Coach Horvath’s Shocking Slip-Up: What He Really Meant to Say About Kanechika
- On November 5th, Tom Horvath, head coach of the Japan Men's Basketball National Team, attended a press conference to discuss the team's preparations for the "FIBA Asia Cup...
- The Japanese national team has convened 23 potential players for a last-minute training camp from November 11th.
- Horvath also expressed his expectations for players like Hiroshima's Yamazaki (Ryo) and Nakamura, who won last year's championship.
Tom Horvath on Kim Chikaren: “He Needs to Step Up and Create Competition”
On November 5th, Tom Horvath, head coach of the Japan Men’s Basketball National Team, attended a press conference to discuss the team’s preparations for the “FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifying Window 2”.
The Japanese national team has convened 23 potential players for a last-minute training camp from November 11th. When asked about his intentions with this lineup, Head Coach Horvath emphasized his desire to invite young members and players who he hasn’t invited to training camp often. He mentioned players like Takuto Nakamura (Hiroshima Dragonflies) and Masahiro Waki (Ryukyu Golden Kings), praising the progress of young players.
Horvath also expressed his expectations for players like Hiroshima’s Yamazaki (Ryo) and Nakamura, who won last year’s championship. However, he noted that their schedules didn’t match up due to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia).
During the press conference, the name of Kim Chikaren, who was not called up to the national team’s training camp, came up. Horvath responded by saying, “Kanechika looks like he’s going to be a great player! But he hasn’t shown much results right now. It’s not good to say the same thing over and over again. That’s why I want him to be on the national team. If that’s the case, we need to step up. I want to send that message to the players. We need competition. I want to create competition.”
Kanechika has been called up to the Japan national team since February 2022 and is a promising player that Horvath coach has high expectations for. However, he has not been selected for the national team recently. Since the start of this season, he has played in 11 games in the B1 league, averaging 4.0 points per game and achieving a 30.6% 3-point success rate.
Horvath’s message to Kanechika is clear: if he wants to return to the Japanese national team, he needs to work his way up and create competition. This is a shout from the “hot-blooded” Horvath style, emphasizing the importance of hard work and dedication in achieving success.