"Towards リーグ戦" 3年・#6 Ubai Robert Kingzio

I'm Ubai Robert Kingzio, a 3rd year student majoring in International Business and Economics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University. I'm from a very small country called Palau, which is located in the western Pacific Ocean.

BACKGROUND, ADAPTING, LEARNING, VOCAL

I started playing basketball at a very young age, and I would say that I have a good amount of experience with playing against people of different levels and caliber.
I have participated in basketball competitions within my country and have also represented my country at various basketball competitions held outside of my country. With a good amount of experience, I think I'm able to keep up with the club in discussions regarding basketball. Though I do not speak Japanese and only understand parts of the discussion, I think I'm able to piece together the goal and how coaches, the captain, and other senior students want the team to execute major and minor things on and off the court to work towards the club's goal.

I'm a 3rd year student, but this was my 1st year joining the club. At times, I would be confused whether I should give advice to some of the younger members on the team, or if I should avoid giving advice that would contradict with the team's overall playing style. I was a 先輩 to some members, but also was a new guy on the team.
So it was a little difficult to find where I would fit in and to see what my role was.
But as time went by throughout the 2023 season, I started to find my place. It was a humbling, eye-opening experience that I will forever be grateful for.
I learned so much more than I thought I could have, and I am continuing to learn more from all of the members of the team from the 4年生 to the 1年生, as well as from the coaches and managers. In addition to learning, some members on the team, as well as certain OB's, have pushed me to be more vocal with my opinions, and I feel that, day by day, I am having a more leading voice in practices and in matches. Because of this, I'm starting to understand my role, in terms of being more vocal towards my fellow teammates.

ATTITUDE TOWARDS リーグ戦 (HIGH ENERGY, FAST TRANSITION, TIMING, SWITCHING DEFENSE, LEARNING/OBSERVING)

As we are about to begin リーグ戦, I think all members of the club should be positive and show energy in everything we do. I have yet to prove to the team that I should have more playing time, and I need to earn my playing time.
While I do not play much in the matches, I feel that giving my 100% on the bench and having a loud voice to support the members on the court really give the team a big boost in energy. One thing that I think can be improved from the bench members is that we can be enthusiastic and be more energetic in communicating with the members on the court.
As a player, I know how it feels to be pumped up when my teammates are giving 100% supporting off of the bench. This is why I try my best to give good energy and to keep the members on the court energetic and hyped up. Some bench members do not show energy, and I think that is one aspect we can also improve in.

In terms of strategy, I think that our playing style that was displayed at 合宿 in 秋田 showed that since we are a relatively small team, we can play a more fast pace game.
I think that our practice sessions where we run transition offense have really helped us take higher percentage shots, and this is because we really on our speed and pushing the ball in transition. As for our set offense, we have great concepts that very much work, but I think the one thing that determines whether the plays work is the timing of everything. The execution of the play determines all on the timing of making cuts, screens, and passes. I have a lot of faith in the スタメン in executing the plays, and I think that us bench members should pay close attention to what we can improve and how the timing of everything goes so we can execute plays smoothly as well. As for our defense, 藤原さん has been having us practice our half court 1-3-1 defense, as well as our all court 2-2-1 defense. With having multiple defensive options and constantly switching the defense during the games, it affects our opponents offense and disrupts their set plays. I think that switching up defense multiple times during matches really help us prevent other teams from scoring, and this then leads to our transition offense.

As a 3rd year student, I plan on returning next season. So though I may not play as much in this リーグ戦, it is a great opportunity to learn and to observe everything that is going right with our team, as well as our flaws. In this manner, next season we will be more aware of what to practice on and what our strengths and weaknesses are.

As I will be a 4th year student next season, I plan on stepping up my game and endurance, as well as being a senior figure to the underclassmen on and off the court. But for now, I plan on giving my 100% effort and support during this リーグ戦.

I do not want the 4年生 to feel any regret as their time with the club is about to come to an end. So I want to give it my all and to show full support! It would not be fair for the 4年生 and how much they've worked towards リーグ戦, if we were all to be negative or do not give a 100%. I know everyone has that thought in mind, and that's why I believe we will give everything we have got and leave it all out on the court.

As always, I would like to thank the OB's for constant support and help during our practices. Whether it was showing us how to properly set screens, do certain dribble moves, or just giving advice about motivation, the OB's have done so much for us and continue to help us. So I would like to say thank you very much for your continued assistance towards Sophia's Mens Basketball Club. Thank you to the coaches and administration for allowing me to join the club. Words really cannot express how grateful I am to be part of this basketball family. I am forever grateful to have been given a chance to play basketball at a high level here in Japan. It is an honor to represent Sophia University. Thank you all so much for your help and thoughts.
Now, stay healthy and give high energy!

頑張りましょう！！！