The first Japanese Professional Basketball League was inaugurated in November, 2005 with 6 teams. At the end of a 120-game season that year, Osaka Evessa became the very first BJ-League champions. Now, the BJ-League has expanded into 12 teams divided into two conferences; Eastern and Western, and each team plays a total of 52 games. What I like about the BJ-League playoffs is that "The Final 4" is held at one location. This eliminates the concept of “home court advantage.” But, all games are played in the same arena one after another by single-elimination format. Meaning, if a team loses once, there is no chance for the championship and after three in a row, Osaka Evessa, one of the final four teams, was still in the running for a 4th BJ-League Championship. This also means (which we didn’t know in advance) after two full days of Dance Clinics, were another two full days packed with games (two games per day).
8:45am, Saturday morning, we all met in the lobby of the Tokyo Dome Hotel to leave for the Ariake Coliseum (originally designed to be the Wimbledon of Tokyo). We all had attended a press conference with the coaches of the final four teams (Tokyo, Hamamatsu, Osaka and Okinawa) at the Coliseum the day before, so we were slightly familiar with where we were suppose to go when we arrived. One interesting fact I learned during that conference was that the coach of the Tokyo Apache team was none other than the father of Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant; Joe Bryant. In fact, one of the BJ-League representatives shared with us that Kobe was names after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan.
As we entered our locker room, we were happily welcomed by two tables full of snacks. I must say, the Petit Kit Kats were the cutest things ever! The BJ-League had graciously posted a very detailed run-down of our schedule for the day on the wall. After noticing the schedule did not end until our 7:40pm performance with the Dance Clinic participants, it was our 11:45am call-time to practice on court. Boy, were we in for a busy day.
I’ll always remember the very first time I walked onto the court of the Oracle Arena. I had my camcorder in hand to remember that moment in my life. For years did I sit in the stands, entertained by those on the court and on that day, I was transformed from the one being entertained, to the one entertaining. From that day on, every home game reminded me of that moment, but never so clearly as it did the day we walked on the court of the Ariake Coliseum.
I was fortunate enough to travel with the team to Guangzhou and Beijing, China to perform at two of our pre-season games this year. Although those were two new arenas to me, I felt a little more connected with the audience in Tokyo. Maybe it was because Shania’s grandmother’s good friends were watching her dance for the very first time, or knowing that the Japanese intern we had been working with will be performing for the first time in front of all her friends and family with an NBA dance team. Yet, it is also very possible to feel more connected with the audience because my brother had moved to Japan three years ago and was going to be attending the games.We walked through the hallways and down a few stairs, and found colorful lights beaming through the tunnel. As we slowly entered the arena, the lights added a dramatic effect to our first impression of the coliseum. At that moment, I felt like an international super star. One of the dance teams of the Final Four was scheduled to practice on the court before us and as they danced, the colored lights were used to make it more “concert-like”. We weren’t going to be just, “A Great Time Out,” here; we were going to put on an unbelievable 90-second concert.
As we watched the other dance team finish up their rehearsal, I noticed the two major things that made this arena feel so new and different. First of all, the Ariake Coliseum still seemed very large, but it only sat 15,000 people (the Oracle Arena has a maximum occupancy of 19,200 plus 72 luxury suites). Secondly, the flooring of the court was completely different from the hardwood flooring in Oakland. After some research, I found it was made of small, grey-colored pieces (250 x 250 x 12.7mm) of Polypropylene (Read more at: http://www.nihon-sportcourt.co.jp/sportcourt/index.html). Although the flooring was slightly shock absorbant, it didn’t affect our dancing. During our quick rehearsal, I almost forgot we were overseas. For ten minutes, we were so focused on practicing; it felt like home.In addition to the older aged dance clinics we hosted on the previous days, two more were scheduled for the younger kids. Prior to each first game of the day, three groups of children (separated by age) were given 45 minutes to learn a routine they would perform during the pre-game. We definitely underestimated the talent in Japan. Even at a very young age, the participants were very disciplined! They picked up the dance moves so quickly I was worried it might have been too easy!
Pre-game: After each WG had gotten dressed and their hair and make-up done, we found ourselves waiting in the tunnel for our cue. It was time for our BJ-League debut! The announcer was speaking in Japanese but we knew when to run out when he said, “...Warrior Girls!”
What a crowd! From the moment we stepped onto the court, the cheering did not stop. After we performed, each girl was individually introduced to the fans. One by one, we waved to the audience as each name was called. A special introduction was made for Yoshimi (our Japanese intern). This was a big day for her. When her name was announced, I felt an abundance of inspiration. After much hard work and training, we were finally sharing the “stage”.
Let the games begin! Game 1: Osaka vs. Okinawa. Game 2: Tokyo vs. Hamamatsu. Not much differed from the game. Same concept, same equipment, and same rules. Well, there were a few additional rules to the game being in Japan:1. No more than three (3) non-Asian players can enter the game at the same time.
2. No more than four (4) non-Japanese players can enter the game at the same time
Consequently, at least one player with Japanese nationality must stay on the court during the game (http://www.bj-league.com/html/en/index.html).
Because the playoffs were taking place at a mutual location, each team brought their own dance team. It must have been a field day for Game Operations! Every game is set up like a big production. So much work goes on behind the scenes and the games in Japan were no different. With three dance teams, our WG Dance Clinic participants, and all the sponsors, there was never a dull moment.
After Day 1 of games, Okinawa and Tokyo were moving on to the finals. So much for Osaka’s fourth championship in a row. As we cleaned up our locker room, each dance team came in to visit. It was our little meet and greet session. Tokyo actually has a second dance team of younger kids who would be the equivalent of Golden State’s Jr. Jam Squad. A few of them performed a short dance sequence for us because we didn’t get a chance to watch them during the game. I was definitely most impressed by them.
It had been a long day. We were exhausted but knew we had to do it all over again.8:45am, Game Day 2, everyone was in the lobby, prepared for another long, but exciting day. When we arrived, we went to the locker room, practiced on court, danced with the children and then got dressed and ready for the games. At the end of the day, Okinawa came on top, but for me, the best part was still to come.
My brother had invited five of his friends to come with him and watch the games. It was now their turn to come visit the locker room.“You girls were great!”
It was wonderful to see him and have him see how much I have grown since he moved. It meant so much when I discovered he attended his first BJ-League game because I was going to be there. In the end, one of my most memorable moments were created. I love being able to reach out in the community and share with those, what I love to do. Now, my community has extended internationally. Thank you.
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