SAN-En NeoPhoenix officials are already expecting crowds, particularly the Filipino comunity, when Thirdy Ravena makes his debut in the Japanese B.League.
The Aichi Prefecture where the NeoPhoenix's home court Toyohashi City General Gymnasium is located has the most Filipino residents in all of Japan.
According to Japan's official 2019 census, 37,346 Filipinos either live or work in Aichi - more than the country's capital Tokyo.
Filipinos have the third-highest foreign population in the prefecture, trailing only the Brazilians and Chinese.
Meanwhile, Toyohashi has the fifth-largest population in the Aichi Prefecture, behind the capital Nagoya, and the cities of Toyota, Okazaki and Ichinomiya.
Ravena, the first signee in the B.League's Asian player Quota, is also expected to attract attention from fans around the Mikawa province where Toyohashi City is in.
Aside from that, San-En also expects a number of Filipinos from nearby Hamamatsu City to support Ravena.
Hamamatsu, which is located in the Shizuoka Prefecture, is just a one-hour rail ride away from Toyohashi through the Tokaido Line.
That's why Ravena's arrival is expected to not only be a boost on the court but also in the stands.
After all, the team badly needs the lift after finishing with a 5-36 card last season, dead-last in the Central District of the first division as well as the cellar-dwellers in the whole B.League.
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