Kenzo Maeda Aims to Build Aggressive Defense, Helping Taiwan Women's Basketball Improve Asian Ranking
Japanese head coach Kenzo Maeda of the Taiwan women's national basketball team shared his vision to instill an aggressive defensive style. Having moved to Taiwan with his family, he targets success at the upcoming Jones Cup and Nagoya Asian Games.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 21:36
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 22:02 (25 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 23:00 (58 min after Collected)
(CNA Reporter Chen Rong-chen, Taipei, 23rd) Japanese head coach of the Taiwan women's national basketball team, Kenzo Maeda, stated today at a media sharing session that he specifically brought his four sons to live in Taiwan, hoping to integrate into Taiwanese culture, and will build an aggressive defensive playing style to help Taiwan women's basketball improve its Asian ranking.
The 43-year-old Maeda has rich coaching experience, having not only taken the helm of the Japan B.League's Akita Northern Happinets for over 5 years but also served as an assistant coach for the Japanese men's national Olympic team. Now, Maeda has chosen to accept a brand new challenge by coaching the Taiwan women's national team, and will next lead the team to prepare for the Jones Cup this summer and the Nagoya Asian Games in September.
During a joint media interview today, Maeda stated that he actually received invitations from other teams, but with a mindset of enjoying new challenges, he resolutely brought his four sons to Taiwan. He hopes to live here and learn Taiwanese culture, saying, "It is a great honor to serve as the national team coach, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming challenges."
Currently, Maeda is paying attention to tournaments such as the Women's Super Basketball League (WSBL) and the University Basketball Association (UBA), and will observe high school players next. He specifically named UBA single-game scoring record holder Qiu Qunxi, and veteran players Pan Ziyin and Huang Xiangting from the WSBL's Chunghwa Telecom team, as key members of the national team, expecting to form a roster that mixes the new and old generations.
Maeda pointed out that it is no easy feat for Taiwan women's basketball to return from Division II to Division I in the Asia Cup, so he highly respects the players who wore the Taiwan women's jersey in the previous Asia Cup. He hopes to forge an aggressive defensive and more disciplined playing style in the future, with the goal of helping Taiwan women's basketball improve its Asian ranking. (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150423
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The 43-year-old Maeda has rich coaching experience, having not only taken the helm of the Japan B.League's Akita Northern Happinets for over 5 years but also served as an assistant coach for the Japanese men's national Olympic team. Now, Maeda has chosen to accept a brand new challenge by coaching the Taiwan women's national team, and will next lead the team to prepare for the Jones Cup this summer and the Nagoya Asian Games in September.
During a joint media interview today, Maeda stated that he actually received invitations from other teams, but with a mindset of enjoying new challenges, he resolutely brought his four sons to Taiwan. He hopes to live here and learn Taiwanese culture, saying, "It is a great honor to serve as the national team coach, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming challenges."
Currently, Maeda is paying attention to tournaments such as the Women's Super Basketball League (WSBL) and the University Basketball Association (UBA), and will observe high school players next. He specifically named UBA single-game scoring record holder Qiu Qunxi, and veteran players Pan Ziyin and Huang Xiangting from the WSBL's Chunghwa Telecom team, as key members of the national team, expecting to form a roster that mixes the new and old generations.
Maeda pointed out that it is no easy feat for Taiwan women's basketball to return from Division II to Division I in the Asia Cup, so he highly respects the players who wore the Taiwan women's jersey in the previous Asia Cup. He hopes to forge an aggressive defensive and more disciplined playing style in the future, with the goal of helping Taiwan women's basketball improve its Asian ranking. (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you make is the power to guard press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.