4th quarter showing stubbornness with the 10-0 run “I can’t play badly”
On December 29, Fukuoka Daiichi faced Kaishi Kokusai in the final of the Winter Cup. Kaishi Kokusai’s Bashir Faisal Mohammed dominated the inside all the time, and he couldn’t get the rebounds as he wanted, and he couldn’t make a fast offense like his specialty. In the second quarter he allowed 3-pointers in a row and brought back double figures. After that, although he showed persistence at one point in getting close to single-digit difference, as well as being outpaced by rebounding, his shooting touch did not recover, he lost 71-88 and failed to win the championship by the first time in three years.
After the match, head coach Takashi Ideguchi, who was leading the team, said, “I think Kaishi Kokusai-san was two or three more than us in both offense and defense. I didn’t get in too much and everything went nuts.” . I thought I felt good as usual in the morning workouts. Maybe it’s because of the difficulty of the basketball…” he bit his lip.
As Coach Ideguchi looks back, Fukuoka Daiichi hit 84 field goals for the entire team, but only 27 (32.1%) were successful, and scoring was slow. In addition, ace guard Ryui Todoroki also scored 21 points, but had a 30.0% field goal percentage and suffered from touch shots. “I feel like I’ve been thinking too much.
Todoroki, who is the center of the team, continued to throw hard shots even under strict supervision, shooting 11 3-pointers and 19 2-pointers, and continued to aim for the ring until the end. “The team lost momentum (when we conceded the lead), but I can’t afford to disappoint.
Fukuoka Daiichi continued to trail behind, but managed a 10-0 run in the 4th quarter, including a fast break from a steal by Todoroki and a deep three. This is how he rethought the scene approaching 8 points, and the venue was very excited. “The support of people around me made me want to do it myself and because of the support I have to do it myself.
In frustration, he vows to go to Tokai University and play against Kawamura in the B League.
Todoroki played for three years in high school wearing the number 8 jersey. This number 8 is the number worn by Yuki Kawamura, who won back-to-back Winter Cup titles and rose to become one of Japan’s leading point guards. “For the past three years, I’ve been wearing No. 8 with a feeling that I will surpass Yuki-san.”
Then, he reveals what he learned in high school life with the same number as his oldest wish as follows. “I couldn’t play defense at all, and I was warned by Mr. Ideguchi since I was in first grade. I think I’ve gotten a little bit capable of doing that in the last three years.” Just as Todoroki is confident, Steele, who upholds Tradition No. Fukuoka’s No. 1 player of solid defense and rushed attacks, he scored 12 hits for a tournament-best draw, showing the essence of solid defense he has learned over the past three years.
In the future, Todoroki will produce many B-League, and will go to Tokai University, where Kawamura was also a student. Speaking of what is needed to further escalate, he spoke of Kawamura’s presence as follows. “Since I’m small, I will continue to improve my 3-point shooting. Defensively, I want to be able to steal a tenacious defense like Yuki-san and aim to become a professional or a member of the Japan national team.” I think it would be nice if you could steal just one if you could match it.
Finally, when asked about the distance between him and Kawamura, he answered with confidence.
“I think we’ve gotten a little closer.”
