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    Heading hoping Nagasaki can stay healthy and fight for B.League promotion

    Heading hoping Nagasaki can fight for B.League promotion
    Jan 16, 2023
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    PHOTO: AP

    JORDAN Heading believes Nagasaki can close the gap on the leaders in the second half of the season in hopes of making it through and earning the promotion to the first division of the Japan B.League.

    The Velca hold a 19-11 win-loss record, good for fourth in the second division.

    See Ray Parks determined to help Nagoya go deeper in playoffs

    "I don't think we've actually had a full squad for more than a couple games the whole first half of the season due to injuries. So we're excited to get guys back to form and come back in full health," he said.

    "I think we're going to be a pretty tough team to beat come playoff time and I think we definitely got strides to make to it to get better as well. But I think we're pretty excited to get into this back half of the season. We got high expectations and we're really going to lock in the second half of the season and do what we can to get better what we need to and hopefully, both Kobe [Paras] and I can stay with our teams and move up."

    Jordan Heading Velca Japan B.League

    Heading has been solid through the first half of the season, posting 12.7 points on 34-percent shooting from deep, to go with 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 23.4 minutes of action.

    "I think the experience in Taiwan did me well in sort of being in the middle of being an import and a local and try to just bring something different that no one else really brings," he said.

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    "My team has done a good job of recognizing my strengths and allowing me to play to that. It's been a really fun transition being able to come over here and see what Japan is all about."

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      Heaidng says having Caloocan-born guard Edward Yamamoto, born to Filipino parents and emigrated to Japan at a young age, has also been a big help.

      "He's a really good shooter. He's an older guy so he kind of just does his own thing a little bit, but he has that Filipino humor. He's speaking completely fluent Japanese but he brings out sort of Filipino humor that just cracks everyone up and it's fun to have that in the locker room and to be with a fellow Filipino. He's a funny dude," he said.

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      PHOTO: AP
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