Nash hungry to build off Grouses' success last season

Bob Nash has been around the game long enough to know that he doesn't need to go out of his way to complicate things.

Key player: Veteran guard Masashi Joho, who averaged 15.3 points per game in 2011-12, will once again be a top scoring option for the Toyama Grouses this season. The bj-league's eighth season tips off on Saturday. YOSHIAKI MIURA

His basic approach is this: Each day provides another opportunity to take one small step in the right direction.

As the Toyama Grouses' new coach, Nash, the Saitama Broncos' bench boss in 2010-11, has an opportunity to lead the Eastern Conference club to its first winning season. Toyama joined the bj-league in 2006 and has reached postseason play in the past two seasons, but never finished above .500.

In a phone conversation Monday, the 61-year-old Nash admitted that "everybody wants to make the playoffs and make it to the championship. But I tell them, 'We just have to win the game in front of us. I don't want to get us too far ahead. Just win the game in front of you and add 'em up, and in the end see if it's good enough.' "

The Grouses, coming off a 25-27 season under Kazuaki Shimoji, who stepped down after the season due to health issues, open their seventh season on Sunday against the visiting Gunma Crane Thunders, an expansion team.

Other opening weekend series, all starting Saturday, are Niigata vs. Iwate, Hamamatsu vs. Sendai and Kyoto vs. Ryukyu.

Without hesitation, Nash said he admires the job Shimoji did in turning the Grouses into a high-energy, competitive squad.

"I thought he was an excellent coach and did a good job, and the team made the playoffs last year under his tutelage," Nash said. "It's unfortunate for him that his illness prevented him from continuing to coach."

After a season away from coaching — Nash relaxed at his home in Hawaii and helped make preparations for his daughter Erika's wedding — the No.9 overall pick (Detroit Pistons) in the 1972 NBA Draft and longtime University of Hawaii basketball assistant-turned head coach is eager to build a consistent winner in Toyama.

"What matters most is that the people you bring on board are on the same page," he said, "and just try to build a chemistry where everybody gets along and where everybody's pulling for the same goal.

"What we did in Saitama, I enjoyed that, but this is a whole brand new situation."

Nash insists defense is the No.1 priority for his team, but remains flexible about how he'll concoct the game plan.

"I'm changing with what we have here. I think we have a good nucleus here," said Nash, who starred for Hawaii's "Fabulous Five" teams in the early 1970s.

That nucleus features returning standouts Takeshi Mito, a steady point guard, 2011-12 Best Five shooting guard Masashi Joho and rock-solid forward Ira Brown.

Nash called them the team's Big Three and noted that in the modern game a team's top-three combination — he cited the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers as prime examples — is a key ingredient for success.

Now 30, Joho, one of the elite Japanese players in league history, has entered his prime and is expected to play a bigger leadership role for the younger Grouses.

"He's gotten better as a player," Nash observed. "It's not about the physical, it's about the mental. He sees things at a whole different speed now. . . .

"He's thinking the game more. The maturity that he brings to the team now is helping his teammates. . . . Now it is about 20, 30 points two nights in a row. That's the more important thing for us now, the back-to-back consistency."

While other teams will rely on import guards to play key roles, Nash believes Mito and Joho as starters will hold their own against other teams.

"Not to take anything away from (Niigata Albirex BB star) Nile Murry or anyone else in the league, but I think our Japanese guys are good and we'll compete with anyone," Nash said. "They are going to have to guard our players; it's going to work both ways."

Veteran forward Ryuichi Horikawa has been chosen as the team's captain.

With title-winning coaches in Akita's Kazuo Nakamura and Iwate's Dai Oketani — two apiece; Oketani guided Ryukyu to a championship last season — in the Eastern Conference — the battle to represent the East in the Final Four will be a grand challenge, Nash said.

"It speaks well for those teams that have those coaches," he said. "I think they are going to be teams that you have to reckon with. And certainly (Sendai's) Bob Pierce has been in this league a long time. He's put together a good team this year. Matt Garrison, in Niigata, built a strong program there."

Despite losing two-time champion Hamamatsu, Nakamura's old team, to the West this season, "I think the East is getting and better," Nash commented.

"We don't have a team that has won a championship, but teams that are hungry to win a championship."

To contend for a championship, the Grouses will also need steady production from a trio of new frontcourt players: 203-cm Jeremy Jacob (Oregon product), 205-cm Malcolm White (LSU) and 209-cm Angel Garcia (University of Memphis).

"Jacobs and Garcia are both multipositional-type players," Nash said. "That was what we are trying to put together. Malcolm has a lot of athleticism, plays defense and rebounds and is a pretty good scorer on the blocks at times, but he's more of a defensive rebounding, shot-blocker type player."

Nakase update: Natalie Nakase, the first female head coach in bj-league history, recently began working as a video production intern for the Los Angeles Clippers.

A former UCLA women's basketball captain, Nakase told The Japan Times she's excited about this new opportunity with the NBA club.

"It's been a dream job and I am learning so much about the NBA every day," said Nakase, who led the Saitama Broncos from late November until the end of a rocky 2011-12 campaign. "We will be helping the coaching staff scout teams and prepare them for their opponents. I'm extremely excited for this season."

Where's Planells?: Hernando Planells, the well-traveled bench boss and first head coach in Ryukyu Golden Kings history, was named the Duke women's basketball team's director of relations, it was announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference school on Tuesday.

"It is with great excitement that we introduce Hernando to the Duke family," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said in a school-issued statement. "He is extraordinary to his commitment and work ethic. He has been around the game for a long time and he has interesting experience whether it is with the NBA Developmental League or if it is training individuals personally. He brings great enthusiasm, the ability to recruit and also the ability to boost our summer camp enrollment as well. I have known him through family and professionally. We are very excited that he has decided to join us at Duke."

Planells served as an assistant coach for the D-League's Maine Red Claws in 2010-11. His diverse professional background includes stints as an NBA scout, personal trainer, basketball-scene choreographer for movies and commercials and coaching gigs at high school, college and pro levels. And he's still only 35 — for another month.

At Duke, Planells will handle a number of duties, including recruiting work, scout team coordinating and game-day operations.

"I am extremely excited," Planells said about his new job. "The opportunity to work for Coach P and to be at Duke is something you don't get a chance to do that very often. To be able to work with her, the rest of the coaching staff, learn new things and to be a part of a championship program is something I am ready to get started."

Keeping busy: Shimane Susanoo Magic coach Zeljko Pavlicevic, the only Western Conference sideline supervisor entering his third season at the helm of his team, has written an article for a Spanish website, solobasket.com, about the late Croatian basketball star Drazen Petrovic. Pavlicevic was Petrovic's coach for the 1986 Euroleague-winning Cibona team. Pavlicevic shares his recollections of the dynamic talent, who died at age 28 in an automobile accident on June 7, 1993. Petrovic played for the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets after a standout European career. In May, Pavlicevic, who is fluent in Spanish, also penned a story for the website on former NBA star Toni Kukoc.

Around the league: Former Shinshu Brave Warriors big man Tyler Hughes, a 213-cm Kansas State product, has joined the Greek club Panelefsiniakos, according to published reports. His teammates include guard Nik Raivio, younger brother of ex-Shinshu backcourt dynamo Derek Raivio, who's now playing in the Belgian League. Guard Lee Cummard, who suited up for the Kyoto Hannaryz last season, has joined the Fos Ouest Provence Basket in France's ProB circuit. . . .

Former Chiba Jets guard Maurice Hargrow, who averaged 21.6 points per game last season, is poised to join the Akita Northern Happinets in the coming days, a basketball insider told The Japan Times.

Only eight of 21 teams are in action this weekend, which means Oct. 13-14, when there will be 18 games, is the real opening weekend for the 2012-13 bj-league season. . . . Looking at the Tokyo Cinq Reves' schedule and seeing that the expansion team is using 10 home venues this season, one source said the team will be "on a barnstorming tour the entire season."

Fighting spirit: Oketani understands what it takes to be a champion. After all, he guided the Ryukyu Golden Kings to titles in the 2008-09 and 2011-12 seasons.

Now, he's using those experiences as tone-setters for the Big Bulls.

"Our practice is too competitive sometimes," Oketani wrote in a message posted on Facebook earlier this week. "Everyone gets so tired physically and mentally, but I remember that my two championship teams in practice were so competitive. I should realize that we need to execute everything with this competitiveness."

Sport court vs. wood: Traditionally, and almost everywhere the game is played besides concrete courts in neighborhood courts, basketball is contested on wood floors. The bj-league is the exception to the rule, where the overwhelming majority of the games have always been played on sport court, a synthetic surface disliked by the majority of the players. There have, though, been occasions where wood courts are used.

This preseason, that number has been increasing, and it's a welcome development around the bj-league.

"I don't know how widespread it will be," one league insider said Tuesday, "but I think you'll see more teams moving way from sport court and playing on wood with decals applied."

Sure, the league welcomes the sponsors' money that comes from sport court companies, but is it practical and economical in the long run for the league to stick with non-wood courts?

"In the past, preseason games helped players adjust to playing on sport court. Also, sport court gets worn and needs to be replaced. So just a guess, (but) maybe five, six teams this season may use wood courts for some games," the source said.

Can team presidents and GMs be convinced they should get rid of sport court floors?

"I suspect they are all going to vote with their wallets," the insider said, "by not replacing old courts or buying new ones."

Insight on Blackwell's departure: One veteran coach weighed in on the Osaka Evessa's decision to not renew Ryan Blackwell's contract after last season, linking it directly to his close friendship with two-time MVP Lynn Washington, who was arrested in a drug case but all charges were later dropped.

"From the outside, it would seem that based on his record alone (35-17 last season, 67-35 in two seasons), Coach Blackwell should have returned for another season," the coach said. "But cases like this are often decided on internal issues, relations between coach and players, or coach and management, and only those people can speak about what was going on behind the scenes.

"Another, quite probable scenario, is that if sponsors were dissatisfied, either with Ryan as a coach, or with his close association with Lynn, they could have had a strong influence on the decision to let him go. As many entertainers, athletes, and movie stars find out, image is everything. Sponsors, boosters, and advertisers vote with their money. If they don't want to be associated with a team, player, or coach, changes have to be made. Whatever Lynn's legal status was is mostly irrelevant, because the damage done to his reputation, and that of Evessa and the bj-league was very real."

He added: "Many young coaches who go from being a player to becoming a coach face the same dilemma, can you — or should you? — maintain the same relationships with players who just months before were your teammates? How true or not, I do not know, but the word was that Ryan and Lynn were still hanging out together at restaurants, bars, clubs, wherever it was that they hung out. While it didn't seem to be a problem when things were going well, it appeared to be a very big issue after Lynn was arrested, and seems to have been a factor in the team's decision to let Ryan go. Only the people involved could tell you whether any of that actually came into play, but that was a topic of conversation that was going around the league."

The last word, part I: "We do the same things every day. We have a set routine we do. We are not going to change that. We just do what we do. And hopefully it'll be good enough. If not, we'll make adjustments. We know what we want to do and how we want to play on offense and defense. The goal is to go out there and play at both ends of the floor, work on being consistent at both ends of the floor. If we are able to do that, I think we are able to play with just about anyone." — Nash, sizing up his team's outlook entering the opening week series against Gunma.

The last word, part II: "I like the five Japanese players we have, good rotation we have with them, interchangeable parts. And so we don't have any guys that are not going to help us. Each one of those guys is going to help us: shooting, passing, running the offense," Nash said of Joho, Mito, Horikawa, Tatsunori Fujie and Mitsuhiro Kamezaki.

Got a story idea about the bj-league? Send an email to edward.odeven@japantimes.co.jp

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Grouses need coach after Shimoji steps down

After nearly finishing with their first winning season in franchise history, the Toyama Grouses will not have Kazuaki Shimoji at the helm in 2012-13. Serious health issues appear to be the primary factor, league insiders told The Japan Times.

Short stint: Toyama Grouses coach Kazuaki Shimoji will not return for a second season due to health issues. ED ODEVEN

The Eastern Conference club announced on Wednesday that Shimoji would not return for a second full season in charge. His contract had expired and that opens the door for another coach to step in.

Shimoji took over as head coach in February 2011, when Kohei Eto was fired with the team stuck in last place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-18 record. Shimoji led the Grouses to a 5-13 record to close out the season.

Toyama went 25-27 this past season and guard Masashi Joho became the first Grouses player to be named to the league's Best Five team. Shimoji's overall coaching record was 30-40 with the Grouses. The 35-year-old had served as an assistant coach for the Niigata Albirex BB since 2006 before joining Toyama.

The Grouses were a strong rebounding team this past season, and that inside muscle — led by Devin Searcy's 10.7 boards per game (tied for the fourth-best output in the league) — gave the team their first taste of respectability since joining the league along with the Takamatsu Five Arrows as expansion clubs in the fall of 2006. (The Grouses were 61-171 in the regular season entering 2011-12.)

Shimoji's departure didn't shock one league insider.

On Wednesday, the source told The Japan Times, "I don't know who the next coach will be, but a (former Grouses player) told me last week that Shimoji had health problems. He said that he wouldn't be surprised if Shimoji never coaches again."

One veteran coach reacted to the news this way: "What a shame. . . . Maybe back to the drawing board (for Toyama)."

"Mr. Shimoji has had a major heart problem, and he had big surgery on his heart three times in the past," another league insider said.

The source said Shimoji had coped with Marfan Syndrome, which is described by Webster's New World College Dictionary as "a hereditary disorder characterized by abnormalities of the blood circulation and the eyes, abnormally long bones in the limbs and very mobile joints."

Wikipedia cites heart defects as a major issue that people with Marfan Syndrome must cope with.

While apparently enduring serious health problems, Shimoji had invigorated the Grouses and helped the franchise build for a successful future. At the same time, "he completed one of his dreams," a Hokuriku-based hoop pundit pointed out, "to become a head coach in the bj-league. But at the end of the season, he felt his (physical) condition exhausted him too much."

"It is unlikely he will come back to this league for a head coaching job," the source predicted.

The Grouses, Miyazaki Shining Suns and Osaka Evessa will join seven other clubs with already announced newly hired sideline supervisors in the 21-team circuit for the upcoming season.

Shimoji issued a statement thanking the team's entire staff, as well as boosters, volunteers and the local media, for their support and encouragement.

"The players gave me fighting spirit through competition," he said. "I really appreciate it . . . "

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Big Joho performance lifts Grouses over 89ers

Masashi Joho was the best scorer in the bj-league on Sunday.

For years, he's also been one of the most electrifying, hard-working, make-it-happen players in the fledgling circuit.

Joho's 34-point, six-rebound, five-assist, one-steal effort was the deciding factor in the Toyama Grouses' 80-75 victory over the visiting Sendai 89ers in Shinminato, Toyama Prefecture.

Toyama improved to 12-12 and climbed into fourth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference. Sendai (12-14) fell to fifth place. Six teams will represent the East in the playoffs.

Joho, a standout for the Osaka Evessa, Tokyo Apache and Shiga Lakestars in past seasons, had a quiet eight-point performance on 3-for-15 shooting in the series opener, which the Grouses won. A day later, he made big shot after big shot to will his team to victory, finishing 13-for-24 from the field (10-for-16 from inside the arc) and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.

"If Joho doesn't get selected Best Five after this season, that award doesn't mean much," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said after the game, referring to the league's annual Best Five Team. "Thirty-four points, and there were stretches he scored or had the assist on every possession."

Devin Searcy added 17 points and Haakim Johnson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for the much-improved Toyama squad under bench boss Kazuaki Shimoji.

Dan Fitzgerald paced the 89ers with 22 points with 10 rebounds, Rashaad Singleton had 12 points, Takuya Komoda 11 and Johnny Dukes 10.

In a tight contest, Toyama's 44-36 rebounding edge, including 16-8 on the offensive glass, was significant.

"It was a great game for the fans," Pierce said. "Takuya Komoda had a great run in the second quarter, scoring on two straight 3-pointers as we grabbed a 35-34 lead going into the break.

"We had good performances from several players, but again turnovers (19) and getting out-rebounded stopped us from ever taking control of the game. That and too much No. 31 (Joho)."

HeatDevils 63, Evessa 62

In Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, T.J. Cummings scored 15 points and Taj Finger's double-double guided Oita to a victory and a surprise sweep over the title-contending Evessa.

Naoto Takushi had his second strong game since the All-Streak break, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and Finger scored 10 points with 11 boards. Kohei Mitomo supplied 11 points for the HeatDevils (7-19). Former MVP Wendell White was held to six points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Lynn Washington was Osaka's only double-digit scorer (23 points). Wayne Marshall and Mike Bell each scored nine. The Evessa (17-7) had a poor shooting game (22-for-62) from the field.

Hannaryz 77, Five Arrows 52

In Muko, Kyoto Prefecture, the Hannaryz completed a series sweep by routing the league's worst team.

Lance Allred (16 points, 10 rebounds), Jermaine Boyette and Rick Rickert (13 points each), Lee Cummard (12) and Taizo Kawabe (nine) carried the offense for coach Honoo Hamaguchi's club, now 18-6 and sitting in second place in the Western Conference after Osaka's back-to-back defeats.

Paul Butorac led Takamatsu (1-25) with 14 points. The Five Arrows had a dreadful shooting game, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range, 19-for-54 on 2-point shots and 14-for-23 at the foul line.

Lakestars 84, Golden Kings 81

In Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, the hosts edged Western Conference-leading Ryukyu and ended the visitors' seven-game winning streak.

Ray Nixon paced the Lakestars (17-9) with 18 points and eight boards. Julius Ashby added 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, Shinya Ogawa scored 11 points and Yu Okada had 10.

For the Golden Kings (20-6 overall, 13-3 on the road), Naoto Kosuge made 5 of 10 3s and scored a game-best 23 points, Anthony McHenry added 16, Jeff Newton scored 12 and David Palmer had 11. Narito Namizato finished with eight points.

Phoenix 80, Big Bulls 69

In Hamamatsu, the Phoenix improved to 2-0 since ex-Evessa standout Lawrence Blackledge joined the two-time defending champions and swept Iwate.

Jermaine Dixon scored 17 points and dished out eight assists for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (16-10), Blackledge put 16 points on the board. Jeffrey Parmer had 15 points, Shoji Nakanishi scored 11 and backup center Atsuya Ota chipped in with 15 rebounds, two steals and a block in almost 28 minutes of court time.

Gordon Klaiber led Iwate (7-21) with 24 points and 14 rebounds and Thomas Kennedy scored 15 points. The Big Bulls fell to 0-2 under acting head coach Shinji Tomiyama, who took over for Vlasios Vlaikidis this week. Vlaikidis stepped down to return to his native Greece, where his 81-year-old father has been battling a serious illness.

B-Corsairs 95, Albirex BB 75

In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Justin Burrell energized Yokohama with a 27-point, 12-rebound, three steal effort as the first-year franchise bounced back from a Saturday loss.

Masayuki Kabaya scored 21 points and Kenji Yamada poured in 19 for the B-Corsairs (12-14), who outscored the hosts 46-28 in the second and third quarters.

After a 14-point, nine-assist performance on Saturday, Niigata guard Nile Murry was effectively neutralized in the rematch. He was held to eight points and five rebounds, but no assists and four turnovers as well.

Chris Holm was the top scorer (18 points) for the Albirex, followed by Yuichi Ikeda (16), Shuhei Komatsu (13) and Erron Maxey (11).

Yokohama won the battle on the boards, hauling in 53 rebounds to Niigata's 33.

Rizing 93, Shining Suns 91

In Fukuoka, balanced scoring carried the Rizing to a win as coach Tadaharu Ogawa's club salvaged a series split.

Kevin Palmer had a major impact on the game, ending it with 23 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists. Carlos Dixon scored 18 points, Jun Nakanishi and Jermaine Dearman each had 16 and Akitomo Takeno supplied 12 for Fukuoka (17-9).

O'Neal Mims led Miyazaki (12-16) with 23 points and Taishiro Shimizu and Darryl Dora contributed 20 apiece.

Susanoo Magic 81, Brave Warriors 80

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Michael Parker was nearly unstoppable — 10-for-14 from the field — and scored 31 points as the hosts edged Shinshu.

Parker collected 11 rebounds and three steals for the Susanoo Magic (15-11). Jeral Davis made his mark with six blocks along with 12 points and six boards, Jumpei Nakama hit three big 3s and scored 15 points and Reggie Golson had seven points and 12 boards.

Derek Raivio had a team-high 24 points for the Brave Warriors (11-15), Lee Roberts and Tyler Hughes scored 12 points apiece and Takato Saito made five steals.

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Happinets back on top after sweeping Grouses

The Akita Northern Happinets climbed back into first place by completing a weekend sweep of the Toyama Grouses on Sunday.

Coach Kazuo Nakamura's club defeated Toyama 73-58 in the teams' final game of the 2011-12 bj-league season's first half. The sixth annual All-Star Game will be held next Sunday at Saitama Super Arena.

E.J. Drayton and Curtis Terry scored 18 points apiece to lead Akita (15-9, tied for first with the Niigata Albirex BB), Ricky Woods had 15 points with 12 rebounds and Kazuhiro Shoji added 13 points and buried 4 of 7 long-range shots. Ryosuke Mizumachi dished out six assists, and the Happinets improved to 8-6 at home.

Drayton contributed four blocked shots and two steals in Akita's solid all-around win.

Toyama (10-12) had a bad shooting afternoon, making 23 of 70 shots from the field, including 4-for-19 on 3-point attempts. The Grouses also missed 10 of 18 foul shots, and made 17 turnovers.

Devin Searcy and Brian Harper each scored 12 points for Toyama and Masashi Joho had 10.

Hannaryz 87, 89ers 74

In Sendai, after seeing its 12-game winning streak halted on Saturday, Kyoto bounced back with a victory in the series finale.

Hannaryz coach Honoo Hamaguchi's club won the battle on the boards (52-28 overall rebounding edge) and cleaned the glass for 23 offensive boards to Sendai's 10.

"The key to this one was offensive rebounds," Sendai coach Bob Pierce said.

For Kyoto (16-6), Rick Rickert was the leading scorer (18 points). Lance Allred had 14 points and 13 boards, Naoto Nakamura scored 11 points, Jermaine Boyette had 10, Babacar Camara had nine, Sunao Murakami added eight and Kyosuke Setoyama seven.

The 89ers (12-12) were called for 27 fouls to the Hannaryz's 13. Rickert and newcomer Filip Toncinic both fouled out.

"Foul trouble plagued us the entire game," Pierce said.

Dan Fitzgerald scored a team-high 23 points for Sendai, Johnny Dukes had 17 points and five assists, Toncinic added 16 points and 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range and Takehiko Shimura orchestrated the offense (nine assists and zero turnovers).

"We had an amazing stretch where we played great defense," Pierce said, "came back from nine points down in the fourth quarter, then took brief leads of 68-66 (and) 70-68. But it seemed that on about the next three possessions Kyoto would miss but then score on the offensive rebound. We missed some open looks, and the game got away."

Evessa 75, Five Arrows 62

In Takamatsu, fan favorite Cohey Aoki put on a shooting clinic in Osaka's win over the lowly Five Arrows.

Aoki made 8 of 9 shots from the field — his lone miss was one of his four 3-point attempts — and both of his shots from the charity stripe in a 21-point performance for the Evessa (17-5). Lynn Washington provided 18 points, 10 boards and four assists and Lavell Payne scored eight points for Osaka. Lawrence Blackledge and Masashi Obuchi each had seven.

Kevin Smith paced Takamatsu (1-23) with 17 points and seven steals, while Michael Nunnally had 14 points.

"We played a pretty good game overall," Osaka coach Ryan Blackwell said. "Cohey and Lynn paced us offensively. Our zone defense was really good today, and had we not turned the ball over 21 times, we would've scored more points, which is one area we need to improve on."

Albirex BB 94, Shining Suns 80

In Miyazaki, Erron Maxey scored 23 points, Nile Murry had 20 and Niigata recorded a series split.

Niigata (15-9) made 13 steals, while matching Akita for the most wins in the East entering the break. Murry had a team-high four steals. Chris Holm added 18 points and 13 boards, Yuichi Ikeda scored 14 and Shuhei Komatsu 10.

Holm, the league's top rebounder at 14.5 per game, had five offensive boards, getting five or more for the 13th time this season. He also notched his 14th double-double.

Dexter Lyons led Miyazaki (12-14) with 22 points and Lewis Witcher poured in 13.

Brave Warriors 85, Big Bulls 67

In Nagano, Lee Roberts had 22 points and Edward Morris scored 14 as Shinshu swept rival first-season club Iwate.

Derek Raivio and Takato Saito added 12 points apiece for the Brave Warriors (11-13). Shinshu shot 28-for-50 from inside the arc and 7-for-15 on 3-point attempts.

The Big Bulls (7-19) were 24-for-70 from the field and a dismal 15-for-29 at the line. Thomas Kennedy led Iwate with 31 points, Gordon Klaiber had 11 and Yoshiaki Yamamoto handed out six assists.

Lakestars 79, Susanoo Magic 64

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Dionisio Gomez's 22-point, 10-rebound effort led Shiga to a bounce-back triumph in the series finale.

Ray Nixon scored 17 points for the Lakestars (16-8), Josh Peppers had 16, Yu Okada added 13 with six assists and four steals and Shinya Ogawa scored seven points.

Reggie Golson paced Shimane (13-11) with 18 points, Michael Parker scored 17 and B.J. Puckett had 14. Magic point guard Edward Yamamoto had a tough afternoon (five turnovers, one assist).

***

B-Corsairs update: A day after his team beat the visiting Saitama Broncos for the second time in as many days, Yokohama B-Corsairs coach Reggie Geary told The Japan Times, "We're very happy about this weekend's sweep of Saitama. We feel as a team we're improving and that has been reflected in us winning four of our last six.

"Our inside play of Justin Burrell and Chas McFarland has been at a good level, and contributions from Kaba (Masayuki Kabaya), Kim (Minoru Kimura) and Kenji (Yamada), along with our entire bench have been much needed."

Looking ahead to the week off, Geary added, "This All-Star break comes at a good time for us to heal up and get in some good practice before facing a tough road challenge in Niigata when we return to action."

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Grouses escape Yokohama with slim victory

YOKOHAMA — The Justin Burrell Show didn't have a happy ending for the Yokohama B-Corsairs on Wednesday afternoon.

Hard earned win: Grouses coach Kazuaki Shimoji speaks at a news conference after his team's 80-79 win over the B-Corsairs on Wednesday in Yokohama. ED ODEVEN

Despite the rookie forward's career- and franchise-best 40-point performance, the Toyama Grouses emerged victorious, 80-79, after Larry Turner's free throw with no time remaining gave the visitors the win.

Toyama held the B-Corsairs (9-12) to 33 second-half points after yielding 28 in the opening quarter at Yokohama International Swimming Pool in the first regular-season meeting between the bj-league clubs. And veteran guard Masashi Joho, a key player on Osaka Evessa, Tokyo Apache and Shiga Lakestars playoff teams in years past, served notice that he's still one of the league's best game-changing forces, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.

"Obviously, you never want a game decided by the referee's call, but we are smart enough to realize that the game didn't come down to that play," B-Corsairs coach Reggie Geary told reporters moments later.

At the end of a high-energy game, Toyama got the ball back with 20.3 seconds remaining. Pape Mour Faye was whistled for a foul on Turner, who had the ball for a final shot, as time expired. The B-Corsairs looked stunned by the call; the Grouses were excited and then jumping for joy after Turner sank his game-winning shot.

The B-Corsairs, who shot 1-for-10 from 3-point range, had six fourth-quarter turnovers and 20 overall, a statistic that was a key factor in ending the team's two-game winning streak.

Burrell, who was 14-for-16 at the foul line, and had 10 rebounds and eight turnovers, admitted as much after the game.

"As a person that's supposed to finish games and be one of the leaders on our team, unfortunately I turned the ball over way too much," said Burrell. "I made a lot of unforced turnovers. . . . I made a lot of passes that if I would've just made one pass and the team made another pass, it would've been a simpler play."

Burrell leads the B-Corsairs in scoring (19.0 points per game) and his performance against Toyama (9-10) was a reminder that the first-year franchise expects big things from the 207-cm performer.

"Obviously, one of the disappointing things is we wasted his 40-point effort today," Geary said. "There's no question and there's no secret on our team that JB and some others are the focal point of the offense. We know how capable he is, and we are very happy with how he is maturing and developing. We just feel with this additional responsibility, as you can see by this press conference today, he is taking it upon himself to take care of the basketball and things of that nature. We are very happy with how he's progressing along."

Grouses coach Kazuaki Shimoji, whose team has climbed into fifth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference, said strong third-quarter defense "fueled the team's offense."

At halftime, Shimoji said, the Toyama players were reminded they needed to "play more physical" in the second half. He also pointed to his team's improved defense in the second half, which led to 11 Yokohama turnovers.

The Grouses faced a 54-40 deficit after Burrell's jam with just over 7 minutes left in the third quarter. But Toyama mounted a comeback to pull within 57-53 late in the quarter.

The visitors' game-changing 13-3 run included a big catch-and-shoot 3-pointer by Joho, who was 0-for-7 from the field in the opening half, and a Devin Searcy layup on a give-and-go from Joho that prompted Geary to call a timeout. Then Searcy, who had 11 points and six rebounds, scored again inside to make it 57-53 less than a minute after the break in the action. Only a Faye free throw was added to the scoring total during the remainder of the quarter. That made it 58-53, Yokohama.

In an exciting, back-and-forth fourth quarter, Joho was the most effective player on the floor. He was 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 at the foul line. Teammates got him the ball and he made his shots, weaving through traffic with bursts of speed and getting the ref's attention along the way.

"We know he's one of the better players in the league," Geary said of Joho. "He's dangerous because he's dangerous from the 3-(point range), from mid-range (and) he can get all the way to the rim, and on top of that he's very aggressive.

"When the team gets into the bonus very early in a quarter, now he's even more dangerous because now he's really in attack mode. Every time you foul him, he goes to the line. So he just ups his game and that's a nod to him."

The teams exchanged leads several times in the fourth quarter, with Burrell carrying the B-Corsairs and scoring 11 points in that span, including 7-for-8 at the line.

Toyama led 77-74 after Searcy's basket with 1:48 to play. Burrell cut it to a single point by hitting two free throws, and former Tokyo guard Minoru Kimura put the hosts ahead 78-77 on a nifty reverse layup with 1:03 to play. Toyama's Takeshi Mito, who had 17 points, sank two free throws as the Grouses retook the lead, 79-78, with 37 seconds remaining.

Burrell made the first of two shots with 21.4 seconds left. That made it 79-79. Then Toyama called a timeout to draw up its final possession. Joho inbounded the ball and the offense worked its plan slowly and methodically before the last-second foul was called.

Center Chas McFarland finished with 13 points for Yokohama. Ira Brown had 12 points and seven boards for the Grouses, who had five double-digit scorers.

"In the second half we got a little down," Geary said. "Our energy level dropped for whatever reason and we started hanging our heads. But in terms of confidence, we were confident enough to get a nice lead in the first half."

In the first quarter, Toyama led 4-2 after a Brian Harper (13 points) baseline jump shot. But Yokohama stormed back, using a 12-2 spurt to pull ahead 14-6.

The B-Corsairs played an excellent first quarter, getting good looks on offense and repeated trips to the free-throw line (10-for-12 overall). They also relentlessly pursued each rebound, setting the tone for the team's performance in other facets of the game; by quarter's end they held a 16-5 edge in rebounds, with Simmons (14 points and three steals before fouling out) collecting five rebounds to lead the effort.

In particular, Burrell, a first-year pro out of St. John's University in New York City, picked his spots wisely and attacked the basket. He had 18 first-quarter points on 7-for-9 shooting, including vicious driving slam dunk (he finished with four dunks), layups and spot-up jumpers. He outscored the entire Grouses squad by one point in the period.

Defensively, Geary's charges were aggressive and tenacious, and the Grouses trailed 28-17 entering the second quarter. Joho, Toyama's leading scorer, was 0-for-5 from the field in the first stanza.

Yokohama led 46-32 at the break, getting 24 first-half points from Burrell to carry the offense.

Elsewhere Wednesday, the host Iwate Big Bulls defeated the Saitama Broncos 85-81.

Thomas Kennedy paced the expansion Big Bulls (7-16) with 28 points, Shawn Malloy had 23 points and 11 rebounds and ex-Saitama player Gordon Klaiber had 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Yoshiaki Yamamoto added eight points and six assists.

The Broncos (6-15) dropped their sixth straight game and fell into last place.

Kenny Satterfield led Saitama with 24 points and John "Helicopter" Humphrey had 23.

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