Japan men's basketball national team has a new head coach / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

After Julio Lamas stepped down from the Japan national team, Tom Hovasse was officially announced as the new bench boss.

This morning Julio Lamas wrote on his Twitter account: "After four years as the Head Coach of the Japanese National Team, this journey has come to an end. It has been a wonderful experience for me, I would like to offer my gratitude to the players, Coaching Staff, and all JBA members and wish them all the best in the future."

Lamas was named coach of the Japanese men's basketball team in 2017. Under the Argentinian basketball specialist, the Japanese national team participated in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, in which they finished eleventh. It was the first time since the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics when the Japanese team participated in the Olympic Games.

Japan was the lowest-ranked team in the FIBA ranking among the 12 participating teams and they qualified as hosts.

Meanwhile, Tom Hovasse coached the Japan women's squad to the silver medal at the 2020 Olympics. He started his coaching career in 2010 and since that time worked in women's basketball.

Like Julio Lamas, the American was named coach of the Japanese women's basketball team in 2017. With the Japan women's national team, he two times won FIBA Asia Cup (2017, 2019).

Hovasse's position will be filled by the Japanese Toru Onzuka. The specialist was an assistant coach of the women's team.

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