Before the dark days of the winter, the first five weeks of the season have essentially served as a dress rehearsal for the bj-league's 13 teams.
After all, only six men returned as coaches to the teams they guided in the 2008-09 season. Seven teams hired new floor bosses to start this season, including the expansion Kyoto Hannaryz, who are 3-5 entering the coming weekend.
The incumbents are: Kazuo Nakamura (Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix), Honoo Hamaguchi (Sendai 89ers), Masaya Hirose (Niigata Albirex BB), Dai Oketani (Ryukyu Golden Kings), Bob Pierce (Shiga Lakestars) and Kensaku Tennichi (Osaka Evessa).