This Toyota Motors Alvark team is a completely different team than the one that exited the floor in a losing fashion in the JBL championship series four years ago.
Even if the Bulls hadn't harpooned the Heat last week, the overtime epic validates why Tom Thibodeau is remarkably worthy to become the first in NBA history to earn back-to-back coaching honors.
Sendai 89ers 2010-11 record: 24-12 Head coach: Bob Pierce (first year)
1 Kenichi Takahashi G
4 Takehiko Shimura PG
5 O’Neal Mims F (Angelo State)
7 Takuya Komoda F
9 Johnny Dukes F (San Francisco)
11 Yoshihiro Tachibana SF
12 Daisuke Takaoka F
17 Hikaru Kusaka PG
21 Rashaad Singleton C (Florida Southern)
22 Dan Fitzgerald F (Marquette)
23 Soshi Yasuda SG
Niigata Albirex BB 2010-11 record: 20-20 Head coach: Matt Garrison (first year)
1 Dwight Gordon G (UC Riverside)
2 Ryo Narumi G
3 Erron Maxey SF/PF (Providence)
13 Shuhei Komatsu G
15 Hirotaka Kondo G
20 Nile Murry G (TCU)
23 Kimitake Sato SG
29 Kento Fukuya G
31 James Keefe PF/C (UCLA)
32 Yuichi Ikeda F
35 Yuki Sato F
54 Chris Holm C (Vermont)
Toyama Grouses 2010-11 record: 13-31 Head coach: Kazuaki Shimoji (first season; took over as head coach last spring)
00 Haakim Johnson SG/SF (Pikeville College)
7 Ryuichi Horikawa SF
8 Takumi Yamashiro PG
9 Takeshi Mito SG
14 Makoto Kato SG
21 Brian Harper F (Paine College)
30 Larry Turner PF/C (Tennessee State)
31 Masashi Joho SG
33 Keiji Takano F
34 Devin Searcy F/C (Dayton)
50 Ira Brown F (Gonzaga)
Saitama Broncos 2010-11 record: 14-24 Head coach: Dean Murray (first year)
2 Kenny Satterfield PG (Cincinnati)
7 Yuki Kitamuki G
10 Darin Satoshi Maki PG (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
11 Jayme Miller F (Cal State Northridge)
15 Daiki Terashita F
21 Yasuaki Arai G
35 John "Helicopter" Humphrey SG/SF (Middle Tennessee State)
41 John Flowers F (West Virginia)
45 Gabriel Hughes C (California)
Akita Northern Happinets 2010-11 record: 18-32 Head coach: Kazuo Nakamura (first year)
2 Ryosuke Mizumachi G
4 Makoto Hasegawa PG
6 Kenny Bernard Taylor SG (Texas)
7 Yoshimune Sano F/C
10 Kazuhiro Shoji F
12 Yuki Kikuchi F
20 Stanley Ocitti PF/C (Binghamton)
23 Yuki Nobuhira F
33 Brandon Wallace F (South Carolina)
34 Casey Crawford F (Colorado)
55 Michael Gardener G (Southeastern Louisiana)
Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix 2010-11 record: 40-6 Head coach: Ryuji Kawai (first season)
2 Shina Yoshitomo G
3 Masahiro Oguchi G
4 James Peters F/C (UNLV)
5 Kenya Tomori G
7 Yuki Yamaguchi G
8 Atsuya Ota C
11 Shingo Okada G
21 Jeffrey Parmer F (Florida Atlantic)
25 Shoji Nakanishi F
34 Wayne Arnold G (Tennessee State)
Jermaine Dixon G (Pittsburgh)*
*number not assigned yet
Iwate Big Bulls Expansion team Head coach:
Vlasios Vlaikidis (first year)
0 Keita Takada G
1 Makoto Sawaguchi G
3 Tasuku Namizato G
5 Shinya Chiba F
7 Shin Jae Rok G/F (South Korea)
9 Atsushi Nogami G
13 Yoshiaki Yamamoto G
15 Thomas Kennedy F (Detroit Mercy)
21 Hayato Kantake F
22 Shawn Malloy PF/C (New Orleans)
25 Sean Coleman F (Houston)
32 Matthew Smith PF/C (Warner)
Chiba Jets Expansion team Head coach:
Eric Gardow (first year)
0 Hiroki Sato SG
1 Shota Isshiki G
3 George Leach C (Indiana)
7 Reina Itakura SF
9 Kensuke Tanaka G
10 Chris Sasaki PG
11 Maurice Hargrow G (Minnesota)
15 Gaston Moliva F (Richmond)
17 Kosuke Yahata G
19 Tomoya Nakamura F
25 Mitsuhiro Kamezaki F
31 Takaki Ishida SG
44 Jamel Staten F (Minnesota State-Mankato)
55 Hayato Shirata G
Shinshu Brave Warriors Expansion team Head coach: Motofumi Aoki (first year)
1 Takanori Goya G
5 Derek Raivio G (Gonzaga)
6 Takato Saito PG
11 Yosuke Saito SG
12 Tadashi Utsunomiya SG
21 Yutaka Suzuki SG
24 Lee Roberts PF (Findlay)
32 Edward Morris PF (Pittsburgh)
34 Tyler Hughes C (Kansas State)
Yokohama B-Corsairs Expansion team Head coach: Reggie Geary
1 Chas McFarland C (Wake Forest)
3 Masayuki Kabaya SG
6 Faye Pape Mour C
7 Minoru Kimura G
10 Marcus Simmons G (USC)
13 Kenji Yamada G
15 Takeshi Hotta SF
19 Giyoh Shey G (Cal State Los Angeles)
24 Justin Burrell F (St. John's)
33 Taketo Aoki F
73 Satoshi Hisayama SG
Western Conference
Rizing Fukuoka 2010-11 record: 30-20 Head coach: Tadaharu Ogawa (third season)
1 Jun Nakanishi G
2 Gary Hamilton PF/C (Miami, Florida)
7 J.R. Inman F (Rutgers)
8 Akitomo Takeno G
15 Kevin Palmer G/F (Texas A&M;)
21 Masahiro Kano G
24 Satoshi Ishitani G
25 Emil Kim G (UC Irvine)
32 Carlos Dixon F (Virginia Tech)
Shiga Lakestars 2010-11 record: 30-20 Head coach: Alan Westover (first season)
0 Ray Nixon F (Wisconsin)
1 Yu Okada G
4 Julius Ashby C (Colorado)
5 Shinya Ogawa G
10 Kazuya "J." Hatano F
11 Takamichi Fujiwara G
13 Shigeki Ido PG
15 Shingo Miyagi F
18 Jumpei Honda F
19 Dionisio Gomez F (Arkansas)
30 Josh Peppers F (Central Florida)
Takamatsu Five Arrows 2010-11 record: 10-38 Head coach: Kenzo Maeda (first season)
1 Michael Nunnally F (Pacific)
2 Yuta Kurihara PG
7 Paul Butorac C (Eastern Washington)
10 Keishiro Tsutsumi PG
11 Hiroyuki Kikuchi SG
12 Kevin Smith F (Richmond)
20 Makoto Kita G
22 Masaaki Suzuki PG
32 Nyika Williams C (Pacific)
41 Shuichi Takada F
Osaka Evessa 2010-11 record: 32-18 Head coach: Ryan Blackwell (second season)
0 Masashi Obuchi G
1 Lawrence Blackledge F (Marquette)
2 Goki Kitamura G
3 Lavell Payne F (Central Florida)
6 Satoshi Takeda SG
7 Shota Konno G
10 Kevin Tyner G (Western Oregon)
11 Cohey Aoki PG
14 Hideki Katsumata F
18 Yoshitaka Amano G
22 Daisuke Tamura G
33 Hirohisa Takada F
44 Lynn Washington PF (Indiana)
50 Wayne Marshall C (Temple)
Ryukyu Golden Kings 2010-11 record: 34-16 Head coach: Dai Oketani (fourth season)
2 Yasufumi Takushi G
5 Anthony McHenry F (Georgia Tech)
6 Shigeyuki Kinjo G
8 Tsubasa Yonamine G
9 Naoto Kosuge G
11 Yoshiki Yamashiro F
21 Reggie Okosa F/C (La Salle)
32 Morihisa Yamauchi G
33 Dzaflo Larkai F/C (Bellarmine)
37 Narito Namizato G
50 Jeff Newton F (Indiana)
Oita HeatDevils 2010-11 record: 16-32 Head coach: Yukinori Suzuki (first season)
1 Kohei Mitomo G
2 Naoto Takushi PG
4 Zach Atkinson C (UC Irvine)
7 Manabu Umemiya G
17 Daishi Hayakawa C
28 Masahiro Ohara PG
33 Matt Lottich G (Stanford)
34 T.J. Cummings PF/SF (UCLA)
Wendell White F (UNLV)*
*jersey number not assigned yet
Kyoto Hannaryz 2010-11 record: 28-20 Head coach: Honoo Hamaguchi (first season)
0 Kyosuke Setoyama G/F
2 Jermaine Boyette F (Weber State)
3 Haruyuki Ishibashi PG
5 Yusuke Inoue F
7 Rick Rickert F (Minnesota)
9 Naoto Nakamura G
11 Taizo Kawabe F
30 Lee Cummard G (BYU)
41 Lance Allred C (Weber State)
50 Sunao Murakami PG
Miyazaki Shining Suns 2010-11 record: 13-37 Head coach: Koto Toyama (second season)
1 Taishiro Shimizu G
2 Shinnosuke Oishi G
3 Yuta Kojima F
6 Darryl Dora F/C (Texas Tech)
8 Takuro Ito G
9 Dexter Lyons G/F (Central Florida)
25 Tsubasa Yonezawa G
34 Ivan Harris F (Ohio State)
39 Masato Tsukino G
44 Lewis Witcher PF/C (Virginia Tech)
Shimane Susanoo Magic 2010-11 record: 24-26 Head coach: Zeljko Pavlicevic (second season)
1 Edward Yamamoto PG
3 Michael Parker F (Evergreen State)
4 Jeral Davis C (Talladega State)
8 Reggie Golson F (Southeast Missouri State)
9 Koki Yabuuchi PG
10 B.J. Puckett C/F (Clayton State)
21 Yasuhisa Hikino SG
24 Jumpei Nakama SG
36 Shohei Nakama SG
41 Takashi Toyota G/F
55 Tatsuhiro Yokoo SG
