Japan’s not so secret weapon

Now it can be told.

Philippine basketball team coach Joseph Uichico knew all along Japan would play hotshot Takehiko Orimo, supposedly a doubtful starter, to start the quarterfinals at the 14th Asian Games in Busan the other day.

Orimo saw action in Japan’s first game, collecting 15 points in a 125-75 demolition of hapless Mongolia last Sunday. Then he mysteriously sat out the next assignment which Japan lost to South Korea by 17. That raised doubts, if not hopes, the 6-3 gunner wouldn’t suit up against the Philippines last Wednesday.

Orimo, 32, is no stranger to Uichico. At the 1994 Asiad in Hiroshima, Orimo played on the Japanese squad that edged the Philippines for the bronze. Uichico was then in national coach Norman Black’s staff. Orimo and 6-8 Satoru Furuta, 31, are the only holdovers from the 1994 team in Busan.

No doubt, Uichico remembers that Orimo was a vital cog in Japan’s machine in Hiroshima. Orimo compiled 13 points, including 2-of-4 treys, and six assists in 34 minutes–the most in his team–as Japan lost a close 88-79 decision to eventual champion China in the 1994 preliminaries.

Orimo is also no stranger to Filipino starter Kenneth Duremdes and assistant coach Allan Caidic who both played for the Philippines in 1994. In 1997, Orimo was back on the national team that took second place at the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championships in Riyadh. That earned for Japan a ticket to the World Championships in Athens the year after. In Riyadh, Orimo stood out for his perimeter sniping. He ranked seventh in scoring and averaged 25.5 points in his last two games. The Philippines finished ninth and one of coach Dong Vergeire’s players Danny Ildefonso is in Busan. So Orimo is no stranger to Ildefonso, too.

Orimo, Furuta, and Maikeru Takahashi are the only players from the 1997 team in Busan.

At the 1999 ABC championships in Fukuoka, Japan slipped to fifth and coach Mototaka Kohama resigned in shame. Orimo, Takuya Kita, Takahiro Setsumasa, and Furuta played for the national squad that year. The Philippines fell to 11th place under coach Louie Alas whose assistant was Boysie Zamar. Incidentally, Zamar is on Uichico’s staff in Busan. So Orimo is no stranger to Zamar, too.

Orimo didn’t play for Japan at the ABC championships in Shanghai last year. Neither did Takahashi.

Early this year, Caidic and another assistant coach Binky Favis traveled to Japan to scout the players expected to see action in Busan. Caidic and Favis were impressed by Orimo and Takahashi who were clearly the standouts in the Japan Basketball League (JBL). Orimo averaged 20.9 points and shot 44.6 percent from three-point range. He hit at least 30 points in three of 20 contests for Toyota Alvark which beat Isuzu, starring Takahashi, in the JBL Finals. Takahashi averaged 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

The JBL is called the Super League and featured high-caliber imports like Tony Lang, Ron Hale, Charles O’Bannon, David Booth, and Junior Burrough last season. It’s almost like the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) only a season extends to only five months.

Japanese coach Kenji Yoshida’s ploy was to keep Orimo under wraps in the game against South Korea. Japan, after all, could afford to lose to South Korea and still make it to the quarterfinals. Yoshida knew that Japan would likely face the Philippines in its first quarters assignment so his idea was to hide Orimo from nosy scouts. Uichico figured it out from the start.

Sure enough, Yoshida let Orimo loose against the Philippines. He fired 21 points in the first half as Japan opened a 40-34 lead. Orimo was a one-man wrecking crew as his teammates provided multiple screens to open him up for good looks. There were picks but hardly any rolls as the focus of Japan’s offense was almost exclusively to free up Orimo. Once, Orimo dished off to Takahashi on a pick-and-roll play.

For a while, it looked like Yoshida would outwit Uichico. Japan’s not so secret weapon was on fire and virtually unstoppable. Jeffrey Cariaso and Rudy Hatfield took turns shadowing Orimo who defied the defense by hitting off-balance jumpers from all angles. Orimo’s rare four-point play off a Cariaso tackle put Japan on top, 69-61, with six minutes left. But that proved to be Japan’s last gasp. Orimo eventually fouled out after tallying 33 points and the Philippines went on to win, 79-74.

The win over Japan was reminiscent of the Philippines’ heart-stopping twin kills at the 1990 Asiad in Beijing. The Filipinos beat Japan, 86-78, in the preliminaries, thanks to Caidic’s 34 points. Then, the Philippines repeated over Japan–but barely–on a 94-90 decision in the semis to set the stage for the gold medal showdown against China. The Philippines, coached by Robert Jaworsi, wound up with the silver.

Caloocan City Vice Mayor Tito Varela, a former PBA player and referee, said Japan’s style hasn’t changed through the years. "Mahirap kalaban ang Japan," noted Varela. "Ever since, pinahihirapan na tayo."

In the 1970s, Japan’s nucleus was anchored on crack shooter Masatomo Taniguchi, point guard Shigeaki Abe, power forward Norihiko Kitahara and center Hirofumi Numata. Today, the roles are the same, only the faces are different. Orimo is Taniguchi, Setsumasa is Abe, Furuta is Kitahara, and 6-11 Takashi Shinohara is Numata.