TOKYO (Kyodo) — The Japan Basketball Association on Monday named 12 players, led by Phoenix Suns guard-forward Yuta Watanabe, for upcoming games in the run-up to the FIBA World Cup.
Those 12, also including University of Nebraska shooting guard Keisei Tominaga and Chiba Jets point guard Yuki Togashi, will represent Japan at the World Cup tipping off on Aug. 25, head coach Tom Hovasse revealed.
Japan, ranked 36th in the world, will take on Angola on Tuesday, France on Thursday and Slovenia on Saturday, all at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, before facing 11th-ranked Germany on the opening day of the World Cup, to be co-hosted by Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Japan has also been…