Head coach Joe Bryant of the cash-strapped Rera Kamuy Hokkaido has been fired, a Japan Basketball League official said on Thursday.

Rera Kamuy, whose management company Fantasia Entertainment Co. Ltd., has been expelled from the JBL due to outstanding debts incurred over the past few seasons, has handed the coaching reins to Yoshinori Kaneta, who had served as an assistant coach under Bryant, for this weekend's series against the Toshiba Brave Thunders, the source said in a telephone conversation. Bryant confirmed the news in an e-mail.

Rera Kamuy (6-16) has the worst record in the eight-team JBL.

According to published reports, the JBL-appointed JBO will manage Rera Kamuy for the remainder of the season. Player contracts will be handled by the league office, as all players' previous deals were terminated after the Sapporo-based team's management company was forced out of the picture by the JBL.

Bryant, a former NBA player, Italian League star and father of Los Angeles Lakers standout Kobe, coached the bj-league's Tokyo Apache from 2005-09, compiled a 92-84 regular-season record and led the club to two championship runnerup finishes.