“I think they all have world-class strengths.”
On June 30th, Toru Onzuka, head coach of the Japan Women’s National Team, held a media briefing ahead of the Paris Olympics. He spoke about the reasons for selecting the 12 members of the team and how they will fight in the run up to the Paris Olympics.
Until now, head coach Onzuka has been focusing on winning where he can, rather than compensating for weaknesses, with the concept of a “shooter corps that runs and wins.” He has set a style that emphasizes Japan’s strengths of speed, agility, and outside shots. To that end, he explained that he selected the 12 players with an emphasis on how well they can continue to execute the three things they have learned from their feet, take three-point shots, and maintain continuity with five players for 40 minutes at a high level of quality. He also announced that Sakura Noguchi and Natsumi Kanno have been called up as support members in preparation for any eventuality and from the perspective of developing young players.
“We don’t place importance on age or track record. We’ve worked backwards from winning and envisioned all sorts of situations, and asked the players who were needed to lend their strength.”
Head coach Onzuka continued, “I only found out later when I read the news that all of them had Olympic experience. I think that all 12 players have world-class strengths,” and commented on each of their strengths as follows:
Asami Yoshida (Japan Basketball Association)
“His passing ability, his leadership, just great.”
Maki Takada (DENSO IRIS)
“He has a high basketball IQ. He can shoot three-pointers as a center and can also defend the post by himself.”
Rui Machida (Fujitsu Red Wave)
“You know his passing ability, but I think his ball-control defense is also very high and he’ll shut down opponents.”
Yuki Miyazawa (Fujitsu Red Wave)
“He’s a big man who has the ability to make three-point shots and is a strong competitor. He made the shot in a tough situation in the match against Australia (at the Mitsui Fudosan Cup). That’s the kind of strength he has.”
Naoko Motohashi (Tokyo Haneda Vickies)
“He has a high IQ and an excellent nose for finding opportunities. I also think he had a positive impact on the team during the OQT (final qualifying round for the Paris Olympics).”
Saki Hayashi (Fujitsu Red Wave)
“I think I’m the best shooter in the world. My captaincy is also excellent and I’m a great asset to the team.”
Evelyn Maugui (DENSO IRIS)
“His driving skills and three-point shooting skills are his weapons, and he also has a lot of energy that inspires the team.”
Saori Miyazaki (ENEOS Sunflowers)
“They have the best speed in the world and their full-court defense will be a big asset for us.”
Ako Sunflower (DENSO IRIS)
“He has excellent rebounding ability, and we are looking forward to him as an all-rounder who can cover multiple positions.”
Stephanie Magua (CASADEMONT ZARAGOZA)
“He has world-class one-on-one ability and his all-round play is great.”
Mai Yamamoto (Toyota Antelopes)
“His scoring ability is among the best in the world. His pull-ups and deep threes in particular are big weapons for us.”
Nanako Toudou (Toyota Boshoku Sunshine Rabbits)
“He’s an all-around player who can play multiple positions and has a very high basketball IQ.”
“If we bring in players to counter the height of the opponent, the advantage of running to win will no longer work.”
Looking at the members of the national team this time, it is clear that they are lacking in size overall. The tallest is Takada at 185cm, and in the OQT, 180cm Evelyn Maugui played center. Also, in the Mitsui Fudosan Cup, 163cm Yamamoto and 164cm Motohashi played shooting guard, the main small forward was 173cm Hayashi, and 184cm Ako, who can easily play both positions, played power forward, making for a fairly small lineup.
All the countries participating in the Paris Olympics are superior to Japan in terms of height and physical strength. However, that is the same even if the team members are made up of players who emphasize size. Therefore, head coach Onzuka explained that “if we put in players who do not fit the concept of ‘winning by running’ to counter height, the point will not work,” and that they focused on maximizing their strengths rather than filling in their weaknesses.
By the way, they were behind in rebounding during the OQT, but head coach Onzuka reflected that there were bigger reasons for this than simply height.
“We understand that the biggest issue is rebounding. In the OQT, we were dominated by 36 rebounds in three games. After analyzing why we were dominated, we found that 20 of them were due to a lack of effort on our part, not due to size. Now, rather than leaving this up to the players, we are training to find out the reasons why they lose their patience.”
“Our priority is to make the most of our strengths in every situation”
Looking at the countries competing in the Olympics, no team has focused on small basketball, with an emphasis on speed and three-point shots, as much as Japan. This is a unique advantage for Japan, but compared to the Tokyo Olympics, the world knows very well what style Japan will play. Japan was powerless to counter this in the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
And from there, they showed their adaptability and toughness in taking advantage of the opponent’s countermeasures in the OQT match against Canada, which secured their place in the Paris Olympics. It is still fresh in our memory that the Japanese national team, who were thoroughly blocked by Canada’s three-point shots, were able to make high-percentage shots from drives under the basket, which created space, leading to victory.
Opponents will likely come up with strategies based on how they played in the OQT. Head coach Onzuka commented that “there are some things we’re hiding,” but added that above all else, they will work to hone their strengths.
“We won’t be able to see the issues unless we try things out properly, so for now we are training by using as much of the base as possible. However, when the opponent tries to eliminate our strengths, we are making extensive preparations for mechanisms and tactics that will turn them into switches that will allow us to display our strengths, and we want to get to the bottom of that. We need to make plays that surprise the opponents, but even if we try to surprise them, there is no guarantee that they will be surprised. We are prioritizing strengthening our ability to fully utilize our strengths even in the face of all kinds of interference and chaotic situations.”
Due to the nature of the sport, it is clear that height is a big advantage in basketball. However, it is not absolute, and there is no single definition of strength. Head coach Onzuka’s idea of strength is “something we have that the other team cannot imitate. By creating a team that measures strength differently from the other team, we can maximize Japan’s strengths.”
If Japan can stick to this unique strength, it should be able to captivate the world once again on the Olympic stage.
2024-06-30 21:22:32
#coach #Toru #Onzuka #Paris #Olympics #womens #basketball #team #explains #selected #players #worked #winning #considered #situations #select #players #needed #Basketball #general #information #site #Basket #Count
