Utsunomiya Brex Preseason Game Special Photos Released

The Utsunomiya Brex have won five consecutive preseason games, showcasing the team’s strong performance under Head Coach Kevin Braswell’s leadership. The team’s atmosphere and players’ expressions were bright, and we were able to capture many great photos. We will release all the photos taken at the four Brex-hosted games at once.

Basketball2024.09.19 08:30

Game Highlights

8/31 Utsunomiya 91-78 Shinshu @ Tochigi Prefectural Kita Gymnasium

Grant Jerret will be matched up with Watanabe Hiyu, a member of the Japanese national team at the Paris Olympics. These two good-looking guys look like they’re having fun.

Even Perrin Buford, who has been the top scorer for two consecutive seasons, couldn’t keep up with Ogawa’s no-look passes. Ogawa, who started for the first time as a professional, played for 24 minutes and 28 seconds, scoring 7 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds. Head Coach Braswell highly praised Ogawa, saying, “He has great physical ability and the potential to become a great player.”

Senior handler Seiji Karasu and Ogawa having a meeting. During the preseason games, you can often see Karasu calling out to the younger players.

9/1 Utsunomiya 69-48 Fukushima @ Tochigi Prefectural Kita Gymnasium

It was a long-awaited reunion with Kohei Kasai, who was on the team in the 2022-23 season. The Brex players are all really friendly with each other, and Kasai’s smile proves that.

This is the defense of Wataru Muragishi and Kosuke Takeuchi. They share the same attitude of working hard for the team. Head Coach Braswell highly praised Takeuchi’s contribution last season, and said of Muragishi, “He’s made a big contribution in ways that don’t show up in the numbers.”

Kasuga has started in four of the five preseason games and seems to really enjoy the fast pace of the game.

Brekkie was also in high spirits, being in front of so many fans for the first time in a while. He was trying not to be outdone by Brekkie, and was pumping his legs up!

When I go to cover a match, I always take pictures of the players circling the stadium after a win. I can now see why a famous Japanese actress described them on social media as “overflowing with sex appeal.”

9/7 Utsunomiya 66-53 Akita @FUKAI SQUARE GARDEN Ashikaga

Check out the rest of the photos from the Utsunomiya Brex preseason games.

Author: Keitaro Sawada

Joined the company in 1988. Covers professional baseball, covering Nippon Ham during the Tokyo era, Yokohama Taiyo (now DeNA) in his final season, and Nagashima’s Giants. In April of this year, he returned to being a reporter on-site for the first time in 20 years, and is currently covering a wide range of topics, not just baseball.