Painting Nagoya green

NAGOYA – It wasn’t easy arranging the La Salle team’s trip to this major Japanese port city. For a delegation of 36, the challenge was securing visas from the Japanese Embassy in Manila in time for the departure which was set last Thursday. When word came in that the visas would be issued on Thursday morning, the departure was immediately reset for the next day on PAL at 7:40 a.m. Games were scheduled for the visiting Archers, two on Saturday and two on Sunday by organizer Jerry Fernando. Although the team flew in a day late, the weekend booking was saved.

Fernando, a Filipino who has lived in Japan for 30 years, works in a plumbing company but is best known as a basketball player and organizer here. An Aquinas School and UE alumnus, he supplied shoes for the Warriors when Derick Pumaren was the coach and did the same with EAC in the NCAA as a way of showing support for the Filipino game. “Anytime Manong visits Nagoya, I host him at our place,” said Fernando. “We’re that close.” It was Fernando who made sure the Archers would face tough opposition in the four-game weekend series.

“Manong wanted to get his boys ready for the UAAP so I looked for teams that would put up a fight,” said Fernando. “First, I got the Nagoya varsity then I booked three B.League D3 teams.” Fernando said he couldn’t have done it without the backing of Japan Sports Association director Hideaki Yusui and Aichi Student Basketball Federation director Matsuhiro Kozo. Awoo Lacson coordinated the trip on the La Salle side. Pumaren came with assistants Gabby Velasco, Gian Nazario, Noy Falcasantos and Mon Jose. The Nagoya school team was led by 6-9 Nigerian Peter Okoye who has lived in Japan the last five years. Okoye, 20, said he was brought to Japan by a US recruiter to play high school hoops and has two years left before earning a degree.

Fernando said he used to play in the Aichi Ken league but now manages the Pro Line club bannered by playing coach Rod Canon, a 45-year-old Atlanta native. Canon is married to a Japanese with three children and is immersed in the game. Aside from his duties at Pro Line, Canon plays in the 3x3 pro circuit and is involved in skills development. Two of Canon’s closest friends are 2006 Dallas second round draft pick and Panamanian national player JR Pinnock and former PBA import/NBA veteran Richard Jeter.

The Archers lost to Nagoya by one, Toyoda Gosei Scorpions by 11, Gifu Swoops by 18 and beat Veertien Mie by four. The win over Veertien came at the expense of three imports on the floor, 6-5 Haymond Tucker of Western Michigan, 6-8 Joshua Martin of Santa Clara and 6-9 naturalized player Dieye Sakamoto. The game got testy when Joaqui Manuel was decked on a tackle and Earl Abadam took an elbow on the face from a moving Martin pick that wasn’t called. Deschon Winston shot 19 in the win, Mark Nonoy 15 and CJ Austria and Bright Nwankwo 10 each. On the team’s free day yesterday, the players were split into two groups that took bullet trains to Tokyo and Osaka. Team managers Terry Capistrano, Raffy Villavicencio and Justice Andy Reyes accompanied the delegation which returns home this afternoon.