TOKYO (Japan) – Japan have announced a roster of players for the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament that has speed, shooting and continuity.
Eight of the players from the team that finished 19th at the World Cup are on the team. They are Joshua Hawkinson, point guards Yuki Kawamura and Yuki Togashi, shooting guards Kesei Tominaga, Yudai Baba and Makoto Hiejima and forwards Yuta Watanabe and Hirotaka Yoshii.
The biggest change to this team is the addition of Rui Hachimura, who returns to the group for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics that were played in 2021.
Hachimura now has several years of NBA experience under his belt and is a key player with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Coach Tom Hovasse has also included players that have been on the national team before in point guard Kai Toews and center Hugh Watanabe. 20-year-old Akira Jacobs, who is coming off his freshman season with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the NCAA, will be making his senior national team debut.
Japan’s first goal is to survive the Group Phase and advance to the Quarter-Finals.
“It has been my dream to participate in the Olympics,” Jacobs said. “I am very grateful that the opportunity has come sooner than expected… We are not just going to the tournament to play against the best teams in the world, but to try to win. Of course, it will not be easy, but both myself and the team will continue to work hard and achieve our goal of making it to the top eight.”
Japan will play in Group B with Germany, France and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 Latvia winners Brazil.
FIBA