Intro to the latest weekly report in The Japan Times.

Masashi Hosoya doesn’t pour in 25-30 points every game. He is, however, a solid scoring option for the Yokohama B-Corsairs.

Exhibit A: Sunday’s game against the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka, when Hosoya maximized his time on the court. He played with purpose from start to finish, made timely shots and helped the B-Corsairs pick up a much-needed victory and improve to 4-13 on the season.

In their 85-73 win at Yokohama International Swimming Pool (which isn’t visible during hoop festivities), Hosoya made a big splash. He scored a season-high 23 points, including five first-half 3-pointers, in 27 minutes, 42 seconds of playing time. Incidentally, he surpassed his previous season-best offensive output of 22 points — a six 3-pointer outing — against the Shiga Lakestars on Oct. 20, when he played exactly one fewer minute (26:42).

B-Corsairs coach Tom Wisman said Hosoya, one of two team captains along with fellow guard Alexis Minatoya, makes vital contributions.

“He’s a shooter and he’s a streak shooter, and he can really get going,” Wisman observed. “And when he does that, obviously that ignites us and it’s great to have that.

“It’s something that we’ve just got to remind him — sometimes slow down, sometimes go fast. He’s a hundred miles an hour (161 kph) all the time, so we’re trying to get him to use that. But that’s kind of what makes him who he is. He’s a spark plug, and he’s got a big heart and he goes hard on it.”

Source: Masashi Hosoya heating up on offense for Yokohama | The Japan Times