Longtime coach Kazuo Nakamura will lead the Hamamatsu Higashi Mikawa Phoenix in their inaugural season in the bj-league, it was announced on Wednesday.
Nakamura, 67, has coached since the mid-1960s and has been at the helm of the team formerly known as OSG Phoenix since 1998, when it competed in the Japan Industrial League.
Along with the Phoenix, the Shiga Lakestars begin play in the bj-league next fall, giving the league 12 teams in its fourth season.