Yokohama B-Corsairs

The Yokohama B-Corsairs (横浜ビー・コルセアーズ, Yokohama Bii Koruse'a-zu) are a Japanese professional basketball team. Following the team's establishment in 2010, they participated in the Eastern Conference of the bj league for five seasons and in 2013 became the first team based in the Kanto region of Japan to win the league's championship.[1] From September 2016 the team will compete in the first division of the new professional basketball league.[2]

Yokohama B-Corsairs
LeaguesB.League
Founded2010
Historybj league (2010-2016)
ArenaYokohama International Swimming Pool
LocationYokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Team colors  navy blue
Main sponsorKowa Company
PresidentTetsuya Ueda
Team managerToshimitsu Kawachi
Head coachKyle Milling
Team captainRyo Tawatari
OwnershipYokohama Sports Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Championships1 (2012-13 bj league)
Retired numbers2 (3, 13)
Websiteb-corsairs.com

History

Early success in bj league (2011-13)

The B-Corsairs entered the league in the 2011-2012 season as one of four expansion teams, seeing the league grow from 16 to 20 teams. In their first season they finished in second place in the Eastern Conference,[3] led by league MVP Justin Burrell. Former NBA player Reggie Geary won the coach of the year award.[3] In the playoff series they finished third overall,[1] losing the Eastern Conference Final to the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix but defeating the Kyoto Hannaryz in the playoff for third.

The following season the B-Corsairs won the 2012-13 bj-league title, defeating Rizing Fukuoka in the championship game.[1] After again finishing second in the Eastern Conference, they overcame conference leader Niigata Albirex BB in the Eastern Conference Final, with Draelon Burns scoring in the final second of the game.[4] With the victory, Geary became the first foreign-born coach to win a title in the bj-league.[1] Team captain Masayuki Kabaya was named playoff MVP.

Descent from playoff contention (2013-2016)

The club's initial success came at a financial cost. In the off-season following their championship success, it was reported that the club was in financial difficulty and the ownership changed.[5] Geary left the club to join the Chiba Jets and the B-Corsairs' import players also signed with other clubs within Japan.[5] Geary's assistant Michael Katsuhisa became head coach[5] and Taketo Aoki retired as a player to become an assistant coach.[6] Import players Wayne Marshall, Marquise Gray and Omar Reed joined the club.[5] The 2013-14 season started reasonably well for the club, which was in playoff contention with a 16-17 record,[7] but it slumped at the end of the year and finished with a 24-28 record, missing out on the playoffs for the first time.[8]

Katsuhisa remained as head coach for the 2014-15 season and the team was again led by Kabaya and Marshall. Dzaflo Larkai, Carl Hall and Warren Niles were added as import players. Kenji Yamada was named captain although Kabaya remained with the team. The club struggled throughout the season however, with Marshall missing a quarter of the season due to injury.[8] They finished to 10th place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-34 win-loss record.[6]

At the end of the 2014-15 season Katsuhisa left the club and Aoki became the head coach.[6] Marshall left the club and was replaced by Jordan Henriquez. Cory Johnson and Emanuel Willis were also added to the roster, although Willis was released six games into the 2015-16 season.[9] Yamada continued in the role of team captain for the second season.[10] Satoshi Hisayama, who had been at the club since its beginning in 2011 but was released at the end of the 2014-15 season, returned to the club at the end of October to replace Willis.[11] Small forward Ryoichi Ishitani, who had been with the B-Corsairs training squad since the 2014-15 season, including a previous stint on the main squad between November 2014 and February 2015, was signed to a full contract and added to the main squad in February 2016.[12] After recording a 16-14 win-loss record in the first four months of the season,[13] the team slumped to manage just two wins in its next twenty games.[14] The team finished the season in 10th place in the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive year.[15] At the end of the season the club announced that it would not renew the contracts of Hall and Johnson.[16]

B.League

From September 2016 the B-Corsairs will compete in the Central Conference of the First Division of the B.League, a new three-division competition formed from the merger of the bj-league and the National Basketball League.[2][17] During the off-season Hisayama, who had been with the club since their foundation, announced his retirement as a player,[18] and joined the Shimane Susanoo Magic as a coach under Katsuhisa. Yamada was named as team captain for his third year.[19] Off-season signings included free agents Jeff Parmer (previously with Shiga)[20] and Faye Pape Mour (previously with Niigata),[21] as well as American Jason Washburn, who was previously playing in the Kosovo league in Europe.[22]

Record by season
LeagueSeasonRegular SeasonPlayoffsHead CoachRef
GPWL%GBFinish
bj-league2011-12523121.5966.02nd East Conf.ThirdReggie Geary[23]
2012-13523517.6731.02nd East Conf.Champions[24]
2013-14522428.46218.07th East Conf.Did not qualifyMichael Katsuhisa[25]
2014-15521834.34623.010th East Conf.Did not qualify[26]
2015-16521933.36520.010th East Conf.Did not qualifyTaketo Aoki[15]

Players

Current roster
Yokohama B-Corsairs roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.Name
PG 0 Yuki Kawamura
PF 1 Patrik Auda
PG 2 Kedrick Stockman Jr.
F 4 Robert Carter
F 7 Reginald Becton
G 9 Masaaki Morikawa
SF 10 Aki Chambers
PG 18 Kenta Morii
G/F 22 Kota Akiyama
PG 25 Ken Takeda
SG 30 Koya Sudo
PF 32 Edward Morris
PG 46 Shusuke Ikuhara
PF 81 Tsubasa Obara
Head coach

Kyle Milling

Assistant coach(es)

Kenji Yamada (basketball)
Shoyo Kato

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured
Updated: 2020

Individual awards

All-Star selections

Notable players

Head coaches
Years active Name Record
(W–L)		 Win % Playoff Record
(W–L)		 Playoff
Win %		 Playoff
Appearances		 Conference Titles League Titles Notes
2015-16 Taketo Aoki 19-33 .365 0-0 - 0 0 0 Played for B-Corsairs in 2011-12 and 2012-13
Assistant Coach in 2013-14 and 2014–15
2013-14
-
2014-15		 Michael Katsuhisa 42–62 .404 0–0 - 0 0 0 Assistant Coach in 2011-12 and 2012–13
2011-12
-
2012-13		 Reggie Geary 66-38 .635 5–1 .833 2 0 1 Named Coach of the year in 2011-12[3]
2017 Satoru Furuta 4-15 .211 Fired
2017-18 Shota Shakuno 15-39 .277
2018-20 Thomas Wisman 22-70 .239 Fired

Arenas

Practice facilities

The team practices at the Takigashira Kaikan in Isogo, Yokohama.

References
  1. Odeven, Ed (20 May 2013). "Yokohama captures first-ever bj-league title". Japan Times. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. Nagatsuka, Kaz (28 October 2015). "JPBL finalizes division placements for 2016-17". The Japan Times. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  3. "American Justin Burrell wins MVP in Japan pro league". ESPN. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  4. Odeven, Ed (19 May 2013). "Burns heroics give B-Corsairs shot at championship". Japan Times. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. Odeven, Ed (5 October 2013). "Kabaya looks past glory of title team, forward to new season". Japan Times. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  6. Odeven, Ed (5 June 2015). "Aoki named Yokohama B-Corsairs coach". Japan Times. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  7. Odeven, Ed (29 March 2014). "Struggling Yokohama falling out of playoff race". Japan Times. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  8. Odeven, Ed (2 April 2015). "Playoff race gathering momentum". Japan Times. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  9. "エマニュエル・ウィリス選手契約解除のお知らせ" [Notification of termination of contract with Emanuel Willis] (in Japanese). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  10. "プロバスケ「横浜ビー・コルセアーズ」が文体で開幕戦　1勝1敗でシーズンスタート" [Pro basketball "Yokohama B-Corsairs" open season at Cultural Gym, start season 1-1]. Yokohama Keizai Shimbun. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  11. "久山智志選手 契約締結のお知らせ" [Notification of contract signed with Satoshi Hisayama]. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  12. "西谷亮一選手 契約締結のお知らせ" [Notice of contract with Ryoichi Nishitani] (in Japanese). 8 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  13. "試合日程・結果" [Schedule and Results] (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  14. Odeven, Ed (17 April 2016). "Phoenix end Golden Kings' franchise-record winning streak". Japan Times. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  15. "順位表" [Standings] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  16. "コーリー選手、カール選手　契約満了のお知らせ" [End of contract period for Cory, Carl] (in Japanese). 17 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  17. "［JPBL］新リーグ1～3部階層分けの第2弾発表結果について" [(JPBL) Results of second round of dividing teams into Divisions 1-3 of new league] (in Japanese). 29 August 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  18. "久山智志選手 引退のお知らせ" [Notification of Satoshi Hisayama's retirement] (in Japanese). 16 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  19. "2016-17シーズン　背番号＆キャプテン　決定！" [2016-17 season uniform numbers and captain announced] (in Japanese). 27 July 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  20. "ジェフリー・パーマー選手 契約基本合意のお知らせ" [Notification of contract with Jeff Parmer] (in Japanese). 12 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  21. "ファイ・パプ月瑠選手 契約基本合意のお知らせ" [Notification of contract with Faye Pape Mour] (in Japanese). 12 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  22. "ジェイソン・ウォッシュバーン選手 契約基本合意のお知らせ" [Notification of contract with Jason Washburn] (in Japanese). 12 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  23. "2011–2012シーズン　最終順位" [2011–2012 Season Final Standings] (in Japanese). bj-league. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  24. "2012–2013レギュラーシーズン　順位表" [2012–2013 Regular Season Standings] (in Japanese). bj-league. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  25. "2013–2014レギュラーシーズン　順位表" [2013–2014 Regular Season Standings] (in Japanese). bj-league. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  26. "2014–2015レギュラーシーズン　順位表" [2014–2015 Regular Season Standings] (in Japanese). bj-league. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
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