Levanga Hokkaido is currently ahead of Kuroboshi with 11 wins and 15 losses. Even so, it is shining differently from last season, which ended at the bottom of the eastern district, with many winning stars from the strong team. The driving force behind this is Ryoma Hashimoto. Although he is a 13-year veteran, he has recorded a career high in average score and is struggling for offense and defense. Such Hashimoto overcomes the new coronavirus infection and expects a further rise.
The quarantine period was “not a fun experience, but a meaningful time.”
──I was surprised when the infection with the new coronavirus was announced under my real name. How did you feel when it turned out to be positive again?
I came back from Okinawa and did a PCR test, and I got a phone call saying that it was positive, and I asked many times, “Are you serious? Me?” The measures taken in the match were solid, and I was only going back and forth between the hotel and the match venue, so it was really close to me. I haven’t been involved in other people’s affairs until now, but I thought that I would be myself like that.
──You said you had no symptoms, but how did you spend your time including the quarantine period?
It seems that the symptoms depend on the person. I have time to receive counseling, but now that some people get worse even if they don’t have any symptoms, I was told to keep an eye on the progress. The quarantine period is 10 days, and the time to go out is about when you go down when meals are distributed, which is what you would call canned, but I was really resting in the room.
──Athletes are capitalized by the body, but were they able to move?
I was looking at my physical condition, but fortunately I wasn’t so terrible, so I moved the sofa and trained online. I was doing online training in the sense of moving my body by bringing in weights (kettlebells) and stretch bands myself. ..
──Have you ever taken a rest for 10 days during the season?
I didn’t have a whole rest. But when the season was about halfway through, I never had the time to think about issues so slowly during the season. With my assistant coach, I learned about the team’s challenges and trends, as well as myself. There are a lot of good players in the B-League, so I tried chasing the players in the same position, seeing the Euro-League players, and trying a little with the practice that I resumed. It wasn’t a purely enjoyable experience, but I think it was a meaningful time because I had that kind of time.
“We are a team that can fight anywhere and win anywhere.”
──Currently, Kuroboshi is ahead of the team, but we have also defeated powerful teams such as Kawasaki Brave Thunders, Chiba Jets, and Utsunomiya Brex. The strength of the defense when it works has been proven, but how is the team actually responding?
As you said, the results show that the defense is stable to some extent, and I feel that there is a great chance of winning a match that feels like we are doing well. If we can put it out in a stable manner, we can fight anywhere, and I think we are a team that can win anywhere.
But isn’t Kuroboshi still ahead? There are times when it’s clear that there are games where you feel like you can win if you do that, and games where it collapses. We have to do it every time, and if we don’t do it, we can’t fight. increase.
──In the sense that you can fight anywhere, you can see many games with a difference of 10 points or less, but is it the image that you have won the close game or you missed it?
There were some mottainai matches, and I think there were more matches that I could win. I think I would have been in a different position if I had won it, but I think that is the difference between the team above and us. I think it’s different if the teams that are said to be strong are always in good shape, and they know how to win in bad times. I think that is a big difference, so I think that tenacity is necessary to make up for it.
── So far, we have left an average of 7.9 points and a career high number so that we have exceeded 20 points twice. Is it consciously aiming for a score, or is it required as a role?
It’s both. I’m consciously involved in scoring, and I’m sure I’m looking for that chance. When the head coach Sako (Kenichi) came, he said, “The part that Ryoma hasn’t tried so far, or the part that he could do but didn’t open the drawer to win, is the point that the current team can win. I want you to be a guard. ” I was told that I would be a player who can master various things in the scene, so I entered this season, and sometimes I scored 20 points and sometimes I won 4 or 5 points.
“The game is coming into view in a different way.”
──Did you ever open the drawer?
Because it was also the best way to win. There was a time when I wanted to try a lot, but my teammates so far have some Japanese players who can score an average of 20 points, and I was allowed to play with wonderful players, so how can they play basketball comfortably? Because I was focusing on what I should do for that. Rather than not opening, that was the best choice when thinking about what to do to win. Mr. Sako told me that the current team is a team that can not be won unless everyone tries various things, and I think that Ryoma can also challenge as a step, and I am trying now. ..
──I think the numbers will drop as you become a veteran, but do you feel any second growth here?
There are parts that you couldn’t see before. There is a discovery that there is a chance to shoot at such a timing, and that by hitting a shot here, the next place will be vacant. Until now, I’ve taken up space and watched the timing, so I’m seeing the game in a different way. I enjoy thinking about basketball as a game, such as how to make a flow in it.
Even if you don’t move, you can do this if you think about it and make full use of your skills, or it will be a match like this. There are a lot of successes and failures, and there are some parts that feed on it, but it’s really fun.
── Finally, do you have a message for your fans?
I was infected with the coronavirus and really worried everyone. Now that I’m playing basketball energetically, I’m most happy to have fun with everyone on the team. I’m hoping that everyone will be able to see their energetic appearance on the court, so please support this week’s match against Nagoya.
Mr. Nagoya has no holes and is a basket that suits the talent, so it is a threat. However, I think it will be a good challenge how much we can do in defense against that, and if we can carry it out and play our game, we will move on to the next step. Please support Zenmidori!