As the bj-league's rapid growth has infused new talent into the nation's first pro basketball league, those players and coaches have made a big impact on the sport.
Case in point: This season's Best Five team, selected by team and league officials, including players, features five first-time selections, it was announced Wednesday.
Rizing Fukuoka standout Kevin Palmer, who scored 42 points against Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix on Dec. 2, is an electrifying swingman who headlines this year's Best Five squad. Yokohama B-Corsairs forward Justin Burrell, an 18.7 point-per-game performer and a rookie out of St. John's in the rugged Big East Conference, joins Palmer in the frontcourt, along with Hamamatsu big man Atsuya Ota, who made 16 starts in 52 games. Ota averaged 5.7 ppg and grabbed in 52 games. Ota averaged 5.7 ppg and grabbed 265 rebounds, or nearly 500 fewer than Niigata big man Chris Holm. (Ota has received ample praise from coaches and players for his fundamental skills, but never been declared the league's best center during hundreds of conversations this reporter has had with league sources.)