Back To Work!

Well This past weekend was the BJ League All Star break so we have not had practice since Friday. I didn't do much this weekend just kind of hung around and talk to friends and family back in the States. I had to do a talk show on Saturday morning which lasted 6 hours so I was pretty tired afterwards but somehow I mustered up some energy from somewhere and went to the gym for a couple of hours. We start practice again tomorrow and I can't wait because I miss playing basketball. We have 2 home games this weekend against Saitama and Im pretty excited to get back on the court. We need these two wins to make a push back to 1st place in our divison (Currently 1 game out of 1st) and try to secure it for the remainder of the season. I know my teammates are excited to get back on the court so this week at practice should be interesting. If you happen to be in Japan this weekend come check us out! lol

2 Basketball Leagues in Japan

There are two different leagues here in Japan one called the JBL and the other one is the BJ League. I have had the honor to play in both of these leagues over the past 3 years and I must say they are a bit different. I played for the Hitachi Sunrockers in the JBL my first two years here in Japan. In this particular league you can only have two import players (Americans) On each team and there is a rule that you can only have one import on the floor at a time. This league is really good and what I like about it is that it makes you play harder because you have to share time with the other american so really you are only playing about 20 minutes a game. The JBL has only 8 teams in the league and 3 of those teams are in Tokyo so there is not a lot of traveling involved. This league usually starts in September early october, but the teams require you to report to your team in Late July. The other league which I am currently in as of now, is ran a little differently. In the BJ League you can have up to 5 import players on a team but can only have 3 on the court at a time. In the 2nd quarter you are only allowed to have 2 imports on the floor, but in the 3rd and 4th it goes back to normal. The BJ League is split up in east and west divisions kind of like the NBA and there are over 20 teams in this league spread out all over Japan so you do a lot of traveling. This league starts a little later than the JBL and runs all the way until may playing 52 games!! Players usually report in late August and the season kicks off a month and a half later.

Life In Japan

Hello there! For those who don't know me my name is Lamar Rice and I have been playing basketball here in Japan for 3 years now. I have been playing professional basketball overseas for 6 years now and I have played in 5 different countries which include Costa Rica, France, Switzerland, Angola, and Japan of course. Japan is by far the best country I have played in based on so many things. The past 2 years I played in Tokyo which is the largest city in japan. Tokyo reminds me of New York City because of all the bright lights and the many many people you see walking around the city. Tokyo has just about everything food wise that you could find in the United States but I must say it is a bit more pricier. Japan uses the Yen for currency which is much stronger than the Dollar these days so living in Japan isn't cheap. I now live in a city called Otsu which I believe is west of Tokyo (about a hour and half train ride) and its very beautiful here. I play for a team called the Shiga Lakestars out here and we are currently in season as of now. I Will give you a breakdown what a week is like for me during the season. We usually play our games on the weekend Saturday and Sunday so playing back to back nights like that could get tough down the stretch of the season. Monday is our off day, Tuesdays practice only consist of shooting and fundamental drills usually only lasts about a hour. Wednesday we watch around 1 pm and then practice right after for about 2 hours. Thursday is pretty much the same as wednesday and on friday we just review what our opponent is going to do so its pretty much a relaxed practice.