4th Quarter showing stubbornness with a 10-0 run “I can’t play boring”
On December 29, Fukuoka Daiichi faced Kaishi Kokusai in the Winter Cup final. Kaishi Kokusai’s Bashir Faisal Mohammed dominated inside throughout, and could not take rebounds as he would have liked, nor could he make a quick attack like his specialty. In the second quarter, she allowed consecutive 3-pointers and trailed by double digits. After that, although he showed tenacity to go to the single-digit difference at one point, as well as being surpassed in rebounding, he never recovered his shooting touch, and lost 71-88 and could not win the championship for the first time in three years.
After the game, coach Takashi Ideguchi, who led the team, said, “I think Kaishi Kokusai-san is two or three more than us in both offense and defense. I wasn’t going in too much, and everything went crazy. To think I usually feel good in the morning exercise. Is it because of the difficulty of basketball…” he bit his lip.
As coach Ideguchi looked back, Fukuoka Daiichi hit a team-high 84 field goals, but only 27 (32.1%) were successful, and the score was sluggish. In addition, ace guard Ryui Todoroki also scored a team-high 21 points, but had a 30.0% field goal success rate and suffered from shooting touches. “I feel like I’ve been thinking too much.
Todoroki, who was the center of the team, continued to hit difficult shots even under strict checks, shooting 11 3-point shots and 19 2-point shots, and continued to aim for the circle until the end. “The team lost momentum (when we conceded the lead), but I can’t afford to let myself down.
Fukuoka Daiichi continued to fall behind, but in the 4th quarter, they went on a 10-0 run, including a fast break steal from Todoroki and a deep three. This is how he looked back on the scene which drew close to 8 points and the setting was very exciting. “The support from the people around me made me want to do it myself, and because of the support, I have to do it myself.
Frustrated, he vows to go to Tokai University and play against Kawamura in the B League.
Todoroki played for three years in high school wearing jersey number 8. This number 8 is the number worn by Yuki Kawamura, who has won back-to-back Winter Cup titles and has grown into a leading point guard. Japan. “For the past three years, I have carried the number 8 with the feeling that I will surpass Yuki-san.”
Then, he reveals what he learned in high school life along with his older nostalgia as follows. “I couldn’t play defense at all, and I’ve been warned by Mr. Ideguchi since I was in first grade. I think I’ve become able to do a little over the past three years.” Just as Todoroki is confident, Steele, who supports No. 1 Fukuoka’s tradition of solid defense and rushing attacks, notched 12 hits for the tournament’s highest draw, showing the essence of solid defense he has learned over the past three years.
In the future, Todoroki will produce many B-leaguers, and will go on to Tokai University, where Kawamura was also a student. As for what is necessary for further stepping up, he spoke of Kawamura as follows. “Being small, I will continue to improve my 3-point shots. In defense, I want to be able to steal and defend tenaciously like Yuki-san, and aim to become a professional or a member of the Japanese national team. I think it would be nice if I could steal even one if I could match.”
Finally, when asked about the distance between him and Kawamura, he answered confidently.
“I think we’ve come a little closer.”
