Osaka Univ. Basketball: Coach Higa's 2025 D1 & 2026 V League Plan

happy new year. We look forward to your continued support in 2026.

Let’s take a look back at the exciting battles that each club at Osaka University of Sport Science fought in 2025.

The men’s basketball team took second place in the Kansai Student League (Second Division) from September to October, defeated Kwansei Gakuin University with two wins and one loss in the relegation game, and was promoted to Division One in one season.
The men’s basketball team at Osaka University of Physical Education developed a two-year plan last season after being relegated to the second division of the Kansai Student League. “I returned to the first division in my first year, won the league title and participated in intercollegiate school in my second year.” In 2025, they will be in second place in the second division. They won the replacement game against Kwansei Gakuin University with two wins and one loss, securing promotion to the first division and achieving their first year goal.
We asked coach Yasushi Higa (Associate Professor, Faculty of Sports Science) about his performance in 2025 and his outlook for 2026.

Minamiguchi Gao (4th year of physical education, Osaka High School)

— He returned to the first division in one year. Summary of 2025
I formed a team in December with the aim of returning to the first division, and I was able to achieve my first goal. In 2026, we will continue to strengthen our efforts toward the next goal. 2025 is a passing point.
–Where did you focus on strengthening your team in order to return to the first division?
A major reason why the team fell to the second division last season was the number of injuries. I aimed to build a body that would prevent injury. Specifically, strengthening the lower body and training the core of the body. Furthermore, weight gain is an annual challenge. While gaining weight, we aimed to build a body that would allow us to play fast basketball, which is our specialty. The practice time is the same as before, but the amount of lower body training has been increased within that framework.
–In the second division league, they were second in the first league with 10 wins and one loss, and second in the second league with two wins and one loss. Both yielded to Osaka University of Economics. How to evaluate
In the Kansai Student Championship in April, they lost to Division 1 champion Tenri University, but they were competitive, and in the West Japan Student Championship in June, they had a good game against Nagoya Gakuin University, last year’s top four intercollegiate team, despite the absence of fourth-year students due to teaching training. The team focused on deepening its roster of players for the fall league, and improving its finishing ability to take shots under the rim. In the league match, the theme was how to counter Osaka Keizai University’s height and outside basketball, but in the first round, they were unable to make any shots in the early stages and had a large lead, but they regained their rhythm in the final stages and lost by a narrow margin. In the secondary league, they were in close contact from the beginning, and although they made a comeback in the 4th quarter, they were unable to make any shots in the critical moments, resulting in a disappointing loss.

Reo Rivers (3rd year physical education, Fujiidera High School, Osaka)

–What are your preparations for the replacement match?
The student staff thoroughly analyzed the opponent’s tactics and each player’s individual player focus, so both the players and I were able to approach the game with confidence. Specifically, Raku Nishino (Konmu, 4th year student in the Faculty of Physical Education, Otsuka High School, Osaka), who is in charge, analyzes the opponent’s average points, goals conceded, 3 points, 2 points, etc. Student coaches Shota Takeshita (3rd year, Faculty of Physical Education, Nishijoyo High School, Kyoto) and Sakutaro Yamada (2nd year, Faculty of Sports Science, Gifu Sogo Gakuen High School) watched the video and analyzed the opponent’s offense and defense. He identified the tendencies of five opposing players and applied them to the players.
–In the replacement game against Kwansei Gakuin University, they lost the first game 86-87, won the second game 96-84, and won the third game 98-80.

In the first game, they conceded a lot of goals, and at the end of the game they were winning. In the second game, they adjusted their defense and went into overtime at 66-66. We made too many simple mistakes and couldn’t make any shots, but our defense was stable and we were finally able to take the lead in the third overtime. In the third game, we played the way we wanted.
–Evaluation of individual players. First of all, 4th graders
Captain Kou Minamiguchi (4th year, Faculty of Physical Education, Osaka High School) is the mainstay of the team. He has been playing since his sophomore year and is an all-rounder. He has great leadership, and felt more responsible than most for the fact that he played as the core of the team last year and fell to the second division. His shots are skillful, and his offensive power is among the top in the Kansai region.
Daichi Yamada (4th year, Faculty of Physical Education, Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School, Wakayama) is a 3-point shooter and posed a considerable threat to opponents in the replacement games. He once lost his sense of shooting in the secondary league, but it was a big help that he recovered in the replacement games.
Shido Takeuchi (4th year, Faculty of Physical Education, Sapporo High School attached to Tokai University) is the symbol of our running basketball game. The ability to attack with the ball gives momentum to the team. Although he is not tall at 179 cm, he is strong and stops the opponent’s ace on defense, and is the first to attack the goal on offense.
Kanta Honma (4th year, Faculty of Physical Education, Teikyo Nagaoka High School, Niigata) is the vice-captain of the team, and is admired by his juniors for his diligent efforts to keep a low profile.

Supervised by Yasu Higa【Osaka Sports University】

Supervised by Yasushi Higa

–Which players are you looking forward to among third-year players and below?
Reo Rivers (3rd year, Faculty of Physical Education, Fujiidera High School, Osaka) is the cornerstone of our inside team. It’s great that he was able to play for one season without getting injured. He also improved on the outside, and his two-point shots around the paint were very good. His speed to grab rebounds and attack is top class in Kansai. In the coming year, which will be the culmination of his career, his challenges will be improving the accuracy of his outside three-point shots and passing the ball to take advantage of his teammates in situations where the defense is concentrated on him.
In addition, Yuto Kiyomi (second year, Faculty of Education, Higashiyama High School, Kyoto) is a former U18 player for the Kyoto Hannaries, and converted to point guard from the league game. I look for scoring ability in a PG, and he has one-on-one ability and scoring ability. It was great that we were able to grow through the 14 league games and the replacement games. He is the key to getting promoted to Division 1.
–What are the general characteristics of basketball?
Quick attack. I say, “It’s important to accumulate two points.” In recent basketball games, there are many cases of hitting 3 points even in 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations, but I think it’s a waste. Probability is important, and I tell my players, “If you hit from outside the 3-point line, you’re 40% successful, but if you hit from inside, it’s 80%.” This is what sets us apart from other teams. If you get a foul from your opponent (free throws are added), you get 3 points, which is the same as 3 points. Not only is he fast, but he also changes his tactics depending on the situation.
–In the 2026 season, the second year of the two-year plan, your goal is to win the championship. In order to realize
This is a lofty goal, as they have not won a Kansai, Western Japan, or league match since their founding. Continue to work on building your body and conditioning. In addition, on offense, he will need to improve his finishing ability even more than he currently does, and since he will not be able to score points with just his specialty, fast attacks, he will also improve his ability to judge situations in half-court offense. Also, defense is important in order to bring out the team’s strength in quick attacks, so it will be difficult to win the championship unless they work on that aspect carefully and steadily.

Daichi Yamada (4th year physical education, Wakayama Hatsushiba Hashimoto High School)

Yasushi Higa　
Associate Professor in the Faculty of Sports Science, specializing in sports coaching and game analysis. After graduating from university, he became the Japan League Rookie of the Year as a point guard for Matsushita Electric. Won three consecutive BJ League titles as Osaka Evessa coach. Participated in two University Games. U22 head coach for two years from 2018.