Saitama – The Kawasaki Brave Thunders captured their first Emperor’s Cup in seven years on Saturday.
But it’s the way in which they did so that will hopefully serve as a confidence builder toward their ultimate goal winning the B. League.
When thinking of the Brave Thunders, stars such as Nick Fazekas, Ryusei Shinoyama and Naoto Tsuji, who together have anchored the team for much of the last decade, quickly come to mind.
But the team didn’t have to lean on those players in order to win the Emperor’s Cup.
“It was huge for us to know that what we’ve done all year hasn’t been wrong,” point guard and captain Shinoyama said after Kawasaki’s 76-60 win over the Utsunomiya Brex in Saturday’s final. “And we feel like we are going to get even better from here then on. The Emperor’s Cup title will make us believe we can achieve what we want.
Mar 13, 2021
Saitama – The Kawasaki Brave Thunders captured their first Emperor’s Cup title in seven years on Saturday, taking the crown with a 76-60 win over the Utsunomiya Brex in the All-Japan Championship men’s final in front of a crowd of 4,738 at Saitama Super Arena.
The Kanagawa Prefecture club, which lost against the Sunrockers Shibuya in the gold medal game last year, won the annual single-elimination tournament for the fourth time.
“We’re extremely happy that we were able to play against a great team in front of this crowd while we’re going through a tough situation,” Kawasaki head coach Kenji Sato said after the game, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.