[Transcript] Seahorses Mikawa New System Launch Press Conference

Thank you for your continued "Seahorses" support.

Today, we held the "Seahorses Mikawa New System Launch Press Conference" in Kariya City.

We announced the new system for Seahorses Mikawa for the 2026-27 season and the club's determination towards the "B.LEAGUE PREMIER" starting in 2026. We were honored by the presence of many members of the press and stakeholders. Thank you very much.

We are pleased to announce the details of the press conference below.

Representative's Greeting 1

Kenichi Sako, President and General Manager

Thank you all for gathering here today.

I am Kenichi Sako, and as of June 25th, I have taken on the role of President and General Manager.

First and foremost, Seahorses Mikawa is a team where I have gained a great deal of learning and experience. I feel many connections to being entrusted with such a significant role in this team, and I feel both great responsibility and great pride.

My primary goal as President is to strengthen the team and repay the support of our fans, boosters, and sponsors through victories.

I have also been entrusted with the dual role of General Manager. My vision for what I must accomplish is to deliver tangible results in areas where I can contribute, and I want to challenge myself to do so.

As President, we will be participating in the new B.LEAGUE PREMIER league starting next season. I have been appointed President at a time of significant change for us, including club management and initiatives towards building a new arena. I feel considerable pressure, and I'm also contemplating where to begin. However, having been given this opportunity, I am determined to face this significant challenge and pressure head-on.

Throughout my life, I have continuously challenged myself, from my days as a basketball player and coach to my front office experience. Now, I have been entrusted with the significant role of President. I have learned and experienced much with Seahorses Mikawa. Today, with the support of so many of you, I am embarking on a new challenge, which is a major undertaking in my life. I will dedicate my full effort during my term to achieve positive results through this challenge.

I ask for your continued support.

Thank you.

Representative's Greeting 2

Katsumi Tomita, Vice President

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today.

I am Tomita, and I have been appointed Vice President as of June 25th.

First, I would like to express my gratitude to all our fans, boosters, sponsors, and the local community who support Seahorses Mikawa on a daily basis. And to the members of the media present here today, I am truly grateful for the support Seahorses Mikawa receives from so many people.

I joined Seahorses Mikawa in April, and the first thing I noticed was the incredible passion and "Seahorses" support from our fans and boosters. It is truly wonderful to have fans and boosters who wholeheartedly support Seahorses Mikawa. Over the past three months, I have reaffirmed that the passion and support of our fans and boosters are the driving force of our club.

It is the responsibility of the team and the front office to meet the expectations of our fans. Therefore, I believe it is my responsibility to ensure sound club management. Together with President Sako, the coaches, and all club staff, I aim to build a great team and a great company.

Furthermore, we are proceeding with preparations for the construction of a new arena, aiming for its opening in 2028. We are steadily preparing to create a hub that not only hosts sports and events but also serves as a place for the local community to interact.

Our entire team is working hard with the desire to create a place where people can connect and interact. We are committed to completing the construction of an arena that will make our visitors want to return.

As President Sako mentioned earlier, we are entering a new stage with the B.LEAGUE PREMIER. It is our responsibility to make Seahorses Mikawa a club worthy of this stage.

We will continue to do our best with your support. We look forward to your continued patronage.

Thank you.

2026-27 Season Team Composition and Vision

Kenichi Sako, President and General Manager

From here, I will speak as General Manager.

There are some aspects we cannot announce today. These concern our three foreign players. We have reached agreements with these three players, and only the official announcement remains. Therefore, we will withhold the names of the three foreign players today.

Regarding team composition and vision, the most important concept under the Ryan Richman system until last season was the establishment of a new team culture. While we are grateful to the previous head coach for leading the team for a long time, we also needed to adapt to the accelerating evolution of basketball with the advent of the B.LEAGUE, which led us to appoint Ryan Richman for three years. I feel that the team culture is taking shape. I believe that team culture is not created by the head coach, but by the players themselves. It is the players who commit to results and compete within the team, and they create this environment.

Our new concept is "Fighting." I believe this is one of the reasons we fell short of reaching the quarterfinals. I feel that rigor is necessary for this. We have considered the team's composition with the concept of creating an environment where players can concentrate fully without compromise, and providing thorough management for individual skill development, such as workouts.

As for our Japanese players, almost all who played on the court last season will remain. To fill the void left by departing players, we have acquired Akihisa Kosaka. Kosaka is a former player for AISIN AW Arions. He has ties to Aichi and a connection with AISIN. Having started his career with an AISIN AW team, we believe he will adapt well to Mikawa and be able to fully demonstrate his abilities with a thorough understanding of what Seahorses Mikawa is all about. He is 198 cm tall and weighs 102 kg. What we expect from him is to be a big man, similar to Yuki Kawamura who played so well for us last season, who can run well and effectively contribute with screening and rebounding. With this expectation, we contacted him, and he readily agreed to join Seahorses Mikawa.

Another new player is Shogo Taira. He was with Ryukyu until last season. During his youth career, he was selected for the Japan national team and was known as a top point guard in his generation. At the Ryukyu Golden Kings, his role was primarily as a defender and a hustle player, serving as a mood maker for the team. For our team, Nagano and Kubota have been the main point guards for the past three years. However, during the long season, there were many games where players like Yudai Nishida had to fill in at point guard due to injuries. We cannot place such a dual role on our ace, Nishida, so we have acquired him as our third point guard. With Associate Head Coach Sasa having coached him previously at Ryukyu, and his recommendation, we offered him the role of third point guard with the aim of him energizing the bench and stimulating the culture built by our current players. He has thankfully accepted and will be working with us.

The system will undergo significant changes, including the Head Coach and Associate Head Coach. The league is also transitioning from the B.LEAGUE to the B.LEAGUE PREMIER, and the regulations will change. With on-court freedom, we will have to adopt playing styles we have never experienced before. Even with the experience of Head Coach Ryuzo Anzai and Associate Head Coach Norio Sasa, this on-court freedom will be a first for the B.LEAGUE PREMIER. Many teams are changing their rosters with the acquisition of ace-level foreign and Japanese players, and I believe all team managers are facing similar dilemmas. Some teams are allocating more than half of their 800 million yen salary cap to foreign players. In terms of building the team culture we have pursued for the past three years, we have kept our Japanese players largely the same. The dynamic between this traditional approach and a new strategy focused on foreign players will be one of the most interesting aspects of the inaugural B.PREMIER season. We will proceed with our traditional team composition without wavering from our goal of building team culture.

Our mid-to-long-term vision is to be in contention for the championship in the 2028-29 season when the new arena is completed, a vision we have held for the past three years. Without deviating from this, we will need to make significant roster adjustments at some point, whether it's next season or the year the new arena opens. However, what is most important to us now is to build a fighting team and establish our team culture. We have laid a solid foundation to build a team that can reign as champions for the long term, and we will challenge with all our might from the first year of the B.PREMIER.

Regarding this season's roster, I have not paid much attention to external opinions and will fight with this roster next season. To that end, I have brought the two individuals on this stage here. While we are starting with an uncertain situation regarding whether our strength has decreased or increased, we feel this is a time for us to make decisions amidst the changing regulations of the B.PREMIER's first year. Yudai Nishida is currently performing well as the ace for the Japan national team. We will fight with this roster, maximizing the strengths of our foreign players and naturalized player Thomas Kennedy, centered around Yudai Nishida.

Head Coach's Greeting

Ryuzo Anzai, Head Coach

Thank you all for gathering here today.

Regarding my appointment as Head Coach of the traditional Seahorses Mikawa, a team I competed against during my playing days, I must admit I still haven't fully grasped it.

My role, as Mr. Sako mentioned, is to continue the solid culture that has been built while adding our own unique touch. I also aim to actively engage with our fans, boosters, sponsors, and the local community, contributing to the region as a professional team.

While there are various challenges, such as team composition, I am deeply honored that Mr. Sako passionately invited me to join him in "building a great team." Therefore, my mission and goal is to see Mr. Sako hoisted in celebration.

Towards that goal, I will build a great team without any compromise and aim for the championship.

As I have always said to every team I've coached, my job is to create a team that makes its supporters proud to cheer for us. I will dedicate myself to achieving this.

I look forward to your continued support.

Associate Head Coach's Greeting

Norio Sasa, Associate Head Coach

I am Norio Sasa, Associate Head Coach. Thank you for having me.

Normally, someone in my position wouldn't have many opportunities to speak at a press conference like this, but I am grateful for this opportunity. As Mr. Sako and Head Coach Anzai have already spoken, I would like to add a few words.

The Seahorses Mikawa team has consistently been a championship team since the NBL and JBL eras before the B.LEAGUE, and even when I was an assistant coach in my 20s, they were an insurmountable opponent.

I have been involved in basketball myself, and I witnessed Mr. Sako's play. As Head Coach Anzai mentioned earlier, when Mr. Sako, "Mr. Basketball," invited me to "work together," I felt a strong connection and saw it as an unparalleled opportunity. There was no reason to refuse, and I am extremely honored.

Mr. Sako has experienced numerous national championships as a player, and I share the same desire to see him, now as President, hoisted in celebration of a national championship.

Furthermore, I worked with Head Coach Anzai five years ago at the Utsunomiya Brex, and he has once again reached out to me. I feel truly fortunate to be needed by both Mr. Sako and Head Coach Anzai.

Mr. Sako mentioned the keyword "fight with all our might," and with that same spirit, I came to this team with the desire to support Mr. Sako and Head Coach Anzai, and to see Head Coach Anzai hoisted in celebration.

Earlier, there was talk about culture. For me, basketball is a sport that connects people and fosters personal growth. I want to continue to cherish those connections and make the Mikawa region more passionate and stronger.

Moreover, culture is not just about the players; it is also built with the fans and boosters. Together with all of you, we want to build the team's culture on the new stage of the B.PREMIER.

I look forward to your continued support.

New Uniform Announcement

Kenichi Sako, President and General Manager

We are changing the uniform design from the previous black base to blue, our club's support color.

This blue is not just any blue; it is "Seahorses Blue." It represents our history and various aspects of our identity.

Wearing the blue of our "Seahorses" support color, we want to fight through the inaugural B.PREMIER season together with our fans and boosters.

Let's fight together this season with this new uniform.