“GOLD STANDARD” is a series that highlights the thoughts and perspectives of our coaches and players as we continue to look through their own eyes to learn what it is like to play professional sports. Throughout this series we introduce you to the on-court struggles and the grueling off-court work regimen of the players. In addition, we offer you a peek behind the scenes, highlights of the King’s basketball philosophy and much more!
Vol.4 is an interview with one of our local Okinawan players, #3 Narito Namizato. Namizato has used basketball as a means of personal development his entire life. He will discuss his strong desire to fight as a team and bring home the B. League Championship title.
The Cooley Factor
Looking back on last season, as we all know, it was a series of hardships. It was difficult to battle through the end of the season and I felt as if I was fighting until the last minute of every game. However, it was very encouraging, as a team and as an individual, that #45 Cooley was able to continue to fully devote himself on the court at all times. There were many times when Cooley and I were forced to break open our opponent’s defense. Cooley has the heart of a player who wants to win, and he can recognize and understand that same feeling in other players. This is something that can be respected as a person and as an athlete.
New Teammates
I am excited about #1 Seiya Funyu and #30 Keita Imamura joining our team. In addition to being tall, Funyu has detailed skills such as a variety of fakes and steps, and he has an image of a player who is capable of a range of plays. Since the time I played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, I recognized him as a player who has the desire to win and I knew that I would like to play with him at some point. Needless to say, I was surprised to see on SNS that he would be joining the Kings.
Imamura is a player who has the ability to do hard work and has the skill that enables him to instantly make a judgement, pass, attack, and finish. Similar to Funyu, I think there is a strong desire to win and grow. Imamura worked hard in his hometown Niigata before going pro, and I think that he has a great deal of gratitude and appreciation for the place and people in Niigata. He decided to leave his hometown of Niigata and play for the Kings with an extraordinary will and a strong desire to grow. When I left the Kings after the 2014-15 season, I discussed with the President of the Kings, Tatsuro Kimura, that I would like to return after I had matured as a player.
The new teammates have a strong will, and in a good sense both are crazy about basketball. The Kings have many players of similar caliber this year.
As a Team
This year I will be a 31-year-old veteran player. For the last few years I have not been concerned with my playing time, when I am on the court my main priority is to play hard and contribute to the team as much as possible. I think that playing 20-25 minutes per game in a 60-game season is a sufficient amount of play time in order to give my best performance. The longer you stay on the court, the less perceptive your judgment cane become, and it may be beneficial for the team to share the playing time amongst other players.
This off season has been longer than usual, and I have taken advantage of this time to continuously train and build my body to be able to power through an entire season. I am confident that I am in great physical condition to begin the season. Also, some of the younger players such as #7 Danieldan Nanna, #34 Shota Onodera, #88 Hayato Maki and myself have started training together and doing new workouts. Some of the younger players will even contact me now to ask when I will start my daily personal training.
This off-season I have tried to make a strong effort to be more involved with my teammates so we can grow and move forward together as a team. In conclusion, we are creating an atmosphere where the young players and the veteran players can come together as one team.
For Okinawa
To start this season off, I sent a message to all the players who will fight together as Kings this coming season that said, "Let’s win the championship for Okinawa!" Advancing to the championship by coming in 2nd or 3rd place in our division during regular season does not hold as much value to me as advancing to the championship as division champions. Therefore I have a strong desire to do whatever it takes to win both our division and the league championship. I want the world to know who the Kings are as a team and as an organization. I want to prove that we are united as an organization as well as a team. For that reason, this is the season that I am most enthusiastic about becoming a team that can come out on top and convincingly win both our division and league championships.
I am passionate and devoted to delivering this victory to Okinawa. I was born and raised in Okinawa, this is where my roots are, this is the community that made me who I am today. Even now, I am always receiving strong support from Kings fans and I feel as if I can give back to them as a member of an Okinawa professional sports team.
This season, while sharing the feeling of "I want to win the championship for Okinawa" with all of the King’ members, I aim to reach the top with a dedicated and passionate performance for the fans.
Vol.4 is an interview with one of our local Okinawan players, #3 Narito Namizato. Namizato has used basketball as a means of personal development his entire life. He will discuss his strong desire to fight as a team and bring home the B. League Championship title.
The Cooley Factor
Looking back on last season, as we all know, it was a series of hardships. It was difficult to battle through the end of the season and I felt as if I was fighting until the last minute of every game. However, it was very encouraging, as a team and as an individual, that #45 Cooley was able to continue to fully devote himself on the court at all times. There were many times when Cooley and I were forced to break open our opponent’s defense. Cooley has the heart of a player who wants to win, and he can recognize and understand that same feeling in other players. This is something that can be respected as a person and as an athlete.
New Teammates
I am excited about #1 Seiya Funyu and #30 Keita Imamura joining our team. In addition to being tall, Funyu has detailed skills such as a variety of fakes and steps, and he has an image of a player who is capable of a range of plays. Since the time I played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, I recognized him as a player who has the desire to win and I knew that I would like to play with him at some point. Needless to say, I was surprised to see on SNS that he would be joining the Kings.
Imamura is a player who has the ability to do hard work and has the skill that enables him to instantly make a judgement, pass, attack, and finish. Similar to Funyu, I think there is a strong desire to win and grow. Imamura worked hard in his hometown Niigata before going pro, and I think that he has a great deal of gratitude and appreciation for the place and people in Niigata. He decided to leave his hometown of Niigata and play for the Kings with an extraordinary will and a strong desire to grow. When I left the Kings after the 2014-15 season, I discussed with the President of the Kings, Tatsuro Kimura, that I would like to return after I had matured as a player.
The new teammates have a strong will, and in a good sense both are crazy about basketball. The Kings have many players of similar caliber this year.
As a Team
This year I will be a 31-year-old veteran player. For the last few years I have not been concerned with my playing time, when I am on the court my main priority is to play hard and contribute to the team as much as possible. I think that playing 20-25 minutes per game in a 60-game season is a sufficient amount of play time in order to give my best performance. The longer you stay on the court, the less perceptive your judgment cane become, and it may be beneficial for the team to share the playing time amongst other players.
This off season has been longer than usual, and I have taken advantage of this time to continuously train and build my body to be able to power through an entire season. I am confident that I am in great physical condition to begin the season. Also, some of the younger players such as #7 Danieldan Nanna, #34 Shota Onodera, #88 Hayato Maki and myself have started training together and doing new workouts. Some of the younger players will even contact me now to ask when I will start my daily personal training.
This off-season I have tried to make a strong effort to be more involved with my teammates so we can grow and move forward together as a team. In conclusion, we are creating an atmosphere where the young players and the veteran players can come together as one team.
For Okinawa
To start this season off, I sent a message to all the players who will fight together as Kings this coming season that said, "Let’s win the championship for Okinawa!" Advancing to the championship by coming in 2nd or 3rd place in our division during regular season does not hold as much value to me as advancing to the championship as division champions. Therefore I have a strong desire to do whatever it takes to win both our division and the league championship. I want the world to know who the Kings are as a team and as an organization. I want to prove that we are united as an organization as well as a team. For that reason, this is the season that I am most enthusiastic about becoming a team that can come out on top and convincingly win both our division and league championships.
I am passionate and devoted to delivering this victory to Okinawa. I was born and raised in Okinawa, this is where my roots are, this is the community that made me who I am today. Even now, I am always receiving strong support from Kings fans and I feel as if I can give back to them as a member of an Okinawa professional sports team.
This season, while sharing the feeling of "I want to win the championship for Okinawa" with all of the King’ members, I aim to reach the top with a dedicated and passionate performance for the fans.
