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NEWS: First Slam Dunk Basketball Scholarship Awarded


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zetsuie



Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 193
PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:36 pm Reply with quote
nobinobita wrote:
jsevakis wrote:
Oh man, this is an indescribably bad idea. That poor kid is gonna get to the States and find that everyone that plays basketball here is a foot taller and 70 pounds heavier than he is.


I think it's actually a pretty cool thing he's doing. The man loves the sport of basketball and he loves his country and he'd like to give promising young Japanese athletes a chance.

I think the fact that people are "lolling" at this really shines some light on why what Inoue is doing is important.

Most Americans probably assume that all Japanese are short and frail meek people (at least if you go by the responses on this board). They can't imagine them playing basketball. But like any where else in the world, Japan is full of a variety of people. I'm sure there are plenty of kids there with the potential to be good players, it's just that there's no real industry for them to go into and get the proper training.

If Inoue can help just one Japanese kid realise his dream of playing pro basketball, that won't just totally change that kids life, it'll change how people view Japan and the Japanese race in general. Kinda like how Yao Ming has done lots of good in representing China here in the states.

I know most people just come here for fun and post for laffos. But please, think a little bit before you make wide sweeping comments about an entire race of people.

The way I always look at it is like this: Would you make generlizations about black people and laugh about it? Probobly not. So why make generilzations about people of other backgrounds?
Japanese aren't a race their a nationality

and considering theres only like one player under six feet playing in the pros right now it is kinda funny that a 5"7 Japanese kid wants to play college basketball, let alone play in the pros

besides people don't want to watch players who know really good fundamentals they wanna see players dunk and thats never gonna happen for this kid what might happen is he'll be able to use whatever experience he gains here and become a successful coach back in Japan but thats most likely as far as he'll go

Hon'ya-chan wrote:
duo05001 wrote:
I can't see him being a major D1 player.


What's Drifiting have to do with Basketball?
grrrr
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vickeyv



Joined: 31 Jan 2006
Posts: 183
PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:50 pm Reply with quote
Yeah he's right cause for the sake of argument we can assume 5'7 since thats near the japanese average height and since the kid is going to be around eight when he's selected, thats the yard stick you will have to use when making such decisions,
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kikkoman



Joined: 17 May 2007
Posts: 6
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:35 am Reply with quote
Namizato listed Allen Iverson as one of his idols, and he's definitely under 6ft barefoot, weighing 160ish lbs. There's extreme examples like Mugsy Bogues, standin' at 5' 3" (and he could even dunk!). The NBA is waaay far down the line anyways, college level is being discussed. I don't know what the average for the NCAA is, but figure its lower than NBA.

Its rather surprising how anyone could argue a basketball scholarship is a bad thing. It'd be like goin' "LOL schools in rural Africa? Those kids are not making it to Ivy League lolol!!"

Quote:
Inoue thinks that the lack of a successful professional basketball league in Japan has kept many promising athletes from continuing to play past high school, and hopes that winners of this scholarship will then use their knowledge and experience to improve the status of professional basketball in Japan.


There's his intent, its to improve basketball in Japan, not send the kid to the NBA :0

though the NCAA is a realistic goal, but still very tough.
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kasuga



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:53 am Reply with quote
This is interesting, props to Inoue for helping put something like this together. What's even more interesting is the fact that Shueisha is helping fund this scholarship. Knowing Japanese companies, there aren't too many willing to throw money at something without seeing some type of return on the investment (aside from course the fostering of Japanese basketball talent)...given that Slam Dunk's a 14-15 year old franchise...should i dare say that Inoue's planning on revisitng his crown achievement that is Slam Dunk?

Also there are a number of under 6ft players currently playing in the NBA:

Chucky Atkins 5-11
Early Boykins 5-5
Speedy Claxton 5-11
Derrick Marting 5-11

heck, I'd even throw Allen Iverson in there too, saw him at Otakon, no way he's 6ft tall.

As for the question of whether or not a non 7ft asian not named Yao Ming, Yi Jiangling, Wang Zhi Zhi, and Megke Bateer, can play in the NBA...absolutely they can. Keep in mind there are PLENTY of asian basketball players in the NCAA - still waiting for one to break out.

Yuta Tabuse has bounced around in plenty of professional Japanese and World leagues past couple years. He actually made the Phoenix Suns roster last year, but was cut right before the season began. The games I saw him play in, he was fast, quick, great on defense, great court vision. He's listed at 5'9

This year Sun Yue is set to play for the Lakers as the "other" asian player selected in the draft aside from Yi Jiangling.

If Namizato is as good as everyones saying, I'm certain he can find success in the college level.

Things like sending the kid to the US to play ball are great steps to helping promote the game in Japan, but I think its going to take a bit more nudging (cash and cooperation) from the NBA to get it where it should be.

Plus it wouldn't hurt if Inoue continued Slam Dunk...
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kasuga



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:54 am Reply with quote
Hon'ya-chan wrote:
duo05001 wrote:
I can't see him being a major D1 player.


What's Drifiting have to do with Basketball?


hehe i hope thats a joke

D1 = Division 1 NCAA basketball

or D1 GP =P
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hagakure|returns



Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 407
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:12 am Reply with quote
zetsuie wrote:

and considering theres only like one player under six feet playing in the pros right now it is kinda funny that a 5"7 Japanese kid wants to play college basketball, let alone play in the pros

besides people don't want to watch players who know really good fundamentals they wanna see players dunk and thats never gonna happen for this kid what might happen is he'll be able to use whatever experience he gains here and become a successful coach back in Japan but thats most likely as far as he'll go



You don't watch much real basketball? The movie "Eddie" starting Whoopi Goldberg, don't count. =P
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kikkoman



Joined: 17 May 2007
Posts: 6
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:27 am Reply with quote
kasuga wrote:


heck, I'd even throw Allen Iverson in there too, saw him at Otakon, no way he's 6ft tall.



whoah, got pictures!?

What was he doing at Otakon (what year)?
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kasuga



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:01 pm Reply with quote
kikkoman wrote:
kasuga wrote:


heck, I'd even throw Allen Iverson in there too, saw him at Otakon, no way he's 6ft tall.



whoah, got pictures!?

What was he doing at Otakon (what year)?


Sorry, let me rephrase this...he was in Baltimore, Inner Harbor during the weekend of Otakon this past summer. He was staying at the same hotel I was, the Renassiance. Saw him checking out of the hotel with his family on Saturday.
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