Any new sports league will face bumps on the road to respectability. Players, coaches and front-office types will work incredibly long hours as they strive to give the fans a product they want to care about.
As the bj-league prepares for the start of its fourth season next month, Commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi has plenty of reasons to sit back and smile about what the league has accomplished in such a short span of time. At the top of that list should be this remarkable achievement: The league has doubled its number of teams (from six to 12) since its first game was played in the fall of 2005.
Furthermore, quality players from quality American universities have become fan favorites here.