Saga Balloons Announce 2026-27 Season Roster and New General Manager

Thank you very much for your continued passionate support of the Saga Balloons.

We are pleased to announce that the roster for the Saga Balloons in the Risona Group B.LEAGUE 2026-27 season has been finalized.

Additionally, we are pleased to report that Mr. Ryosuke Mizumachi will assume the role of General Manager starting from the 2026-27 season.

Risona Group B.LEAGUE 2026-27 SEASON ROSTER

#1 Damian Dotts / SG

#7 Koki Hashimoto / PF

#8 Derrick Michael Zaviero / PF/C

#9 Nassir Little / SF/PF

#11 Futa Takezawa / PG

#13 Ryo Abe / SG

#14 Kosuke Kanemaru / SF

#18 Soritsu Uo / PG/SG

#20 Atsuki Kishida / PG

#21 Jinki Tomiyama / SF/PF

#23 David Dajinski / PF/C

#25 Taiki Kakuda / SG

#34 Ryota Inoue / SF

◾️ Message from General Manager Ryosuke Mizumachi

Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and encouragement for the Saga Balloons.

Starting with the 2026-27 season—the inaugural season of competition on the new B.PREMIER stage—I am honored to take on the role of General Manager for the Saga Balloons.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest respect and heartfelt gratitude to former GM Yuta Miyanaga, who over the past five seasons served concurrently as Head Coach and built an outstanding team, elevating us to our current position.

Looking back, when I made the decision in 2020 to leave Akita—a place where I had lived and grown attached to for 10 years—and return to my hometown of Saga after 20 years, I had three major motivations:

"Filling the arena with basketball fans"

"Producing numerous professional players from Saga, especially from the Saga Balloons youth program"

"Establishing a lasting basketball culture in Saga"

From 2020 until now, over the past six years, I have worked tirelessly from a player development standpoint to fulfill these missions.

Starting July 2026, my role will shift, and my focus will transition from development to team strengthening. Fortunately, the club’s mission—‘Empowering the local community and bringing smiles through the power of sports’—and the club vision—‘Daily life together with the Saga Balloons’—align perfectly with my personal goals. I will dedicate myself to supporting Head Coach Miyanaga and the top team from behind the scenes.

Just as the world-renowned Saga International Balloon Fiesta has become a cultural staple of autumn in Saga, the Saga Balloons will continue to collaborate with many stakeholders, integrating even more deeply into daily life and energizing the community with smiles through ‘interconnection.’ We sincerely ask for your continued and even greater support and passionate encouragement.

◾️ Message from Head Coach Yuta Miyanaga

Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and encouragement.

I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude to the players and staff who supported Saga and gave their all on the court last season. We sincerely hope for your warm support as they embark on new challenges in their respective paths.

The 2026-27 season marks the beginning of a new chapter, with me serving once again as Head Coach. This season also signifies the dawn of a new era—B.PREMIER.

I am confident that we have assembled a team capable of embodying and evolving the ‘interconnectedness’ that the Saga Balloons have cultivated over the past five seasons to an even higher level.

Each player will connect, run, support one another, and fight until the final second. I look forward to sharing the excitement and emotion of basketball with everyone through a unique style of play that only the Balloons can deliver.

At a packed SAGA Arena, we will transform your cheers into strength, striving for victory in every game and delivering basketball that resonates deeply with your hearts.

We kindly ask for your continued support and encouragement in the upcoming season.