10 Teams, 10 Days: Hiroshima Dragonflies

Our East Asia Super League editorial staff breaks down the key storylines, players and statistics of each franchise as tip-off nears. 

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Hiroshima Dragonflies

Established in 2014, the Hiroshima Dragonflies compete in the B.LEAGUE — Japan’s highest professional basketball division. The 2024-25 season marks Hiroshima’s first appearance in the East Asian Super League after it defeated heavy favorites, the Ryukyu Golden Kings, in the 2024 B.LEAGUE Finals. 

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The Dragonflies are placed in Group A and play six group-stage games in hopes of earning a Final Four berth. Fresh off the franchise’s first-ever championship, Hiroshima is primed to carry its domestic success to the international stage. 

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Here’s everything you need to know about the Hiroshima Dragonflies: 

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3-pointers

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1. Reigning B.LEAGUE Champions 

Hiroshima was far from favorites to win the 2023-24 B.LEAGUE title. A late-season surge — where the Dragonflies overcame a 21-20 start to the season — earned them a wild-card playoff spot before a series of upset victories ended in celebration. 

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Despite suffering a season-ending injury to starting point guard Ryo Terashima, Hiroshima swept the San-en Neo Phoenix and beat the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in three games to face Ryukyu. From there, the Dragonflies overcame a 1-0 series deficit to down the Golden Kings. Led by a game-high 13 points from Dwayne Evans in the deciding contest, Hiroshima won 65-50. 

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2. Ready for International Competition 

Hiroshima’s historic B.LEAGUE championship granted it a spot in the FIBA-sponsored Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) tournament, held in the United Arab Emirates. 

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Pitted against some of the top talents in Asia, the Dragonflies thrashed South Korean champions Busan KCC Egis — also an EASL team — in its opening game. Hiroshima jumped out to a 54-32 halftime lead, shooting 8-for-11 from 3-point range, and never looked back en route to a 107-77 win. 

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Though the Dragonflies reside in Group A and KCC Egis in Group B, the two could match up in the Final Four beginning March 7. 

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3. Shogo Asayama’s Coaching Debut 

Shogo Asayama served as an essential veteran presence on Hiroshima’s bench last season as team captain. Now, he’s been appointed as the Dragonflies’ new head coach. 

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Asayama, who spent 12 years in the B.LEAGUE with six different organizations, retired after he won his first career championship with Hiroshima. When former head coach Kyle Milling departed to take over the Gunma Crane Thunders this offseason, the Dragonflies quickly appointed Asayama. 

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“As a club, we had several reasons for asking head coach Asayama to be our coach,” Hiroshima's General Manager Shuji Okazaki said. “But the biggest reason was that we were convinced he sympathized with the club's philosophy and could grow together by facing the same direction.”

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Players To Watch 

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1. Kerry Blackshear Jr.

Though Kerry Blackshear Jr. started in just 11 of 59 league games, the versatile forward averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists to win the B.LEAGUE’s 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award. At 6-foot-8, Blackshear Jr. not only possesses a strong inside game but can pop out and shoot from range as well. 

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2. Takuto Nakamura

Due to Terashima’s injury near the end of Hiroshima’s regular season, Takuto Nakamura stepped in as the team’s starting point guard. Scoring a combined 25 points in the Dragonflies’ last two championship-clinching wins, Nakamura was awarded the Nippon Life Final Award — given to the B.LEAGUE’s best player in the Finals.

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3. Ryo Yamazaki

Ryo Yamazaki played a key role in helping Hiroshima level the championship series at 1-1. In a tightly contested Game 2, Yamazaki went 4-for-5 from 3 for 14 points to stave off defeat and propel the Dragonflies to a 72-63 victory. The performance helped Yamazaki earn B.LEAGUE Championship MVP honors - given to the best player in the B.LEAGUE playoffs. 

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Hiroshima By The Numbers

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Hiroshima’s 2023-24 Season

• Regular season record: 36-24 
• Finished 3rd in B.LEAGUE Western Conference 
• Defeated San-En NeoPhoenix (2-0), Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (2-1) and Ryukyu Golden Kings (2-1) to win 2024 B.LEAGUE Championship  

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Hiroshima’s 2023-24 B.LEAGUE Statistic Leaders

• Points: Dwane Evans – 15.0 ppg
• Rebounds: Kerry Blackshear Jr. – 7.6 rpg
• Assists: Ryo Terashima, Dwane Evans – 3.6 apg
• Steals: Kerry Blackshear Jr. – 1.2 spg
• Blocks: Kerry Blackshear Jr. – 0.7 bpg

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