Part 1: Looking back at the playoffs and the club's founding
| Tago |
| First of all, good luck in the playoffs. |
| Iwashita |
| Yeah, that was really tough (laughs). |
| Ito |
| It's exhausting (laughs). It's exhausting for the viewers too (laughs). |
| Tago |
| I thought it was more of a playoff game than I had expected. |
| Iwashita |
| I understand! I understand! |
| Tago |
| Takuma has always said, "The playoffs are different; the real action begins once the playoffs begin." |
| Iwashita |
| During the season, when we were losing and dropping a few times, Takuma said, "The playoffs are the deciding factor," and I was like, "No way!" (laughs) |
| Tago |
| It was my first time experiencing it so I don't really know (laughs) but the playoffs really did feel like a competition! |
| Ito |
| I've said since I was head coach that the peak is the playoffs, but now that my position has changed, I feel that the performances at the venue (fire, bands, etc.) will be a source of strength for the team in the playoffs. I hadn't been able to visualize that aspect until I was in this position. |
| Iwashita |
| From the perspective of a head coach, you might think that losing one game in the middle of the season is strategically unavoidable, but from the perspective of a president or a business leader, there are 2,000 to 3,000 people in the venue and you think, "Let's win today!" |
| Ito |
| For example, the Omura match (laughs) ※11/19-20 Round 8 match against the Saga Ballooners |
| Tago |
| This was the first game this season that Nagasaki Velca had a sellout... |
| Ito |
| It was also the worst game of the season. Moreover, Game 2 was a full house, so even though it was the playoffs, I thought they should have played a better game here (laughs). |
| Ito |
| The support from the full house is what really pushes the team forward, but it's also the cheering from the crowd. It was the first time in the playoffs that the stadium was shaking with cheers, so that was a great source of strength for the team! |
| Tago |
| In particular, because the opponent was Kumamoto, I thought that Nagasaki Velca's boosters were even more inspired in a good way and were able to lift the team up in a great way. |
| Ito |
| It's true! It's like, "Oh, so that's how you can make a sound!" |
| Iwashita |
| We were blown away by the opening match against Kumamoto! |
| Tago |
| It was away! They got so excited! Saga told me the same thing! "Because Nagasaki was the opponent, Saga itself was able to cheer so loudly." We were in the same situation when we played against Kumamoto! That's what I told him. |
| Ito |
| When I think about it that way, I realize that the content known as basketball B.League, even though there are wins and losses, is one in which players and their opponents work together to increase value. |
| Iwashita |
| What is Takuma's best game? |
| Ito |
| I guess it's all going to be about the playoff game against Artiri Chiba! Five minutes left in Game 3! When Jeff was sent off and we were down by six points, I fainted (lol) and when I woke up, I was in front of the bench (lol) |
| Iwashita |
| Just kidding! But maybe I don't remember it that well either (laughs). |
| Tago |
| That's right, Takuma-san was walking over to the bench. |
| Ito |
| "Just calm down! This is the moment for us to become a team!" I told myself, and I ended up looking like an old man praying behind the bench (laughs). But the team was talking together as one! I felt relieved when I saw that, and before I knew it, I had stepped back (laughs). |
| Iwashita |
| Until now, the Emperor's Cup match against Shibuya in B3 was also memorable. It took about 3 minutes to score the first goal. When Jeff finally scored after missing twice, I thought that 2 goals is so tough in B1! But we surpassed it in this match against Chiba! |
| Ito |
| It was probably the happiest moment in my basketball career! I shouted when the game was decided! |
| Tago |
| Well, I think the only thing that can surpass that is winning the B1 league. |
| Iwashita |
| No, maybe I won't surpass it! That was the only scene where winning means heaven and losing means hell, so I feel like next time I'll go to heaven if I win, and next time I'll try harder next year if I lose! I feel like it'll never come again! |
| Ito |
| That's true! If you think about it, the pressure on Kenjiro must have been immense! |
| Tago |
| You really did a great job! |
| Ito |
| This is the end of the conversation (laughs). |
| Tago |
| I'd like to look back on the thoughts at the time of the club's founding. I think the credo and mission when Velca was established was to liven up Nagasaki with entertainment, with basketball as the core content! In that sense, it was an away game, but I think the atmosphere and other things have become entertainment. I think we still have a long way to go, so I'd like to ask you two now, how do you feel about the current level of entertainment content? |
| Iwashita |
| That's a difficult question - I think that in the "current environment" we're at 80-90 points, but if you ask me if we'll be at 80-90 points in the upcoming season, I'd say no, the arena will be reborn, B1 players will be coming, and the opponents will be strong, so the score will drop by 20-30 points. It depends on how we respond to the environment at each stage and the stage required at each stage. I think the score would be much higher than it was at the previous stage! |
| Ito |
| So it's the second year with the current box! I don't know what 100 points is, so it's hard to give a score, but I think they've always done their best at what they can do, so I think they're highly rated at the moment, and I think there are few teams where players can work so hard on the basketball performance on the court, and I'm looking forward to Stadium City! I think it'll be a completely different level than before! |
| Tago |
| Certainly, as Iwashita-san said, I think they are aiming to do the best they can with the current gymnasium, but when I went to the Saga arena, I thought that the range of entertainment content would be expanded. Even if you just look at the photos, it doesn't look like a gymnasium, so that worldview can be created in Nagasaki too! Furthermore, I think that the fact that the arena is located in such a convenient location, about a 10-minute walk from Nagasaki Station, will have a big impact on Nagasaki! |
| Iwashita |
| Wow, this is going to be great! I think Saga is a great arena, and I want to make it even better! |
| Ito |
| I'm really looking forward to it! |
Continued in "Part 2: Hopes for the new arena and the future of Velca"
