ANTICIPATION is on a high for the opening of the 2021-22 B.League season.
Formally tipping off on Thursday, the Japanese professional league ushers in its brand new season with a clash between the Ryukyu Golden Kings and Alvark Tokyo.
But what keeps Pinoy fans buzzing are the eight Filipino players set to see action this year, led by Thirdy Ravena of the San-En NeoPhoenix who will be in his sophomore season in Japan.
But before the ball gets rolling, let Spin.ph educate you on what you need to know about the B.League.
1. The B.League is now on its sixth year. The league came about after a merger between the Japan National Basketball League (NBL) and the bj League in response to the apparent disorganization of the sport in Japan and the nation's Fiba suspension back in November 2014.
2. Link Tochigi Brex (now-Utsunomiya Brex) won the inaugural title in the 2016-17 season. Former Petron import Nick Fazekas was named as the Season MVP for leading the Kawasaki Brave Thunders to the top seed with their 49-11 card.
3. Speaking of Fazekas, there's a handful of former PBA imports who are currently seeing action in the B.League, among them Fazekas, Allen Durham (Ryukyu Golden Kings), Ira Brown (Osaka Evessa), and Joshua Smith (Toyama Grouses).
4. Clubs can enlist as much as three foreign imports in their rosters, granting that only two can see action on the floor at the same time. Naturalized players are seen as locals and can play with no restrictions. The same is the case for foreigners who were either born or raised in Japan and graduated from Japanese elementary and junior high schools, as pursuant to the Japan Basketball Association (JBA) regulations.
5. Players signed under the Asian Players Quota, or Asian imports, are also treated as locals, meaning the eight Filipinos, including five other players from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia, seeing action this season won't be barren by any restrictions on their time on the floor.
6. Much like the format of top football leagues around the world, the B.League observes a competition pyramid where there are three divisions and clubs can be promoted and relegated. This 2021-22 season, B2 champions Gunma Crane Thunders and runner-up Ibaraki Robots were promoted to the first division, hiking the total teams in B1 to 22 clubs, divided between the East and West Divisions.
7. Clubs will play a total of 60 games under a home-and-away format. Usually, back-to-back home-and-home games are scheduled on weekends, with the rare occasion of Wednesday games throughout the eliminations.
8. The B.League takes two-week breaks to accommodate the Fiba qualifying windows, with the competition being momentarily halted in November and February.
9. Only the top eight teams, regardless of group, will advance to the playoffs, with pairings being contested in best-of-three series.
Defending champs
10. The Chiba Jets, led by Japanese naturalized player Gavin Edwards and 2019 B.League MVP Yuki Togashi, outlasted top-seed Utsunomiya Brex in three games to capture the 2020-21 B.League championship. It was the franchise's first-ever crown.
11. Utsunomiya Brex, which topped the standings last season at 49-11 only to settle for bridesmaid honors, will be on the lookout for redemption this year as it will be headlined by national team mainstays Makoto Hiejima, Kosuke Takeuchi, Kai Toews, Yuta Tabuse, and Indonesian-American winger Brandon Jawato.
12. Other teams to watch out for are the Kawasaki Brave Thunders, spearheaded by Fazekas and Ryusei Shinoyama; the retooled Shimane Susanoo Magic, which added last year's MVP Kosuke Kanamaru and ex-Meralco import Seiya Ando; and two-time B.League champions Alvark Tokyo, powered by Akatsuki Five studs Joji Takeuchi, Daiki Tanaka, and Shuto Ando, as well as naturalized player Ryan Rossiter.
13. Former NBA players are also aplenty in the B.League, led by Ryan Kelly and James Michael McAdoo (SunRockers Shibuya), Josh Harrellson (Osaka Evessa), and Jeff Ayres (Niigata Albirex BB).
14. Spanish center Sebas Saiz, who won the B.League Finals MVP with the Jets, has moved to Alvark Tokyo as he leads the international team standouts who are showcasing their skills in Japan, among them Aussie banger Nick Kay (Shimane Susanoo Magic) and Czech forward Patrik Auda (Yokohama B-Corsairs).
15. Foreign coaches are also aplenty in the B.League, among them Branislav Vicentic of Serbia (San-En NeoPhoenix), Paul Henare of New Zealand (Shimane Susanoo Magic), Luis Guil Torres of Spain (Shiga Lakestars), Luka Pavicevic of Montenegro (Alvark Tokyo), Richard Glesmann of USA (Ibaraki Robots), Aussie-American Tom Wisman (Gunma Crane Thunders), and Kyle Milling of France (Hiroshima Dragonflies).
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