Congratulations to the Shiga Lakestars pro basketball team for winning its opening game of the 2009-2010 season on October 3, 2009 against the Kyoto Hannaryz. The score was 82-73 witnessed by a reported 1,888 spectators in an almost full Kyoto City Gymnasium. Photos here.
Also congratulations to the Kyoto Hannaryz (led by head coach David Benoit) for holding its debut game in the bj-league. The Hannaryz is the thirteenth and newest franchise in the bj-league pro basketball league in Japan. Being close neighbors (many people in Shiga work in Kyoto, many people in Kyoto visit Shiga to relax, and Shiga’s Lake Biwa supplies water to Kyoto/Osaka), the Lakestars and the Hannaryz are destined to be eternal rivals and friends at the same time. There are more games scheduled between Shiga and Kyoto.
Although Kyoto was the first to score and took the lead very early in the game, the Lakestars fought back and had the Hannaryz trailing throughout the rest of the game. I remember the point spread was as large as 16 points. Kyoto did quite well in catching up, coming within 6 or 8 points to tie the Lakestars at one point, but shooters like team captain Fujiwara Takamichi (#11), Bobby Nash (#33), and Joho Masashi (#31) immediately made brilliant comeback plays to score and leave Kyoto in the dust. Fujiwara scored a total of 11 points, Bobby 7, and Joho 18.
Joho was clearly the Lakestars’ crowd favorite. They were shouting his name (JOHO! JOHO!) a few times, even after the game ended. I’ve seen him play a few times with the Tokyo Apache and he was a valuable and popular player there too. He was traded to Shiga at the last minute. He’s not even included in the bj-league’s official guide book for 2009-10. He played very well today. Looks like he will be very popular in Shiga. He is a welcome addition to the team and who also brings playoff experience to Shiga.
Bobby Nash also delighted us with spectacular three-pointers. And Chris Schlatter (#4) scored on a some good layups and became the team’s highest scorer at 20 points. It was a very exciting game for everyone, although I can sympathize with Kyoto losing its debut game in the bj-league. The Lakestars also lost its debut game a year ago, so it was great to see them off to a great start this season.
There are quite a few new Lakestar faces. That big guy in the suit sitting at the bench is Assistant Coach Ishibashi Takatoshi who was the head coach (and former player) for the Toyama Grouses last season. Also new are Chris Schlatter, Mike Hall (scored 13 points), Gary Hamilton, and Luke Zellar (scored 11 points) all of whom are from the U.S. Besides Joho, the other new Japanese player is Horikawa Ryuichi. I have written a brief bio of Lakestars players here.
On the next day on Oct. 4, 2009, the Hannaryz roared back and squeaked by the Lakestars 85-81. It was a heartbreaking game for the Lakestars. But congratulations to the Hannaryz for their first official win in their debut season. For the Lakestars, Mike Hall was the highest scorer with 23 points, followed by Chris Schlatter’s 15 points, Joho’s 11, Luke Zellar’s 10 points, Fujiwara and Ogawa’s 7 points each, and Bobby’s 4 points.
More photos of the season opener here.
Remember that the Lakestars’ first home game in Shiga will be on Oct. 10-11, 2009 in Yasu. See the complete game schedule and venues in English here. Tickets are not usually sold out, so you should be able to easily buy a ticket at the door.
I will also be posting pictures of Lakestars games whenever I see a game.
