Akira, a promising Japanese player, picked physical as a strength of the Korean national team. Japan defeated Korea 88-80 in the second round of the 2024 Softbank Cup warm-up match held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Sunday. Japan washed away its regret from losing in the first round.
Japan is preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Before the official Olympics, the team held an exhibition game with Korea to check players' performance and enhance their performance.
However, the team was not complete. NBA leaguers Rui Hachimura (201cm, F) and Utah Watanabe (206cm, F) failed to participate in the game. Despite this, Japan is a team with strong potential. Starting with Josh Hawkins (208cm, C), Japan has big men and outstanding guards who can play both inside and outside.
Akira Jacobs (203 cm, F), a mixed race player and one of Japan's best prospects, also received numerous opportunities. She played 23 minutes in both the first and second games, scoring goals both inside and outside. Notably, she used her long arm under the basket to greatly contribute to the competition for the right to provide benefits. She averaged 8.5 points and seven rebounds in the two games.
Akira, whom we met after the exhibition match, said, "The first match was regrettable. So I focused on the match thinking of regret. Thanks to that, I played a better game today." 슬롯사이트 순위
Still a promising player, Akira joined the Japanese national team since last year. Nevertheless, she had three warm-up matches with Korea. What kind of team does Akira see in Korea? "There are a lot of physical players. I felt a lot last year. I learned a lot from that. I think she had good experiences."
Hawkins, his partner, said, "I'm proud of Akira's performance. I joined the national team last year. I gained experience and now my physical condition has improved. That's how he improved his mental strength. He made 3-pointers at important moments. He also secures many rebounds. It is fun to see him grow. I want to help him grow further."
Japan will participate in the Paris Olympics. Akira's primary goal was to advance to the quarterfinals. Regarding the Paris Olympics, she said, "I want to advance to the quarterfinals for now. But I want to advance to a higher level. I will do my best to achieve our goal."