The Japan Basketball Association on Monday named 12 players, led by Phoenix Suns guard-forward Yuta Watanabe, for upcoming games in the run-up to the FIBA World Cup.
Those 12, also including University of Nebraska shooting guard Keisei Tominaga and Chiba Jets point guard Yuki Togashi, will represent Japan at the World Cup tipping off on Aug. 25, head coach Tom Hovasse revealed.
Japan, ranked 36th in the world, will take on Angola on Tuesday, France on Thursday and Slovenia on Saturday, all at Tokyo's Ariake Arena, before facing 11th-ranked Germany on the opening day of the World Cup, to be co-hosted by Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Japan has also been drawn with No. 24 Finland and No. 3 Australia in a challenging Group E. The top Asian finisher of the World Cup will qualify for next summer's Paris Olympics.
"We have to play for the three (who were left out of the final selection), too," Watanabe said. "We have to feel the responsibility of carrying the hopes of the nation and play one game at a time to advance."
Four of the 12 World Cup members played at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 -- Watanabe, Togashi, Yudai Baba and Makoto Hiejima.
In late June, Rui Hachimura said he will not participate in the tournament to focus on his upcoming fifth NBA season, with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Japan's roster:
(PG=point guard, SG=shooting guard, SF=small forward, C=center, PF=power forward)
Yuki Togashi, PG, 167 cm, Chiba Jets
Yuki Kawamura, PG, 172 cm, Yokohama B-Corsairs
Makoto Hiejima, SG, 191 cm, Utsunomiya Brex
Yuta Watanabe, SF, 206 cm, Phoenix Suns
Yudai Baba, SG, 195 cm, unaffiliated
Yudai Nishida, SG, 190 cm, Seahorses Mikawa
Josh Hawkinson, C-PF, 208 cm, Sunrockers Shibuya
Keisei Tominaga, SG, 188 cm, University of Nebraska
Shuta Hara, SF, 187 cm, Chiba Jets
Soichiro Inoue, PF, 201 cm, Koshigaya Alphas
Hirotaka Yoshii, SF, 196 cm, Alvark Tokyo
Koya Kawamata, C, 204 cm, Shiga Lakes
Related coverage:
Basketball: New Zealand crushes Japan on the boards
Basketball: Japan steals win from New Zealand
Basketball: Suns' Watanabe talks hoops with Slam Dunk manga creator
