The Japanese men's basketball team participating in the Paris Olympics held a practice session before their first official game this year, and players such as Yuki Kawamura and Yuki Togashi, who played in last year's World Cup, worked up a sweat practicing shooting. .
This is the first time the Japanese men's basketball team will gather together since last year's World Cup, when they qualified for the Olympics on their own for the first time in 48 years.In February, they will play their first official match of the year, the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
On the 16th, a training camp was opened to the public at the National Training Center in Kita Ward, Tokyo, where 17 players, including players who participated in the World Cup such as Kawamura, Togashi, and Shin Hiejima, worked up a sweat practicing shooting.
After practice, head coach Tom Horvath said, ``At the Olympics, we would like to pass the qualifying round and compete in Paris, where the final tournament will be held,'' making it clear that the team's goal is to advance to the final eight at the Olympics.
He then said, ``This training camp is looking ahead to the Paris Games, but first I want to win the two games against Guam and China.I want to show off Japan's fast basketball.''
Togashi also said, ``It's not easy to win one at the Olympics, so I want to clear them one by one.The Olympics will be one level higher, so I want to grow.'' I did.
Japan, ranked 26th in the world, will play Guam, ranked 76th in the world, in the first round of the Asian Cup qualifying on the 22nd of this month, and China, ranked 29th in the world, on the 25th.