #61 Yuio Fukatsu (180cm/PF/from Ohka Gakuen High School) is a member of the Japan Women’s U19 National Team, and this year she is encouraging her growth both mentally and technically through the experience of participating in the world tournament.
Now that they have returned as university champions, their sights are set on the pinnacle of the Empress’s Cup, the true number one in Japan.“It may be a bit of a stretch to say this, but we are aiming for the championship.”said head coach Onzuka about his thoughts on the Empress’s Cup.
“We have made the best effort to take on the challenge without deducting even an inch from our potential.We are in a tough situation where we have to win against Shiga Bank in the first round, but we will start building up again after the intercollegiate tournament so that we can increase our chances of winning by even 1%.If we can win the first game, we will be able to play against Denso. It’s W League, so I’d be happy if you could see us giving our all to the challenge, not because we have Takada-san as our opponent.I want to send a message that will change the mindset of the children who think they can’t win anyway, by challenging without holding back.In order to do that, we will aim to bring out our best strengths against any opponent.
The Japanese national team has had numerous opportunities to challenge higher-ranked opponents, including the world’s No. 1 team, the United States. Head coach Onzuka has taken on challenges by thinking about what they can do and what their strengths are each time, finding the optimal solution. That feeling hasn’t changed even after becoming a university champion. The Emperor’s Cup and the Empress’ Cup are the only tournaments where you can see serious competition in different categories, aiming to be the best in Japan. Along with the battle for victory, the first and second rounds are also the real thrill of this tournament.
1st and 2nd rounds are fun / Teams from different categories can compete against each other![Tickets on sale now]
January 5th (Monday) 11:00 Tokyo Medical and Health University vs Shiga Bank Lake Venus (Komazawa Gymnasium)
January 6th (Tuesday) 11:00 Denso Iris vs Winner above (Komazawa Gymnasium)
