author

 
 
Ed Odeven
Ed Odeven covers primarily basketball for The Japan Times. He reported on a wide range of sports from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Summer Games for this newspaper. A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Odeven is a graduate of Arizona State University. He previously worked for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, Ariz., reporting on high school, collegiate, professional and Olympic sports (Flagstaff is a major international Olympic training site due to its high elevation) and writing a weekly column. His articles have appeared in Venezuela Online News, The Gleaner (Jamaica), the Monitor (Uganda), The Moscow Times, Swimming World Magazine and numerous other publications.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 5, 2012
Brave Warriors take advantage of Jets' struggles to claim win
Statisticians develop fancy formulas to calculate lots of numbers and to identify patterns in those numbers. Basketball coaches, on the other hand, will often point to one team's domination in certain phases of the game to explain the way things work.
BASKETBALL
Mar 4, 2012
B-Corsairs make point with tenacious defense
As has been the case throughout the season, defense fueled the Yokohama B-Corsairs' win on Saturday, a 66-59 road triumph over the Osaka Evessa.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Mar 3, 2012
89ers' Fitzgerald, Shimura share monthly honor for brilliance on offense
Success on offense begins with good shooting, good passing and good teamwork.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 3, 2012
Time for league to adopt 6-foul rule
There are several sensible reasons for the bj-league to adopt the NBA's six-personal foul disqualification rule. And by doing so, Japan's upstart pro circuit would be increasing the number of personal fouls it permits by one.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 2, 2012
Aomori's entry delayed a year by lack of sponsorship
By delaying its entry into the bj-league by a year, the Aomori expansion franchise will have more time to get its financial house in order. At least that's the basic assumption one has after last Friday's announcement made official what had been expected for several months.
BASKETBALL
Feb 27, 2012
Golden Kings' Namizato plays starring role in win over Big Bulls
Twenty-two-year-old Narito Namizato is one of the youngest players in the bj-league. He's also one of the boldest, and quickly becoming one of the league's elite players.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 26, 2012
Nakase says goal is to coach in NBA
Isn't it funny how likes and dislikes can shape one's future when you least expect it?
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 26, 2012
89ers edge Five Arrows
The worst team in bj-league history suffered another setback on Saturday.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 24, 2012
Knight still wonders why no team would give him shot
As the playoff chase picks up steam in the coming weeks, several bj-league general managers could be shaking their heads and asking themselves, "Why didn't I sign Billy Knight?"
BASKETBALL
Feb 20, 2012
Washington dominates as Evessa beat Broncos
Sometimes, the best players need to demand the ball.
BASKETBALL
Feb 19, 2012
Ashby carries Lakestars to dramatic win over Grouses
First-year coach Alan Westover's Shiga Lakestars became the fifth Western Conference squad to reach 20 wins this season in the bj-league, and they did so in dramatic fashion.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 19, 2012
Setoyama says team play has Kyoto on pace for Final Four
The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Kyosuke Setoyama of the Kyoto Hannaryz is the subject of this week's profile.
BASKETBALL
Feb 18, 2012
Search on for new coach after JBA drops Wisman
After less than two years in charge, Thomas Wisman's ouster on Wednesday by the Japan Basketball Association was expected by those who pay attention.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 17, 2012
Shimura steps up as Sendai stays on course for playoffs
It's a bye week for the Sendai 89ers, and the perfect time to take stock of their season through 32 games.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Feb 15, 2012
Opinions split on moving powerhouse Phoenix to Western Conference
There's a very real possibility that the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix will play in the bj-league's Western Conference next season, as the league's preliminary scheduling blueprint for 2012-13 has shown. It's not official yet, but the expectation here is that it's a done deal.
BASKETBALL
Feb 13, 2012
Aoki buzzer-beater propels Evessa to win over Brave Warriors
Game highlights may rarely appear frequently on national news telecasts, but the bj-league is providing lots of drama on a regular basis.
BASKETBALL
Feb 12, 2012
Palmer's heroics give Golden Kings win over Phoenix
David Palmer canned a game-winning 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to give the visiting Ryukyu Golden Kings a pulse-rising 80-78 victory over the two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix on Saturday night in the bj-league.
BASKETBALL
Feb 11, 2012
B-Corsairs take step in right direction with victory over Susanoo Magic
To qualify for the playoffs, the Yokohama B-Corsairs will probably need to play .500 ball for the remainder of the season. Of course, every victory is a step in that direction.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 10, 2012
Solid record not enough for Ogawa in Fukuoka
The euphoria of Sunday's series-ending road victory for the undermanned Rizing Fukuoka against the Kyoto Hannaryz, a rising power, didn't last very long.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 10, 2012
Obuchi's return to form gives Evessa more firepower
For Masashi Obuchi, an innate scoring sense and recognition of when and where to take shots served him well during his early days in the bj-league.

Longform

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