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 / HOOP SCOOP
Oct 31, 2012
Zeller's long journey to NBA began with Shiga Lakestars
Luke Zeller, one of three brothers to earn the prestigious Mr. Basketball title during his Indiana schoolboy days, was undrafted after a steady but unspectacular four-year collegiate career at Notre Dame. He began his professional career with the Shiga Lakestars in 2009.
BASKETBALL
Oct 29, 2012
Hamamatsu's Galloway orchestrates high-octane offense in impressive win over Shimane
You probably didn't know that Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix newcomer Kevin Galloway attended USC, College of Southern Idaho, Kentucky and Texas Southern before embarking on a pro career last year.
BASKETBALL
Oct 28, 2012
Sneed, Big Bulls overwhelm Crane Thunders
Center Dillion Sneed sored 33 points on 12-for-15 shooting and raked in 13 rebounds to lead the host Iwate Big Bulls to a 102-67 victory over the winless Gunma Crane Thunders on Saturday in the bj-league.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 27, 2012
Cinq Reves comeback falls short against Grouses
Playing the first regular-season home game in franchise history, the expansion Tokyo Cinq Reves trailed by 18 points after one quarter on Friday evening.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 26, 2012
Quick start gives perennial struggler Oita hope for successful year
The Oita HeatDevils entered the 2012-13 having played 328 regular-season games over the past seven seasons. The HeatDevils lost 200 of those games — a nice round number — and won on 128 occasions.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Oct 24, 2012
Senkaku dispute opens door wider for Istanbul 2020 bid
A prominent Turkish journalist believes that the ongoing dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands could affect the outcome of the voting for the 2020 Olympics, thereby making Istanbul's path to victory easier.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 24, 2012
Chaos continues in Osaka as Evessa fire coach
How the mighty have fallen.
BASKETBALL
Oct 24, 2012
TV outlets drop bj-league
In a crushing double blow to the bj-league's credibility, BS Fuji and Gaora gave up or reduced planned televised coverage of regular-season games after the 2011-12 season. The matter was essentially handled as a secret by the league office, which made no formal announcement about the issue.
BASKETBALL
Oct 24, 2012
Evessa disaster was predictable, coach claims
In the aftermath of Osaka Evessa coach Zoran Kreckovic's getting fired on Monday, there were many stunned players and coaches around the bj-league, what with Kreckovic only lasting four games in charge. Teams play a 52-game season.
BASKETBALL
Oct 22, 2012
'Mr. 89ers' leads Sendai past Grouses
Through all the ups and downs since the Sendai 89ers joined the bj-league for its inaugural season in 2005, Hikaru Kusaka has been a part of the Tohoku team.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Oct 21, 2012
Payton says NBA players lack will to defend
Gary Payton played point guard as fearlessly and with as much intensity on defense as anyone has ever done. He's equally as bold when it comes to dishing out his opinions about the sport he still loves.
BASKETBALL
Oct 21, 2012
Davis, Susanoo Magic rout Shining Suns
Center Jeral Davis was an unstoppable force for the Shimane Susanoo Magic in Satuday's bj-league series opener against the Miyazaki Shining Suns, scoring 27 points on 13-for-17 shooting.
BASKETBALL
Oct 20, 2012
HeatDevils edge Hannaryz
The Oita HeatDevils jumped out to a 35-10 lead after one quarter and held off the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz's ferocious comeback on Friday night in the bj-league.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 19, 2012
Ex-Apache forward Baker poised for return with Broncos
Veteran forward Dameion Baker, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on May 17, 2009, in the championship game at Ariake Colosseum, while playing for the Tokyo Apache and hasn't played a pro game since then, will join the Saitama Broncos in the coming days, a source familiar with the deal told The...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 16, 2012
Aoki takes care of business to give Cinq Reves first win
Entering this season, six-time All-Star Cohey Aoki had made 1,255 baskets — plus 983 free throws, while converting an astonishing 89.2 percent of his shots at the foul line — in 8,642 minutes of playing time in the regular season since the league's inception in 2005. Many of his most important points...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 12, 2012
Phoenix joined power-packed Western field
There's a new heavyweight in the West.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 12, 2012
Iwate likely to emerge as power in Eastern Conference
In the rapidly changing bj-league, the Eastern Conference welcomes a pair of new franchise — the Gunma Crane Thunders and Tokyo Cinq Reves — to the fold this season, while the mighty Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, a three-time finalist and two-time champion, shift to the Western Conference....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 12, 2012
Geary confident Yokohama will contend with almost new foreign crew
The Yokohama B-Corsairs accomplished great things as an expansion franchise last season, defying the odds by reaching the Final Four.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 8, 2012
Crane Thunders fall to Grouses in bj-league debut
The Gunma Crane Thunders recorded a loss in the first regular-season game in franchise history on Sunday, but coach Tadashi Hayashi's club proved to be a worthy challenger against the Toyama Grouses in the teams' bj-league season opener.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 7, 2012
Reigning champion Golden Kings open season with victory
The bj-league's eighth season tipped off on Saturday with three games, and the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings defeated the host Kyoto Hannaryz 82-73 in Koto Toyama's first game at the helm.

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