GOLD STANDARD, Vol.3 #24 Captain Naoki Tashiro
Vol.3. is an interview with captain, #24 Naoki Tashiro. He is the reigning captain in the second season and a fifth year Kings’s player. We will look closely at how his extraordinary determination impacts our team culture and makes him such a valuable asset to the Kings.
King’s Team Culture
I truly appreciate the many difficult situations our team had to overcome in the 2019-20 season. This was a season that made me realize we cannot continue to do things the way we did. As a professional, I feel that I must aim higher. There was a different attitude, among the players, towards the games and practices. Every player on the team must have a higher standard. I felt that as a group our standard had fallen. For example, some players reflected intently on the tasks of the previous day and pursued daily growth through preparation, individual workouts and striving for perfection during each practice. Other players treated practice as “just practice”. This difference in perspective is difficult for a team, but I want to work hard to improve it.
When I first joined the Kings, I would arrive at practice to find that some players had already started workouts. It was normal to start preparing for practice two hours early. Veteran players such as Shigeyuki Kinjo (Sendai) and Anthony McHenry (Shinshu) would approach each practice with this mentality and attitude. Seeing their example taught me to believe that this is the type of professional team we should be. I have a strong desire to regain that kind of King`s culture.
Presence of New Force
I think new players, #30 Keita Imamura and #1 Seiya Funyu will help strengthen the team in many ways. Imamura and I once practiced together at the Japanese national team training camp. He was one of the more vocal and determined players. He impressed me as a player who really takes basketball seriously. He has a lot of self-confidence when he plays basketball and I think that attitude is necessary for this team.
Funyu and I are the same age, so I have known him since he was a young player. Nobody could stop him from scoring 40-50 points in a high school game. He is a player who does not stand out the entire game, but when he does stand out both offensively and defensively this can be bad for the opponent. He has excellent intuition for making difficult plays and he does so in such a relaxed manner that he can drive to the basket and toy with the defense in a way that nobody can follow. When we were in college, Funyu and I were good friends and would often go out for drinks. Right before his contract release, I received a phone call from him. He said, “I have not been able to achieve the goals I wanted to achieve for myself in the last few years. Now I want to look at basketball from a new perspective.” I think he comes to the Kings with extraordinary determination and I am looking forward to playing together.
Mindset of Young Players
I think the power and momentum of our young players, #88 Hayato Maki and #7 Danieldan Nnanna will play an important role this season. Maki will be able to quickly gain the necessary experience to level up by trying various things, making mistakes and working hard to learn from and fix those mistakes. Since he is such a capable player, I think the more he experiences at the professional level, the more he will become a truly great player. I think his experience as captain in college has already had a positive effect on the Kings. His eagerness and determination are evident to all. As captain myself, I can really appreciate this type of mentality in a rookie and I look at him in a more positive light.
Nana is exactly as he seems - a person who attracts people with a very warm personality. Like Maki, their eagerness is something other team members should learn. Even though these two players just graduated from college last spring, they definitely have a positive influence on the Kings culture, especially how we should approach team practice.
Unwavering Determination
Since joining the Kings during the 2016-17 season when the B League started, I have kept the same unwavering determination and core values in my approach to basketball. I am the type of person whose words and actions must be same. I think that actions speak louder than words. Therefore, I want to lead the team by acting like a leader and not just by talking like one. As I said before, by regaining and rebuilding the Kings' culture, it is possible to create a professional team atmosphere at all times. I want to steer us away from any negativity and raise the determination of the team so that we move as one in the same direction.
The bottom line as a professional player is to play as hard as possible so that we leave our fans feeling like they are part of this team and part of every game. For us to give our fans 100% on game days, we must first give 100% in practice. Unwavering determination is an important part of the Kings’ culture that must be imbedded in everyone’s mindset. As captain, this is something I hope to instill day in and day out. We owe this to our fans.
