I had the chance to interview Narito Namizato, who is playing for Osaka Evessa this season, and draw a portrait of him.

（The article is here：http://goo.gl/4FFjyI）

As a second year student at Fukuoka Daiichi High School, he applied for the 1st Slam Dunk Scholarship, made it past the finial tryout, and won himself the chance to play at South Kent School in Connecticut, USA. Language probably felt like a thick barrier, but he received high praise for his play from the coaches.

As the first scholarship recipient, he had nobody who had come before him to consult, but his effort and preserverance brought him through it and along the road he has travelled since. As the founder and as a Japanese basketball fan, I thank him from the bottom of my heart.

I watched a game before the interview. Namizato made a triumphat return to his hometown of Okinawa as the game was against the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

At 172cm tall, he is one of the shortest point guards in the country. He should be small, but his play doesn’t appear that way. In fact, it felt like he was the star. Maybe it was because of how he continously moved around, calling to his teammates, trying to create momentum. Or his magical ball handling skills. Or his competitive nerve.His presence felt huge.

Had he ever felt at a disadvantage for being small? After considering for a moment, he confidently answers “No”. Although he does laugh that whenever he lines up next to a tall foreigner off the court he goes “Man you’re tall!”.

“The NBA is my dream” he states with bright, unclouded eyes. That has been unchanged since before he went to study abroad. He’s almost apologetic about the fact that he hasn’t made it into the NBA yet, he is that confident that he is suited for it. That is a real goal.

About Isaiah Thomas, point guard for the NBA’s Boston Celtics. He was also at South Kent at the same time, so they had a chance to match up together. He stands at 175cm tall — very small for the NBA. At the time, Namizato says he at first did not know what to expect his opponent would do. Coincidentally, that was the same feeling as when Yuta Tabuse matched up with Steve Nash. Many people thought that he wouldn’t make it in the NBA because of his size. They pointed to the fact that he was drafted 60th in the second round (the last pick) as evidence of that. But whenever Namizato heard other players saying that in America, he said he always thought to himself “I don’t think so” and that “he will make a big impact in the NBA”. This season, Thomas was the Celtics’ ace, averaging 22.2 points and 6.2 assists a game, and was chosen to be an All Star. Thomas’ impact has been a big motivation and source of encouragement.

（Find out more about Thomas here：http://goo.gl/EblmLI）

As the interview was about approaching the stars of the B League, I asked him about his enthusiasm for playing in the B League. His face lit up (after mentioning that he would like to play in America), he said that he plans to play with the purpose of besting all his opponents and letting them now that Namizato is on the court.

The wild child has matured into a leader. He’s nurtured his dream from childhood and turned into a man.

He said that on 6/25, he will once again try to compete in America this year. It’s not a mistake to say that the NBA is an extremely high wall for anyone in the world. But as long as you are out there competing, you don’t know who might be watching, or what chances might fall your way. To say it in a Japanese way, one doesn’t know where or when fortune may grow, and how that will change your situation. I want him to do everything that he should, and unabashedly grab ahold his chances. I pray that Namizato will have the chance to dazzle and entertain everyone watching with his skills.

No matter what court he ends up playing on next seaon, you won’t be able to take your eyes off this man’s play.

Takehiko Inoue