Jaguars give Mularkey the boot after just one season

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — The more Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan watched his team play, the more he realized one thing:

"We needed a rebuild from the ground up," Khan said.

So the Jaguars fired coach Mike Mularkey on Thursday after just one season, the worst in franchise history. The move came 10 days after Khan fired general manager Gene Smith.

Khan also introduced new GM David Caldwell on Thursday, and by parting ways with Mularkey, gave him a clean slate heading into 2013.

"I've always been a part of a winner," said Caldwell, who signed a five-year deal. "I've never been a part of a losing team."

But maybe the biggest news of the day came when Caldwell said New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, a Jacksonville native who starred at nearly Florida, is not in the team's plans.

"I can't imagine a scenario in which he'll be a Jacksonville Jaguar — even if he's released," Caldwell said.

Caldwell took slightly more time to decide on Mularkey.

Mularkey, who went 2-14 this season, became the eighth head coach fired since the end of the regular season. He looked like he would be one and done when Khan parted ways with Smith last week and gave Mularkey's assistants permission to seek other jobs.

Even though Khan ultimately hired Mularkey, Smith directed the coaching search last January that started and ended with the former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.

"I felt like we needed a fresh start here," Caldwell said. "Coming in here as a first-time general manager, I'm looking for a co-builder of our team. When I talked to Shad in terms of a culture change along the football side, I felt like it was more of that. I felt like it was an atmosphere of change. I felt like that to do that, you've got to have a fresh start across the board."

Mularkey's brief tenure — he didn't even last a year — was filled with mistakes. His biggest one may have been his loyalty to Smith, who assembled a roster that lacked talent on both sides of the ball.

Mularkey probably stuck with Smith's franchise quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, longer than he should have. And the coach's insistence that the team was closer than outsiders thought and his strong stance that he had the roster to turn things around became comical as the losses mounted. The Jaguars lost eight games by at least 16 points, a staggering number of lopsided losses in a parity-filled league.

CLEVELAND — Rob Chudzinski's first head coaching job will be with the team he loved as a kid.

Chudzinski, who spent the past two seasons as Carolina's offensive coordinator, has been hired by the Cleveland Browns as their sixth full-time coach since 1999.

The Browns are hoping the first-time head coach can end years of despair and constant losing and maybe resurrect a franchise that has made just one trip to the playoffs in the past 14 years.

A Browns spokesman confirmed Chudzinski's hiring Thursday night and said he will be introduced at a news conference on Friday.

Chudzinski will be the Browns' 14th coach in team history. For the past two years, the 44-year-old has worked with talented Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Chudzinski has had two previous stints with the Browns as an assistant coach. He coached tight ends for Butch Davis in 2004, and then came back to the Browns in 2007 and was Cleveland's offensive coordinator for two seasons under Romeo Crennel.

Chudzinski grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he pulled for the Browns. Chudzinski interviewed with the team on Wednesday, and was viewed by many to be a long shot for the job.

NEW YORK — When he ended his life last year by shooting himself in the chest, Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease often linked with repeated blows to the head.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health said on Thursday the former NFL star's abnormalities are consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

The hard-hitting linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. He died at age 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot in May, and his family requested the analysis of his brain.

"We saw changes in his behavior and things that didn't add up with him," his ex-wife, Gina, said. "But (CTE) was not something we considered or even were aware of. But pretty immediately (after the suicide) doctors were trying to get their hands on Junior's brain to examine it."

The NIH, based in Bethesda, Maryland, studied three unidentified brains, one of which was Seau's, and said the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of people "with exposure to repetitive head injuries."

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Sato lands sponsor for IndyCar season

INDIANAPOLIS — AJ Foyt Racing has signed Takuma Sato to drive the No. 14 Honda in this year's IndyCar season.

The signing announced Thursday fills the seat left open by Mike Conway, who said he didn't feel comfortable racing on ovals during practice for last September's season finale at Fontana.

Foyt said Sato's aggressive driving style caught his attention in last year's Indianapolis 500. Sato charged to the front of the field and challenged Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon in the closing laps, only to crash trying to pass Franchitti for the win on the final lap.

The Japanese driver has completed three seasons in IndyCar, winning two poles and five top-five finishes in 49 starts. His best finish was second in 2012 at Edmonton.

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Five Arrows open season with victory

The Takamatsu Five Arrows lost 50 of 52 games last season.

They've already have half of their victory total from that horrendous campaign, coming courtesy of an 80-66 road victory over the new-look Osaka Evessa on Saturday in the bj-league.

The Evessa's mass exodus of players and departure of bench boss Ryan Blackwell following the 2011-12 season sparked upheaval among several long-time supporters, many of which opted against attending the opener at Sumiyoshi Sports Center, sources have told The Japan Times.

One fan summed up the once-mighty Evessa's fall this way on Facebook: "Evessa is only (an) historic name now, just a toy of 'the man.' Toys can't beat passions. That's it."

Dexter Lyons' strong all-around game — 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists — guided Takamatsu to a rare win under coach Kenzo Maeda, beginning his second season at the helm.

Larry Cox and Masashi Obuchi each had 15 points for the Evessa. Cox also grabbed 19 rebounds, including nine off the offensive glass.

Jets 108, Cinq Reves 86

In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, the Jets opened their second and final second in the bj-league before defecting to the National Basketball League, the JBL's rebranded circuit, with a win over the new Tokyo expansion team.

Marquin Chandler had a team-best 27 points for Chiba, including 6-for-6 from 3-point range, while fellow newcomer Joe Werner poured in 23 points. Chiba shot 12-for-21 from 3-point range in Shinji Tomiyama's first game as head coach.

Five Cinq Reves scored in double figures, led by big man Jonathan Jones (22 points). Cohey Aoki, the longtime Tokyo Apache star who was in an Evessa uniform last season after the former team folded, finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Brave Warriors 101, Crane Thunders 88

In Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Shinshu gave coach Takatoshi "Big Bashi" a victory in his first regular-season game in charge.

Gunma, an expansion team, fell to 0-3 under Tadashi Hayashi, losing its first-ever home game.

Brave Warriors center Wayne Marshall, a steady player for Osaka the past two seasons, scored 31 points and collected 13 rebounds for Shinshu. Teammates Jermaine Green and Edward Morris scored 22 and 17 points, respectively. Takanori Goya and Yosuke Saito each scored eight points apiece.

Tatsuhiko Toshino scored 20 points for the Crane Thunders, while Lewis Witcher had 19 on 9-for-11 shooting from the field.

Happinets 77, Grouses 70

In Akita, Terry Cummings, son of longtime NBA player Terry, scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Yuki Kikuchi canned 6 of 12 3-point shots in an 18-point effort as the Northern Happinets opened their 2012-13 bj-league campaign by defeating visiting Toyama.

Dion Harris, a University of Michigan product, scored 14 points and Anthony Kent had 11 points, 13 boards and five assists for Akita, a third-year franchise.

Masashi Joho paced Toyama (2-1) with 20 points, while Takeshi Mito had 15 points and Angel Garcia scored 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Akita, which trailed 33-30 at halftime, outscored the Grouses 27-19 in the final stanza. The Happinets limited their turnovers to seven on the afternoon, while dishing out 20 assists, with veteran forward Kazuhiro Shoji, who has played in the bj-league since its inception in 2005, matching Harris' team-high total of five.

B-Corsairs 115, Broncos 94

In Tokorozawa, the Tracy Williams era began with a lopsided loss to Yokohama.

The B-Corsairs went to the Final Four as an expansion team last season under Reggie Geary, the 2011-12, bj-league Coach of the Year.

Draelon Burns and Masayuki Kabaya both scored 24 points in the B-Corsairs' first game of the 2012-13 season. Kabaya canned seven 3s. Burns dished out eight assists and Kenji Yamada had seven.

For Saitama, John "Helicopter" Humphrey was the top scorer with 28 points.

HeatDevils 95, Phoenix 54

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Oita erupted for 31 second-quarter points en route to a one-sided win over Hamamatsu Higashimikawa in the HeatDevils' season opener.

Five Oita players scored in double figures: Matt Lottich (20 points), newcomer and ex-Miyazaki captain Taishiro Shimizu (18), former Stanford post player Taj Finger (16), UNLV product Wendell White (15 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists) and Cyrus Tate (13).

The HeatDevils finished with 30 assists on their 38 baskets.

Jeffrey Parmer was the Phoenix's lone double-digit scorer, finishing with 13 points.

Hamamatsu shot 6-for-36 from 3-point range and 15-for-46 from inside the arc.

Susanoo Magic 90, Rizing 75

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, coach Zeljko Pavlicevic's team opened its third season with a comfortable victory over Fukuoka.

When it was over, 216-cm center Jeral Davis, the league's leader in blocked shots for the past two seasons, posted this message on Facebook: "Got that win. Gotta come harder tomorrow."

Big Bulls 67, 89ers 63

In Sendai, Iwate edged the hosts in the first bj-league game played at new Xebio Arena before 3,532 fans.

The Big Bulls improved to 3-0 under new coach Dai Oketani. The 89ers fell to 1-2.

"Not the way we wanted to open the Xebio Arena," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said. "We fought back to take the lead, 63-61, with three minutes remaining, but then missed a couple of shots with that two-point lead."

Carlos Dixon scored a team-high 18 points for Iwate, and added five rebounds, five assists and four steals for good measure. Teammate Reggie Okosa had 16 points with nine boards and Lawrence Blackledge contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Makoto Sawaguchi added seven points for the visitors, who out-rebounded Sendai 61-42.

Kevin Coble led the 89ers with 19 points, including three 3s, Sam Williard scored 15 points and raked in 16 rebounds and Takuya Komoda scored nine.

Shining Suns 87, Lakestars 85

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, newcomer Marshall Brown scored 24 points and the hosts picked up a season-opening victory in coach Junichiro Hongo's debut.

Wayne Arnold was the high scorer for Shiga with 19 points.

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Reigning champion Golden Kings open season with victory

The bj-league's eighth season tipped off on Saturday with three games, and the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings defeated the host Kyoto Hannaryz 82-73 in Koto Toyama's first game at the helm.

Toyama coached the Miyazaki Shining Suns during the past two seasons before being named the third head coach in Ryukyu history.

(Official game statistics were unavailable at press time, eight hours after the 3 p.m. tipoff.)

Big Bulls 88, Albirex BB 82

In Niigata, Dai Oketani, who guided Ryukyu to a pair of championships, earned a victory in his first game on the bench for the Tohoku franchise, now in its second season.

Former Ryukyu center Dillion Sneed had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for Iwate.

After the game, Sneed summed up the season-opening win this way on Facebook: "Positive start to the season right there."

Longtime Sendai 89ers guard Kenichi Takahashi scored 20 points, including 10-for-12 at the free-throw line, for Iwate, while fellow newcomer Reggie Okosa had 14 points. Marquette University product Lawrence Blackledge scored 12, grabbed nine boards and blocked six shots. Masato Tsukino sank three 3-pointers and contributed 11 points in the victory.

For Niigata, forward Rodney Webb had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Nile Murry scored 17 and Chris Holm grabbed 12 rebounds.

An announced crowd of 3,189 attended the game.

89ers 63, Phoenix 61

In Hamamatsu, Sendai edged the hosts in a defensive struggle that went down the wire.

The teams shot a combined 46-for-148 from the field.

It was Hamamatsu Higashimikawa's first game as a member of the Western Conference after a distinguished four-season stint in the Eastern Conference, which included two championships and a championship runnerup finish last season.

"We're just happy to open the season with a win on the road against a great team like Hamamatsu," Sendai coach Bob Pierce told The Japan Times. "We came out running — 22 points in the first quarter — but then Hamamatsu's defense toughened up."

In the fourth quarter, Sendai trailed 52-45, but rallied back to take a six-point edge, 63-57, with 2 minutes remaining.

"That 18-5 run was what saved us despite some overall sloppy play throughout," Pierce said.

89ers newcomer Sam Willard, a University of the Pacific product, had 15 rebounds in his bj-league debut. He scored six of his seven points in the fourth quarter. Pierce called his fourth-quarter offensive output "six hard-earned points ... (that) were part of our run to re-take the lead for good."

Kevin Coble, who played college ball at Northwestern University, scored a team-best 17 points for Sendai, and DePaul product Karron Clarke "did a little bit of everything," the Sendai coach said, noting his strong defense and nine rebounds.

Sendai captain and fan favorite Takehiko Shimura poured in 16 points, handed out four assists and made three steals. Guard Yasuaki Arai, a former Saitama Bronco, had six points and four assists in his first game for the 89ers.

For the Phoenix, Kevin Galloway (Texas Southern) had 20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists and one-time MVP Jeffrey Parmer (Florida Atlantic) scored 18 points and raked in 12 rebounds, while 211-cm Elbert Fuqua (Texas-San Antonio) had nine points and 11 boards.

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Schumacher to quit at end of season

SUZUKA, Mie Pref. — Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has confirmed he will retire for good at the end of current Formula One season.

Mercedes had already announced last week that Schumacher would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton next season, and while there had been speculation the 43-year-old German could move to Sauber, he instead announced Thursday that he would end his career.

"Basically, I've decided to retire at the end of the year," Schumacher said ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. "Although I was able and capable of competing with the best drivers that are around at some point it's time to say goodbye and this time it might be forever."

Schumacher holds the record for number of championships and for grand prix wins, with 91. He began his career in 1991 and won two titles with Benetton, then five for Ferrari. He initially retired in 2006 but made a comeback with Mercedes in 2010. That comeback had not lived up to expectations, with just one podium finish.

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Jets receiver Holmes to miss rest of season

FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey — Things just got a lot tougher for the struggling New York Jets.

See you later: Jets receiver Santonio Holmes gestures to fans while being carted off the field after suffering a foot injury against the 49ers on Sunday. AP

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes will miss the rest of this season with an injured left foot, leaving the Jets without their top offensive playmaker. The team announced Wednesday that Holmes will require surgery and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

"Obviously, that's a big loss for us," coach Rex Ryan said. "Santonio's one of the top receivers in the game, and it is a big loss."

And, that's quite the understatement.

The news came just over a week after star cornerback Darrelle Revis was likely lost for the season with a torn ligament in his left knee — although the Jets haven't placed him on IR yet, in case, Ryan said, he recovers in time to play in the Super Bowl.

But that leaves the Jets (2-2) now without their best players on defense and offense as they try to return to the playoffs this year after missing out last season. Ryan insisted, however, that the team's expectations have not changed.

"We have to rally around each other, for sure," Ryan said, comparing the situation in 2009 when the Jets lost nose tackle Kris Jenkins and running back Leon Washington in consecutive weeks — and still made it to the AFC Championship Game.

"It does test the resolve of your team, but that's one of our strengths," Ryan added. "It's unfortunate, but that's what happens."

Ryan also pointed out that, despite their struggles, the Jets still lead the AFC East with a 2-0 record in the division.

Holmes went down on the first play of the fourth quarter of the Jets' 34-0 loss to San Francisco on Sunday after catching a short pass that he tossed away for a fumble that was returned 51 yards for a touchdown by Carlos Rogers. X-rays on the foot were negative, meaning there were no broken bones, but the MRI exam results were sent to a foot specialist in North Carolina and the Jets' worst fears were confirmed.

"Thanks for the love, prayers, and support from friends and fans," Holmes wrote on his Twitter page. "Time heals all wounds."

Ryan confirmed that it is a Lisfranc injury, which usually involves a sprain or tear of the ligament in the middle of the foot that holds the first two toes together. Recovery time depends on whether there is a dislocation or fracture, and whether surgery — including screws inserted — is needed.

Oakland wide receiver Jacoby Ford is out for the year with a similar injury, while Houston quarterback Matt Schaub and Raiders running back Darren McFadden are back after missing time last season with Lisfranc injuries. Other players have also rebounded from it, including Michael Strahan, Brian Westbrook and Ronnie Brown.

New York signed free agent wide receiver Jason Hill to help make up for the loss of Holmes.

Tight end Dustin Keller, one of quarterback Mark Sanchez's favorite targets, has missed a few games with a hamstring injury and is uncertain to play in the team's Monday night matchup with undefeated Houston.

Holmes leads the Jets with 20 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown this season. He and Sanchez had their best game together since 2010 two weeks ago at Miami, when Holmes caught nine passes for 147 yards.

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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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Volleyball star Takeshita opts to skip 2012-13 season

Japan national team setter Yoshie Takeshita will sit out the 2012-13 volleyball season, choosing to rest after a busy campaign in which she juggled Olympic and club team duties.

The 34-year-old from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, will not play for the JT Marvelous club team as she takes time off. Fatigue has been a factor for her throughout the past season.

Takeshita, a three-time Olympian, helped Japan capture a bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Games. It was the Japan women's first medal in Olympic competition since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

For her, it was a thrilling achievement.

"We think that we all individually worked hard and believed in ourselves," Takeshita said after Japan defeated South Korea to finish third in London. "That made the difference today. It was not only the setting, we all played well.

"The Olympic medal is the best moment of all."

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Crosby says season could begin late

NEW YORK — NHL players braced for the league's fourth work stoppage to begin this weekend, and Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby said "it's not looking great" for the season to start on time Oct. 11.

Crosby was among more than 280 players who attended union meetings in New York that ended Thursday. NHL owners also met Thursday ahead of the expiration of the sport's labor contract at midnight Saturday night, and commissioner Gary Bettman plans to call for a lockout if there's no deal by then.

Crosby said he'll consider playing overseas if part of the NHL season is canceled. He also said "things can change pretty quickly."

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller said NHL Players' Association executive director Donald Fehr is doing a far better job communicating with members than leadership did in the last lockout, which wiped out the 2004-05 season.

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Carolina QB Newton facing new challenges in second season

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Just when you think you have him pinned down, bam, there Cam Newton goes racing for a first down.

Or throwing a touchdown pass.

Or doing something else spectacularly.

Of all the talented players in the NFL, the toughest for defensive coordinators to figure out might be the Panthers quarterback.

That's because Newton can hurt you in so many ways.

Newton threw for an NFL rookie record 4,051 yards in 2011. And when he wasn't burning folks with his strong arm, he was making them look foolish with his feet, rushing for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns — the most ever by a quarterback.

His 35 combined touchdowns were more than what half the teams in the league scored last season. If Newton wasn't on opponents' radar coming in as a rookie, he certainly is now after the Panthers went from 32nd in league scoring in 2010 to fifth.

So what does the Offensive Rookie of the Year expect teams will do to slow him down?

"I was hoping you were going to tell me," Newton said coyly.

Newton said he has not spoken to any other quarterbacks around the league about what to expect this season. Nor does he feel the need to. He's not going to change his approach when the Panthers open the season Sunday at Tampa Bay.

"I'm going in with the same mindset as last year: very, very hungry," Newton said. "There's only one goal for every week when we play and that's to win. There's nothing else."

Some NFL quarterbacks have struggled in Year 2 after successful rookie seasons. Others have avoided that so-called sophomore slump.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera and others around the league see a multitude of challenges ahead for his young signal caller.

A year ago, folks didn't know what to expect from Newton — or from the Panthers new coaching staff, for that matter. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski spent part of last offseason researching what Newton did well at Auburn and borrowed a few pages from the Tigers' playbook, particularly how they employed the zone read option.

Newton felt comfortable running it, and it translated to success in the NFL. He ran for 51 first downs in 2011, fifth most in the league and by far the most among quarterbacks.

But Rivera said teams will be better prepared for it this year.

"Probably the first three or four teams we play have already started looking at the zone read concept," Rivera said. "They've probably looked at some of what the college teams are doing to stop it and trying to get a better understanding of it.' "

Of course, knowing how to handle it and actually stopping it are two different things.

At 196 cm and 110 kg, Newton is one of the biggest and strongest quarterbacks you'll ever come across, not easy to bring down even when you know he's coming your way. Combine that with outstanding speed and quickness and you have a dynamic player at the most important position on the field.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano called Newton one of the elite athletes in the league.

"There are a lot of different things he does for the offense," Schiano said. "Someone asked me the other day, 'How do you shut him down?' I don't think you can. I think you just try to limit him."

Rivera expects defenses will try to confuse him with different looks.

"I think they'll try to move their fronts and disguise their coverages as much as they can," Rivera said.

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Buffs closer Kishida done for season

SENDAI — Orix Buffaloes closer Mamoru Kishida will be out for the remainder of the season after he was diagnosed with a thigh injury, pitching coach Nobuyuki Hoshino said Sunday.

The 30-year-old Kishida was removed from the active roster the same day after injuring the adductor muscles in his right hip in a game on Saturday, and will require at least three to four weeks to fully recover, effectively ending his season.

"There's nothing that can be done about an injury," said Hoshino. "The team is going to have to pull together and cover for the loss."

Kishida, whose 33 saves in 2011 were second best in the Pacific League, is 4-2 with 18 saves and a 2.47 ERA this season.

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Sagan Tosu earn first road victory of season

Suita, Osaka Pref. — Struggling Gamba Osaka squandered the chance to move within two points of safety after collapsing 3-2 at home to promoted Sagan Tosu in the J.League first division on Friday night.

Goals from Takahiro Futagawa and Akihiro Sato put Gamba in control at Expo Stadium, but Yohei Toyoda pulled one back on 68 minutes and Naoki Fujita leveled in the 86th before netting the winner in the fourth minute of injury time.

Tosu improved to 20 points from 13 games after their first away win of the season, seven behind leaders Vegalta Sendai, while Gamba remain third from bottom on 9 from 12, four back of Kashiwa Reysol, who play Albirex Niigata on Saturday.

"We knew it would be a difficult game and we conceded two goals but the players refused to throw in the towel and showed a lot of heart," said Tosu manager Yoon Jong Hwan.

"That was probably the worst we have played this season in the first half but it turned out to be a great game for us," he said.

Gamba made a dream start and took the lead after just three minutes. Paulinho capitalized on sloppy defending by Ryuhei Niwa and crossed for Futagawa to steer home after he had appeared to control the ball with his hand, sparking protests from Sagan's back line.

The home side went on to dominate the first half but was unable to cash in on a slew of chances.

Yasuyuki Konno headed against the post, and Sagan goalkeeper Taku Akahoshi saved bravely at the feet of Paulinho on 32 minutes, taking a knee in the face in the process, before Sato shot just wide on the stroke of halftime.

Sato doubled Gamba's lead midway through the second half when he prodded in Yasuhito Endo's cross, but Tosu struck immediately after the restart through Toyoda, the Beijing Olympian heading Fujita's throw-in in off the post.

Toyoda returned the favor by setting up Fujita to drive in the equalizer from the edge of the box and Fujita then kept his head to win it with the last kick of the game.

"I'm totally spent," a smiling Fujita said. "That was a dreadful first half but we were determined to put it behind us at halftime and turn things around."

"I don't really remember how I put the winner away but I am glad it went in."

In the evening's other game, Cerezo Osaka dented Nagoya Grampus' preparations for next week's Asian Champions League round of 16 game away to Adelaide United with a 1-0 win at Toyota Stadium, Kempes sealing victory four minutes into the second half.

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WTA seeks city for season finale

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — The women's tennis tour is opening the bidding process to find a host city for its season-ending WTA Championships starting in 2014.

In a statement issued Wednesday, WTA Chairman and CEO Stacy Allaster calls this "a chance for some city somewhere to step up on the world stage."

The WTA says a decision will be made next March.

This year's tournament will be held Oct. 23-28 in Istanbul, which also will host the 2013 edition.

New York, Los Angeles, Munich, Madrid and Doha also have hosted the season-ending tournament.

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Surging Yokohama continues amazing season, advances to Final Four

Storming the lane: Yokohama's Draelon Burns drives on Akita's Kazuhiro Shoji in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Thursday night at Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium. Yokohama won the series 2-1. KAZ NAGATSUKA

YOKOHAMA — Self-assurance has been a recurring theme for the Yokohama B-Corsairs throughout their inaugural season.

They fought the two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix to a season-opening loss in overtime back in October, and came back the next day and earned a series split.

They hovered around the .500 mark for several weeks before finding their stride, getting a big boost from key acquisition Draelon Burns and closing the regular season with 22 wins in their last 30 games to post a 31-21 record and earn the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed for the bj-league playoffs.

And, after outlasting the Akita Northern Happinets on Friday night, they have advanced to next weekend's Final Four at Ariake Colosseum.

It's a stunning accomplishment for a first-year franchise in the 19-team league.

Now they await the winner of the Hamamatsu-Niigata Albirex BB series, which was scheduled to begin on Saturday.

"I am confident in my team, and we are preparing to give ourselves a fighting chance at winning a championship," Yokohama coach Reggie Geary said recently.

"Obviously, we are very happy," Geary said in a crammed press room. "This is a historic day for the B-Corsairs organization."

Akita defeated Yokohama 82-69 in Game 2 of the high-stakes series before a rowdy crowd of 2,120 at Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium to force a mini-game tiebreaker: two 5-minute periods after a 20-minute intermission. The mini-game ended this way: Yokohama 18, Akita 15.

In Game 2, the Happinets, playing fierce and focused, were led by 22-year-old shooting guard Shigehiro Taguchi's 20-point outburst, four 3s and 8-for-14 shooting from the field. Akita star Ricky Woods had 18 points and nine rebounds as Yokohama's 10-game winning streak ended.

Power forward Justin Burrell, the 2011-12 MVP as a rookie, paced the B-Corsairs with 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Like he had done a week earlier after a two-point loss to the Sendai 89ers in the series opener, the Northern Happinets' wily bench boss, Kazuo Nakamura, got his players to bounce back in a must-win rematch the next day.

(Akita blitzed Sendai, using an 18-0 run to start the second game and force the tiebreaker.)

Against Yokohama, Akita led 18-16 after one quarter, and held a one-point edge at halftime. The hot-shooting Happinets erupted for 28 third-quarter points, running disciplined sets and moving the offense with precision. Despite trimming the deficit to single digits on a couple occasions late, the hosts fell short.

Burrell, the team's go-to player all season, wouldn't let it happen again. He scored the team's first nine points of the mini-game. In a signature moment highlighting the team's trust in its top scorer, center Chas McFarland's lob to his frontcourt mate earned Burrell a trip to the foul line, and he calmly sank two free throws to make it 9-5.

"From day one, when we started practice, I knew JB was an excellent player," McFarland said, citing what he had learned about Burrell's college career at St. John's. "He's really led by example and worked hard every day in practice."

More important, McFarland noted, "he doesn't let (success) go to his head."

But as always, the rapid-fire Happinets still had a shot. A Woods layup cut it to 9-7, but B-Corsairs captain Masayuki Kabaya's runner pushed the lead back to four, and moments later Burrell completed a layup-and-one to give Yokohama a 15-9.

Happinets forward Lionel Green's 3-pointer pulled them within 15-12 before Kenji Yamada and Burns sank free throws down the stretch for the hosts, the latter's two foul shots coming after gunner Kyle Swanston's 3-ball pulled Akita within one in the closing seconds.

Burns' free throws represented the final points of the series, with Green's 3 off the mark at the buzzer.

Yokohama secured the mini-game win at the charity stripe, taking 15 free throws (making 10, including Burrell's 6-for-9) to Akita's zero.

"Sometimes the ball just doesn't go in for us," Burrell said, describing his team's somewhat tense demeanor in Game 2. "But you have just got to keep doing the other things — defense. . ."

This included Burns' 4-for-13 shooting, Burrell's 7-for-16, Marcus Simmons' 1-for-6 and Kenji Yamada's 2-for-6.

"I'm so proud of this group of players. They fought through adversity," added Burrell, with McFarland, Kabaya and Kenji Yamada sitting beside him in the interview area.

Lumping Game 2 and the mini-game together, Burrell described it as "the most physical and exhausting game we've played all year."

Before the mini-game, Geary kept his message simple as his team returned to the court to face the pesky Happinets, who were 0-4 against the B-Corsairs in the regular season.

He penciled in the names of Burns, Kabaya and Yamada in the backcourt and Burrell and McFarland for the mini-game lineup, sticking with the starting five that has worked so effectively during the team's improbable run to the Final Four.

"I just relied on these guys to get the job done," Geary said.

It worked. And Yokohama's season resumes next weekend with a golden opportunity for the team to establish a greater fan base throughout Kanagawa Prefecture.

"Japanese fans are very loyal and supportive, and once the people of Yokohama and Japan become more exposed to the sport, it will only grow," Geary said.

"Our very first road game we had a traveling party of one fan. In the final regular-season games of the year that were on the road, we had a traveling party of 40 vociferous fans. . . . We still have some work to go to get more fans, but the future is bright."

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Overuse could be a factor in Asao's drop in efficiency this season

Chunichi Dragons reliever Takuya Asao gave up an earned run against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows during the eighth inning of Thursday's game at Nagoya Dome.

Time to take a break: Chunichi reliever Takuya Asao has spent a lot of time on the mound over the last three seasons. KYODO

After allowing four all of last season, Asao has given up four earned runs — five overall — this year.

Asao has been solid for the Dragons thus far, but hasn't been the dominant presence he was last season, when he struck out 100 batters, allowed no home runs and posted a 0.41 ERA over 87? innings en route to winning the Central League MVP Award.

Compared to last season, any knocks in the armor are going to stand out. That he's having a slightly tougher time this year might just be natural regression after such a statistically productive 2011 campaign. After all, he allowed 15 earned runs and had a 1.68 ERA in 2010.

Even so, it's worth paying attention to how much he's used this season. The Dragons have been getting their money's worth out of the 27-year-old right-hander, and fatigue could become a factor, though not to a debilitating point, sooner or later.

Entering Friday's games, Asao led Japan with 19 appearances and had thrown 18 innings. That's pretty much the natural course of things for a player who is among the most hardworking relievers in Japan.

He only made 67 appearances in 2009, but threw a hefty 113? innings that season. Compare that with Hanshin Tigers reliever Tomoyuki Kubota, who only threw 108 when he pitched in a NPB-record 90 games in 2007.

Tigers closer Kyuji Fujikawa is the only other pitcher to make at least 80 appearances in a season, which he did in 2005, and he threw just 92? frames.

Asao hasn't slowed down much in succeeding years.

He threw 80? innings in 72 games during the 2010 season and an extra 11? in eight postseason appearances. In 2011 Asao threw 87? innings in 79 regular-season games before racking up 9? innings in nine postseason contests.

Asao is the Dragons' bridge to closer Hitoki Iwase, who has been rather suspect himself this year, and generally the person they call on when things are tense late in games.

It's possible, however, to dip into the well too often, and Asao's workload bears watching.

Going . . . going . . . gone: Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton slugged his way into the history books against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, becoming the 16th MLB player to hit four home runs in a single game.

Shortly after Hamilton was done laying waste to Orioles pitching, Brian Waters of Fukuoka asked via Twitter, "Any NPB 4-homer games?"

So far, there have been five. Yoshiyuki Iwamoto of the Shochiku Robins was the first to do it, staging a personal home run derby against the Hanshin Tigers on August 1, 1951. Yomiuri Giants legend Sadaharu Oh matched him in 1964, homering four times in four at-bats against the Tigers on May 3 of that season.

Former Nippon Ham Fighters player Tony Solaita was the first Pacific League player to hit four home runs in one game, doing so in 1980, and another Fighters star, Nigel Wilson, joined him in the record books in 1997.

Former Yakult Swallows great Atsuya Furuta is the most recent member of the club, achieving the feat against the Hiroshima Carp in 2003.

Like Hamilton, Iwamoto also mixed in a double during his historic game and ended up with 18 total bases, a Japanese baseball record that still stands.

Civil War: Central League fans take cover, interleague play begins May 16 and NPB's midseason competition has been dominated by the Pacific League since its inception in 2005.

The Pa. League has finished with the better overall record each year with the exception of 2007, when the CL went 70-67-7. Overall, PL teams are 586-534-32 during interleague play, including a 159-116-12 mark in the last two seasons combined.

PL clubs have won every interleague title, with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks leading the way with three (2008, '09, and '11), followed by the Chiba Lotte Marines ('05, '06) the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ('07) and the Orix Buffaloes ('10).

Counting the days: Kei Igawa's start with the Orix Buffaloes on Wednesday was his first in Japan in 2,032 days. Igawa, who left after 3? with a thigh injury, is back in NPB after five failed years in the U.S.

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Albirex finish regular season with rout of Broncos

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — After a one-point triumph in the series opener, the Saitama Broncos reverted to form in a lopsided loss to the Niigata Albirex BB to close out their seventh consecutive non-winning season since the bj-league's inception in 2005.

It was a tight first quarter, but then momentum shifted dramatically as Niigata coach Matt Garrison's club began to dominate all facets of the contest.

Sharpshooter Shuhei Komatsu sparked the Albirex with 17 second-quarter points — his entire scoring load for the afternoon — and the visitors seized control of Sunday's game in the second half en route to a 95-54 whipping of the Broncos at Tokorozawa Municipal Gymnasium.

Niigata finished the regular season with a 28-24 record, and now prepares for its seventh straight trip the playoffs; Saitama, meanwhile, faces a likely offseason shakeup after a rocky 16-36 campaign (worst record in the 10-team Eastern Conference), including a 12-29 record under bench boss Natalie Nakase, who replaced Dean Murray in November.

"We seemed a little fatigued after yesterday's game," Nakase said.

She praised her players for their dedication and hard work throughout the season.

"I wouldn't want to go to battle with anybody but these 12 guys," the former UCLA guard said. "I'm so proud of them for their effort."

John "Helicopter" Humphrey was named Saitama's player of the year and received enthusiastic applause from the fans after the game.

"I'm honored to be selected as player of the year for the Broncos," he said after an 18-point performance.

Jayme Miller scored 14 points and grabbed six boards for Saitama, while Daiki Terashita contributed nine points. The Broncos shot 2-for-15 from 3-point range.

The Albirex, on the other hand, were 13-for-23 from beyond the arc, including Kimitake Sato's 4-for-7. Sato led Niigata with 19 points, Erron Maxey scored 15, hauled in 13 rebounds and collected four steals. Dwight Gordon and Yuichi Ikeda both had 10 points and bj-league rebounding king Chris Holm scored eight and pulled down 13 boards.

After taking a 47-32 lead into the locker room at halftime, Niigata ended any chance Saitama may have had for a big comeback, outscoring the hosts 20-8 in the third quarter.

It was 67-40 entering the final stanza.

By that point, the Albirex's inside-outside offensive attack and defensive intensity had given them an overwhelming advantage.

"You always want to end the regular season on a high note," said Maxey, a Providence product, "but the playoffs are a whole other animal."

Watching the action from the bench in the first quarter, Komatsu, who buried 7 of 10 3s against the Shiga Lakestars on April 22, put his mark on the game in a hurry in the second quarter.

Curling off screens to get open or taking straight-up jumpers, Komatsu buried 5 of 5 3s in the quarter. Blessed with a quick release and a smooth shooting stroke, Komatsu heated up in a hurry.

"That's what he does — he shoots 3s," Maxey said. "He's a great shooter, and when he knocks down two or three in a row, you know he's going to make the next three. So it's a matter of feeding him the ball if he's hot, and that's also playing simple basketball. If he's got the hot hand out there, keep going to him until he cools off."

Garrison said Komatsu's shooting display was impressive. He also credited his players for their defensive desire, which was an across-the-board performance.

Indeed, he said, the Albirex wanted to enter the postseason with a victory. Bouncing back from Saturday's defeat was the goal, and he kept the message simple beforehand.

"Defensively, it's strictly heart, intensity and urgency," Garrison said.

"We'll have to come out and fight today; that was really all we talked about," he reminded his players before the game.

Limiting Terashita's opportunities to penetrate in the lane and out-rebounding Saitama (49-38) led to fewer second-chance attempts for the Broncos were other keys to victory, said Garrison, a former Albirex player in his first season at the helm.

Big Bulls 97, Jets 82

In Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Thomas Kennedy had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Gordon Klaiber notched a double-double as the hosts finished their inaugural season with a series sweep.

Klaiber scored 20 points and hauled in 11 rebounds, while Jamal Boykin added 17 points, Shawn Malloy contributed 15 points and 13 boards and Atsushi Nogami poured in nine points for Iwate (19-33).

Jamel Staten paced Chiba (18-34) with 27 points, as well as contributing 12 boards and nine assists. Gaston Moliva had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Hiroki Sato finished with nine points.

"Chapter one of the Chiba Jets is in the books," Jets coach Eric Gardow said after the game.

"With us winning 18 games, I believe we over-achieved expectations in our first year as an expansion team compared to Okinawa's first year only winning 10 games," he added, referring to the Ryukyu Golden Kings' 10-34 campaign in 2007-08.

"The players all have earned valuable experiences that should propel them into key players next season with a strong commitment to their offseason.

"Every one of my Japanese players had their best performances of their career at some point this season in a Chiba Jets uniform and for that I am extremely thankful. . ."

B-Corsairs 63, 89ers 58

In Sendai, Yokohama completed its second straight sweep over the 89ers in as many weeks and picked up its ninth consecutive victory to close out the regular season.

MVP candidate Justin Burrell had 16 points and eight rebounds for the expansion B-Corsairs (31-21), Draelon Burns and Masayuki Kabaya each scored 13 points apiece and Yokohama converted 12 of 14 free throws. Burns dished out five assists.

The 89ers (25-27) shot a woeful 17-for-63 from the field, including 5-for-25 on 3-pointers.

Sendai's Dan Fitzgerald, who needed stitches in his head after hard contact a day earlier, scored a team-high 21 points, but was 3-for-10 on 3s. Teammate Johnny Dukes had 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and also turned the ball over six times. Takuya Komoda scored nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.

The 89ers made two spirited comebacks, but fell short in the end. Trailing 47-37, they closed it to 53-51 and 60-58 in the final 2:33.

"Losing isn't much fun, but the players showed a lot of character battling twice against a tough opponent," said Sendai coach Bob Pierce, who'll be the first bench boss in league history to guide three teams into the postseason. He previously coached the Shiga Lakestars, and most recently, the Akita Northern Happinets.

Sendai captain Takehiko Shimura, one of the league's better point guards, returned to the rotation after missing practiced this past week. He had sustained a head injury in the April 21 game against the Yokohama B-Corsairs in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

"He played limited minutes in the two games," Pierce noted, citing Shimura's 18- and 15-minute outings, "but now we should have him back full time for the playoffs, where everybody is now 0-0."

Golden Kings 75, Grouses 63

In Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Dillion Sneed, Naoto Kosuge and David Palmer each had 14-point outings as Ryukyu cruised past the hosts.

Palmer canned 3 of 4 3-point shots and Tsubasa Yonamine kept the high-power offense rolling, distributing the ball with precision passes (six assists).

Four-time title-winning big man Jeff Newton contributed 16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Golden Kings (39-13), who repeated as the Western Conference regular-season champion.

Speedy guard Narito Namizato did a little bit of everything — six points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals — for the Kings.

For Toyama (25-27) Devin Searcy and Ira Brown had 13 points apiece, Larry Turner scored 10 and Masashi Joho nine.

The Grouses' poor free-throw shooting (11-for-21) was a key factor in the loss.

Rizing 77, Hannaryz 70

In Fukuoka, the one-two punch of Carlos Dixon and Kevin Palmer guided the hosts to a season-ending win over Kyoto.

Dixon was the Rizing's top scorer with 24 points and Palmer supplied 22. Jermaine Dearman had 10 points and macho forward Gary Hamilton raked in 17 rebounds and scored seven points as Fukuoka improved to 33-19.

Kyoto struggled from the perimeter, missing 14 of 16 3-point shots. Jermaine Boyette led the Hannaryz (34-18) with 18 points, Rick Rickert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Taizo Kawabe scored 10.

Susanoo Magic 81, Shining Suns 54

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, scoring maestro Michael Parker had a team-high 18 points and three Shimane teammates also reached double figures in points in a win over the hosts.

Edward Yamamoto contributed 17 points, Jeral Davis produced an 11-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance and Micah Williams scored 11 for the Magic.

Shimane (28-24) sank 17 of 20 free throws and held a 51-38 edge in rebounds.

Dexter Lyons scored 20 points for Miyazaki (22-30), Lewis Witcher finished with 10 and Shinnosuke Oishi had nine. Taishiro Shimizu provided five assists for the second-year franchise.

Phoenix 90, Brave Warriors 72

In Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, the two-time defending champions' Big Three carried their club to a runaway victory.

Jermaine Dixon scored 29 points, Wayne Arnold had 22 points and six assists and Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 18 points and nine boards for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (37-15). Atsuya Ota finished with seven points and nine rebounds.

Lee Roberts paced Shinshu with 24 points and 10 boards. Derek Raivio had 14 points and five assists for the Warriors, who completed their inaugural season with an 18-34 record.

Evessa 92, Lakestars 79

In Osaka, Masashi Obuchi had a game-high 17 points and Mike Bell contributed 16 points and 12 boards as the Evessa shellacked Shiga.

Wayne Marshall scored 15 points and Shota Konno had 14 for Osaka (35-17).

"We need to maintain the same focus and energy for the playoffs," Evessa coach Ryan Blackwell said.

Josh Peppers led Shiga (33-19) with 19 points, ex-Evessa forward Kazuya "J." Hatano had 13 points and Ray Nixon netted 11.

HeatDevils 106, Five Arrows 52

In Takamatsu, leading scorer Paul Butorac and guard Keishiro Tsutsumi sat out the season finale with injuries and the Five Arrows suffered their 25th straight loss.

Takamatsu (2-50) trailed 30-12 after one quarter and 55-21 entering the second half.

The Five Arrows had a horrible shooting afternoon: 0-for-15 on 3s, 20-for-67 from inside the arc and 12-for-22 at the charity stripe.

Nyika Williams was the high scorer for Takamatsu with 32 points and Masaaki Suzuki added 10.

T.J. Cummings led Oita (23-29) with 33 points and Matt Lottich scored 23. Wendell White added 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists and Naoto Takushi had 10 assists.

* * *

Playoff pairings for the conference first-round series and conference semifinals have been announced for the East and West.

In the East, third-place Akita plays host to sixth-place Sendai on May 5 and 6, while fourth-place Niigata takes on fifth-place Toyama on those days.

First-place Hamamatsu will face the lower-seeded winner May 12 and 13. Second-place Yokohama will square off against the higher-seeded advancing club on May 10 and 11.

In the West, third-place Kyoto meets sixth-place Shimane on May 5 and 6, while fourth-place Shiga faces fifth-place Fukuoka on the same dates.

Ryukyu gets a bye into the conference semis, and will meet the lower of the two advancing seeds, with Osaka waiting to meet the higher-seeded first-round playoff winner. Both series are set to hold games on May 12 and 13.

The Final Four is scheduled for May 19 and 20 at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum.

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Arimura captures first title of season

ICHIHARA, Chiba Pref. — Chie Arimura held on to her overnight lead to win her first title of the Japan LPGA season in the Cyber Agent Ladies on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Arimura started the day in a tie with South Korea's Lee Ji Woo but pulled away with a bogey-free 65 to finish five strokes ahead of Sakura Yokomine for her 11th career victory.

Lee faded in the final round with a 74, ending up with a share of ninth place.

Arimura had missed the first three events of the year with a nagging injury to her left wrist. She picked up a winner's check of ?12.6 million.

"I managed to finish the round with a birdie, and it just feels so good to win like this," Arimura said at the Tsurumai Country Club, where she had a three-round total of 15-under 201.

"It's a huge monkey off my back. I couldn't be happier. There were some pretty tough times because of the injury to my wrist, but through it all, I learned how to concentrate better on the golf itself," she said.

Ahn Sun Ju, the money title winner the last two years, finished fifth with an 8-under total.

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Staten an island of strength for Jets in inaugural season

With 50 games in the books, the Chiba Jets' first chapter is nearly written.

Point provider: Chiba Jets forward Jamel Staten has been a solid contributor to the expansion team during its first season, averaging more than 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. YOSHIAKI MIURA

Their inaugural season will be remembered as a rocky introduction to the league, but the all-around excellence of power forward Jamel Staten has produced some of their top highlights.

Staten, a Minnesota State-Mankato product, is among the league's top 10 in four significant categories: points (21.1, fourth), rebounds (10.9, third), assists (4.2, tied for eighth) and steals (2.8, first).

In fact, Staten is poised to end Shimane Susanoo Magic forward Michael Parker's four-season reign as the league's top theft artist. No easy feat.

Parker, who'll still collect his fourth consecutive scoring crown, has made finishing atop the charts in scoring and steals looks as easy as eating an ice cream cone.

Since Parker entered the league in 2007-08 — a perfect fit for then-bench boss John Neumann's fast and furious Rizing Fukuoka squad — no one has been consistently better at anticipating where the ball will be and taking it away from opponents. He's third in steals this season at 2.4 per game.

In a big way, Staten's productivity has helped compensate roster deficiencies on Jets coach Eric Gardow's club.

The 208-cm Staten would probably be asked to do less on a winning team. For the Jets (18-32), however, his impact on the game has been the team's most constant trait.

Historically awful: The numbers are staggering, making the Takamatsu Five Arrows' current 23-game losing streak, a league record, almost an afterthought.

The Five Arrows (2-48) have only lost 10 games by single digits.

Marinate on those numbers for a minute. Then digest these facts: The team has lost by 20 or more points on 21 occasions, including defeats by 30, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40 and 56 points.

Blowouts are the norm.

Close contests are the surprising exception.

Coach Kenzo Maeda's club has yielded 100 or more points eight times, including last Saturday's 120-64 thrashing by the host Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix.

Takamatsu has lost its last six games by a combined 162 points, including the last four by 20, 29, 56 and 26 points.

The team's winning percentage is .040, courtesy of the following averages: 68.3 points per game and opponents' 87.9 ppg. And a depleted roster that's screaming out for the addition of two or three veteran stars.

The 2008-09 Oita HeatDevils had the previous worst season under the league's current 52-game format, going 8-44 under Tadaharu Ogawa.

Will the Five Arrows fold?

Will the cash-strapped franchise overhaul its roster and find a way to become competitive for the 2012-13 campaign?

Or will more of the same be in order?

Whatever happens next, the Shikoku franchise, now wrapping up its third season of awful operations, has reached the point of critical mass.

Upcoming games: Nine Saturday-Sunday series are scheduled: Iwate Big Bulls vs. Chiba Jets, Sendai 89ers vs. Yokohama B-Corsairs, Toyama Grouses vs. Ryukyu Golden Kings, Shinshu Brave Warriors vs. Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, Saitama Broncos vs. Niigata Albirex BB, Osaka Evessa vs. Shiga Lakestars, Rizing Fukuoka vs. Kyoto Hannaryz, Miyazaki Shining Suns vs. Shimane Susanoo Magic and Takamatsu Five Arrows vs. Oita HeatDevils.

Playoff-bound Akita (28-24) played its final regular-season game against Iwate last Sunday.

Postseason picture: Hamamatsu (35-16) and Ryukyu (37-13) have clinched the Eastern and Western Conference regular-season titles, respectively.

Yokohama (29-21) sits in second place in the East, followed by Niigata (27-23), Akita, Toyama (25-25) and Sendai (25-25).

In the West, Osaka, Kyoto and Shiga all have 33-17 records, and are vying for the coveted No. 2 spot to earn a bye and the right to host a conference semifinal series.

Fukuoka is 32-18 and Shimane (26-24) has locked up the sixth spot.

Playoff pairings will be determined after the conclusion of Sunday's games.

League accolade: Iwate Big Bulls forward Gordon Klaiber, who helped guide his club to a sweep last weekend over the Akita Northern Happinets is the Lawson/Ponta Player of the Week.

Klaiber had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the series opener and scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, with six rebounds and four assists in the rematch.

Around the league: Lynn Washington's so-called retirement on April 9 from the Evessa has triggered an outpouring of support and nostalgia from some of the team's most die-hard fans. One longtime booster, Wolfy Nishioka, is selling T-shirts on his website (evess.net) to commemorate Washington's distinguished career with the franchise (six Final Fours, four championship game appearances and three championships in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08).

The red T-shirt features white words on the front: "The best team and booster," it reads with three white stars just below. On the back, the shirt has Washington's old number (44) and "Thanks" appearing in two neatly stacked horizontal rows.

Fifty-six T-shirts had been sold at last check, and more were being prepared.

Alleged coverup: After its first-ever league-mandated drug testing was completed recently, the league did not release a single name of an individual who'd failed the test. Evidently, transparency for the most serious of issues was not a priority at the league office.

But even the least cynical of observers wouldn't believe that 100 percent of the league's players are clean.

Now, sources are coming out of the woodwork with stories to share.

"I want you to know that (one prominent player) has been smoking weed for several years in Japan," a source told The Japan Times. "The bj-league already knows, but conceals the fact. ... They deceive boosters."

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Opening day gives hint of things to come in 20th season

Help wanted: Cerezo Osaka's Kim Bo Kyung (7) tries to dribble through the Sagan Tosu defense on Saturday. KYODO

The future is hardly set in stone after one round of matches, but as the J. League kicked off its 20th season on Saturday, there were some tantalizing glimpses of what lies ahead.

The day began with a poignant meeting between two teams who were temporarily displaced from their stadiums after last year's March 11 disasters, with Vegalta Sendai beating Kashima Antlers 1-0 thanks to a typically robust header from new signing Taikai Uemoto. Vegalta defied expectations with a best-ever fourth-place finish last season, and after deftly handling an experienced Kashima side, Makoto Teguramori's men may well prove to be more than just a flash in the pan.

Ambitious Vissel Kobe put their money where their mouth is with a 3-2 win over Gamba Osaka, for whom the defensive frailties of previous manager Akira Nishino's reign were as pronounced as ever under new man Jose Carlos Serrao, despite the presence of star signing Yasuyuki Konno.

There was no such goal flurry in Consadole Sapporo's match against Jubilo Iwata or Sagan Tosu's clash with Cerezo Osaka, but with Consadole and Sagan both feeling their way into the first division following promotion last year, both will be happy with 0-0 draws.

A solitary point will not be enough to satisfy Nagoya Grampus over the months to come, however, with manager Dragan Stojkovic blaming eight draws for the 2010 champions' failure to retain their title last season. A 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse took care of that on Saturday, and the fact that the winner came courtesy of a Josh Kennedy penalty suggests efficiency is very much Nagoya's watchword this year.

And so to Sunday, where Kashiwa Reysol began the defense of their title with a 3-3 free-for-all draw with Yokohama F. Marinos, leaving Reysol manager Nelsinho in bullish mood despite Hiroyuki Taniguchi's injury-time equalizer.

"I'm not satisfied with the result but I'm satisfied with my players' attitude," said the Brazilian. "I think you could see that we will again be aiming for the top."

After staking an early claim on the opening weekend, others will believe they can do the same.

* * *

A slow start is becoming something of an unwanted habit for Urawa Reds.

The 2006 champions began the new campaign with a 1-0 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday, making it five years in a row that Urawa has tasted defeat on the opening day of the season.

New manager Mihailo Petrovic had extra motivation to break that cycle at Hiroshima Big Arch, having joined Reds after 5? years in charge of Sanfrecce, but the Austrian knows his new team's fortunes are not going to change overnight.

"The players showed their fighting spirit," he said. "If we have that, then through more games and more training we will be able to play some good, attacking football."

* * *

It had to happen sooner or later, but Consadole Sapporo defender Tatsuki Nara made history on Saturday when he became the first player born after the J. League had kicked off its inaugural season to appear in the first division.

Nara, who was born on Sept. 19, 1993, made his debut for Consadole in J2 last year, but his presence in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Jubilo Iwata marked a symbolic moment on the first day of the J. League's 20th season.

Nara may not recall Yokohama Marinos' 2-1 win over Verdy Kawasaki that ushered in a new era back on May 15, 1993, but the defender is more concerned with 2012 and keeping Consadole in the first division.

"I want to build up my body and increase my stamina," he said.

* * *

Quotable: "It was good reanimation from the medical staff. We gave him life elixir and now he is young again." — FC Tokyo manager Ranko Popovic explains how 33-year-old striker Lucas — who came out of retirement to help the club win the second division last season — was able to score the match-winning goal against Omiya Ardija on Saturday.

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Stricker collects first win of season

Kapalua, Hawaii — Steve Stricker always believed experience would go a long way toward winning the PGA Tour season opener at Kapalua.

This wasn't the kind he was thinking about.

No other player is more accustomed to building a big lead, blowing a big lead, and then settling down to win. That's just what Stricker did Monday on Maui, when he won the Tournament of Champions with a final round that only looked easy on paper.

"I've been there before. It's not a great feeling, either," Stricker said after closing with a 4-under 69 for a three-shot victory over Martin Laird. "It's just the nature of our game. I realize that, and I've gone through it before. It always seems close, and you always have to perform to get it done."

Ultimately, that's just what he did.

It took only six holes for him to see his five-shot lead dwindle to one. After another mental mistake led to bogey, Stricker stood behind the sixth green staring at the ground, shaking his head, disgusted with himself. It was during that long walk down the seventh fairway, the Pacific Ocean on the horizon, when Stricker reminded himself that at least he was still in the lead.

And that's where he stayed.

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