[Ryukyu Golden Kings] Kings Youth Monthly Report September 2024
Ryukyu Golden Kings Press release: October 9, 2024 Kings Youth Monthly Report September 2024
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competitiveness. Between August 31st (Saturday) and September 28th (Saturday), they played four games both inside and outside Okinawa Prefecture, and also faced off against schools that regularly compete in national tournaments and have tall international students. Through this valuable experience, we were able to realize our growth. Since the end of September, the Kings U15 have been competing in the “Jr. Winter Cup 5th National U15 Basketball Championship Okinawa Prefecture Preliminary Tournament” where their fifth straight victory is on the line. In order to participate in the national tournament, they are practicing even harder every day. This time, the spotlight will be on A team 2nd year player Sei Kinjo, and 1st year players Eiji Oshiro and Yuki Kawamitsu, who won a place in the A team before the preliminary round. We asked them about their enthusiasm for the tournament. Please take a look. ■■Kings U18■■ Nine teams are participating in the Nissin Foods Kyushu Block League, and the Kings U18 are currently in second place with three wins and one loss. Their most recent match against Kyushu Gakuin High School (Kumamoto Prefecture representative) on Saturday, September 28th was a low-scoring affair, but they conceded just eight points in the fourth quarter and won a close game 68-67. and continues to fight well. The only loss out of the four matches was against Yanagigaura High School ((Oita prefecture representative)) held at the Okinawa Arena on Monday, September 23rd. It was held as a back seat match for the top team, and while many fans were cheering for them, unfortunately they lost 73-76, but it was a game in which the players learned a lot.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-92d1b98ee54d36e77c8a71fb51194e01-1920×1080.jpg Against the 207cm tall international student center who was the source of the opponents’ points, captain #77 Ryunosuke Satori, #20 Davis Ruben Kengo and others put their bodies on the inside, and the score remained at 39-45, ending the first half. Ta. At one point in the third quarter, they were able to widen the gap to about 10 points, but their aggressive drives and kickouts often created free shooting situations, allowing players like #99 Motoki Aragaki, #20 Davis, and #77 Satori to lose control. They caught up with their 3-point point shot.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-52afde2f6e0adc6d78321338619577e3-1920×1080.jpg Although they were able to get out of the game right after the start of the 4th quarter, #33 Mitsuru Nagamine scored consecutive points and they got back on track, and with less than 4 minutes left, #25 Sota Uehara’s 3-point point shot turned the game around. Succeed. In the end, the opponent’s strong 3-point point shot and powerful goal allowed them to come back again, and they were able to escape, but it excited the audience.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-bc307776bcb66826095f9a1e16d3ac56-1920×1080.jpg Kings U18 head coach Tsubasa Yonamine has prepared the international students by protecting them from the off-ball stage, and by having players who match up with him, such as #77 Satori, grab the ball and pull the opponent out. After showing a positive response to the measures taken for the players, he said, “I thought we needed to organize things a little more in terms of timing and who should be placed where, but I felt like we were going in the right direction.” “That was a great harvest,” he says.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-d08b9c3e3ace6a6d51d32444f083ab63-1920×1080.jpg Although Okinawa has many small players, he wanted to send the message that “we can compete even against bigger players,” adding, “I feel it was significant that we were able to do that at the Okinawa Arena.We will continue to do so in the future. I want to continue this.” In B League youth games, it is rare to have the opportunity to play against teams that have international students over 200cm tall, but in recent years, the number of tournaments in which players can play against strong club clubs has been increasing little by little, and they are able to gain valuable experience. Masu. #77 Satori, who aims to become a professional player in the future, said, “I think all the games in this tournament will lead to our own growth.When your opponent has a big player, it becomes difficult to drive even in situations where you would normally be able to drive. It’s fun and exciting to figure out how to overcome this problem,” he said with encouraging words. #33 Nagamine also looked back and said, “There was a part where I left the countermeasures against international students to the players on the inside, so as a guard, I think I could have defended in a different way.” He also points out areas for
improvement. I was searching.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-e1a36890487791a02a63e07b0024e6e8-3900×2194.jpg Please keep an eye on the activities of the Kings U18, who are approaching each game with a strong desire to improve and are steadily growing. ■■Kings U15■■ The Kings U15 team, which currently has 44 members, is divided into an A team and a B team, and the players work hard together in a highly competitive environment. Joining Team A, which has 44 members, is a source of motivation, and it also helps them hone their individual strengths through daily practice and develop the habit of showing off their strengths.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-8f22daab312c254255b477f34abe5f4e-1920×1080.jpg Some first-year players were selected to be part of Team A, which will compete in the “Jr. Winter Cup 5th National U15 Basketball
Championship Okinawa Prefecture Preliminary Tournament”. One of them is Eiji Oshiro, who participated in the 2023 U12 Japan-Korea Basketball Exchange when he was in the 6th grade of elementary school. He is already 175cm tall and has the ability to score with drives and 3-point shots. Since joining the Kings U15, he has expanded his range of play, saying, “I’m not only conscious of when I have the ball, but also of solid plays such as defense and rebounding to help the team win.” At the time of the announcement at the end of August, he was the only first-year student to be selected for the A team, and he said with a smile, “Honestly, I was happy.” While the two guards, captain Shunsuke Miyazato and vice-captain Keiji Koshi, lead the team, Oshiro said, “I want to continue the game without breaking the flow during the time when the seniors are resting.As a guard, “I want to be a player who can help the team win,” he said with enthusiasm.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-f6a1adfacda52488e23908c149441c91-1920×1080.jpg Another first year student who joined the A team in September is Yuen Kawamitsu. My parents are from Miyakojima City, and I was born and raised in Shizuoka Prefecture. I watched the 2023 BJ Cup U14 Presented by ECC, a comprehensive education and lifelong learning institution, which was held in Shizuoka Prefecture in December last year and won by the Kings U15, and decided that I wanted to join this team, so I decided to try out. Examination. I passed the exam with flying colors, and this spring I moved to Okinawa with my grandmother and joined the Kings U15 team. He is characterized by his aggressiveness, attacking the paint one-on-one while using speed and speed. During his mini-basketball days, he was the captain, but he says he wasn’t the type to speak out much. However, since joining the Kings U15, he has grown day by day, saying, “As a guard, I am now being asked to do that part, so I am conscious of giving instructions to my teammates and using my voice to encourage them.” I am. He was pleasantly surprised to be added to the A team just before the tournament, saying, “It was unexpected.” “I’m sure I’ll be nervous if I play in the match, but I’ve been given the chance, so I want to do my part.I’ll speak out loud and focus on each match to win,” he said with enthusiasm.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/36112/815/36112-815-9859e6375b5954814561900e56f0a252-1920×1080.jpg Second-year player Sei Kinjo, who will be playing for the Kings U15 starting in May, will also be playing in an official game as a member of the A team for the first time. Immediately after joining, I was nervous and couldn’t show my full potential, and I had the frustrating experience of moving up to the A team and then falling back to the B team. Based on this experience, he has strived to grow, saying, “Since there are a lot of players, I have been conscious of using my voice and showing off my defense.” “There are a lot of good players, and I think this is the environment where I can improve my game the most,” he says with satisfaction. In preparation for the Jr. Winter Cup qualifying round, the team as a whole has been honing our solid defense and quick transitions after getting rebounds. Kinjo set his goal to win the championship, and expressed his enthusiasm by saying, “I want to use my strengths, such as being vocal on defense, and do my best to help the team lead even when I’m on the field.” . The Ryukyu Golden Kings will continue to create an environment that brings out the talents of young players and strongly support their
challenges. Please pay attention to the daily growth of the Kings U15 players.