Tokyo Top 30 Showcase with Tokyo Samurai! Once again, I went to the Culttz Kawasaki sports complex in Kanagawa Prefecture. There were so many players, coaches and talent scouts. I was was lucky enough to photograph it. It was the best day of basketball.
Coach Kris Thiesen was the man behind the event, and he put on a great day. He explained to me that the players were all between fifteen and twenty-four. The older ones were there trying to get contracts with Japanese B-League teams. But everyone was there to get on the radar of talent scouts, now or in the future.
There was also another purpose. In the summer, Tokyo Samurai will travel to the United States to play there. So, Tokyo Top 30 Showcase was a great chance for everyone to get noticed. It was the perfect place to fight for a spot for players wanting to get onto teams.
I had a great day. The photography was good, but the lighting could have been a little better. If the gym had been slightly brighter, we would have got more keepers. During my time there, I took about 4500 photos. Of those, I got about 1500 that were pretty good or better. It was a case of what could have been.
Shooting basketball sometimes makes me want a full-frame camera. That would give better lowlight abilities. I don’t know if that will happen since I am invested in the Fujifilm system. Still, I am jealous of sports photographers who use Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras. They have the edge, that is for sure.
Anyway, the basketball games were great. I saw a lot of good players that day. People like Kaine Roberts and Damiloka Mosaku. They have great skills and can motivate others. Where will they be in a few years? For young guys, they were amazing. It’ll be exciting watching them and the others as they get older.
Basketball is a sport that transcends barriers. Language is not a problem. As Kris explained, the coaching is in English, but some of the kids don’t speak the language at all. It’s not a problem. Many players are bilingual, so there is always someone around to translate. Anyway, it is all about skills. If you have those, there is a place on the court.
I mightn’t know many of the kids in these photos by name, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing them in a B-League team someday. Some of their past members have even gone on to play in the Japanese Olympic team. Their future is looking bright.
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I was one of the referees for this event. It was great. The players were talented and respectful. The coaching was great and the event was very well organized. Would like to see more pictures. Can you send me some with the referees in the shot. I also heard there are some videos of the games. Any possibility of getting the link?
Sorry, but all the photos for this event have been deleted. As for the videos, I had nothing to do with them.