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 / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 12, 2011
Annual player movement resembles motion offense
Continuity, or even a cheap semblance of it, is a rarity in the ever-changing bj-league.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 5, 2011
Aoki, Joho unsigned with training camp on horizon
Five-time All-Star Cohey Aoki hasn't played a bj-league game since March 10, the day before the Great East Japan Earthquake, when the Tokyo Apache and Akita Northern Happinets squared off at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2.
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 3, 2011
Kitajima has work to do in bid for triple Olympic glory
Sometimes the smartest thing an athlete, team or coach can do is call a timeout.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 29, 2011
Ishizaki set to play in Germany's second-tier league
Japan national team guard Takumi Ishizaki will lace up his sneakers in the German Pro A League in 2011-12, German media reported this week.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 13, 2011
Veteran coach Pierce to take over in Sendai
Veteran bench boss Bob Pierce, who guided the Shiga Lakestars and Akita Northern Happinets during their inaugural seasons, will become the second head coach in Sendai 89ers history, The Japan Times has learned.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 29, 2011
Sale of Apache not on fast track; HeatDevils to play on
Technically, it's too early to say the Tokyo Apache are defunct.
BASKETBALL
Jun 26, 2011
Draft starts a new challenge for Tyler
The journey has only begun.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 25, 2011
Tyler goes in 2nd round before trade to Warriors
Former Tokyo Apache forward/center Jeremy Tyler has a new home in northern California.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 24, 2011
Prospects look grim for HeatDevils in Oita
The Oita HeatDevils' budgetary woes aren't surprising to longtime observers of the league. But the temerity with which they begged fans for money to help them make ends meet for the 2011-12 season caught people's attention over the weekend.
BASKETBALL
Jun 19, 2011
HeatDevils endangered again
The Oita HeatDevils have made a plea for fans and businesses to step up and offer financial support for the coming season. On Friday, the bj-league club announced on its website that it needs ¥45 million by June 24 or it will be difficult to field a team for the 2011-12 season.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jun 19, 2011
Strong workouts likely make Tyler a first-round pick
You already know that Japanese basketball's significance on a global scale is minor in comparison to most nations. And yes, most of this nation's residents can tell you that Yuta Tabuse was a trailblazer for Japanese basketball by becoming the first Japanese to play in the NBA.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 17, 2011
Nakamura hopes to bring winning ways to Akita
Fiery leader Kazuo Nakamura is officially on board as the Akita Northern Happinets' new head coach. The announcement, made earlier this week, was in the works for weeks.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 17, 2011
Iwate makes Itakura No. 1 pick in bj-league expansion draft
Four bj-league expansion teams took small steps in laying the foundation for their inaugural 2011-12 season on Thursday as the league's annual draft was held in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 15, 2011
Kawachi meets group seeking to buy Apache
Toshimitsu Kawachi, the bj-league commissioner, met with the Tokyo Apache's potential new owners on Monday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 15, 2011
Gardow named first coach of Chiba Jets
The Chiba Jets, a bj-league expansion team set to begin play in the fall, have hired veteran American mentor Eric Gardow as their first coach.
BASKETBALL
Jun 11, 2011
Two groups bidding to buy Tokyo Apache
The Tokyo Apache's immediate future is still up in air.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 10, 2011
Toyama dumps coach again; Ishizaki eyes Europe
The Toyama Grouses' predictable blueprint — one that's failed repeatedly — contained the following decision on Wednesday:
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 8, 2011
Apache pull plug on 2011-12 season
Due to financial problems, the Tokyo Apache have suspended operations for the bj-league's 2011-12 season, it was announced on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 5, 2011
Abdul-Rauf reminisces about his playing days with Shaq
Shaquille O'Neal's larger-than-life persona followed him wherever he went during his colorful 19-year odyssey in the NBA.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jun 5, 2011
Parmer headlines Top 20 players in 2010-11
With four new teams joining the bj-league over the past two seasons, it has become a greater challenger to select Hoop Scoop's Top 20 players. But it's a worthwhile — and necessary — challenge. One that will become greater next June, following the first season with 20 teams, including...

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