Report on Confirmation of 2026-27 Season Roster and General Manager Raku Yoshihisa's Comments on Team Composition

Ibaraki Robots are pleased to announce the confirmation of the roster and team staff who will compete together in the Resona Group B.LEAGUE 2026-27 season.

Furthermore, General Manager Yoshihisa Raku will explain the intentions behind this season's team composition and his determination towards the new era, "B.PREMIER."

2026-27 Season Roster and Team Staff

<Roster>

#1 Ray Parks Jr. (Transferred from Osaka Evessa)

#2 Kohei Fukuzawa (Transferred from Alvark Tokyo)

#3 Nobu Hasegawa

#4 Vic Law (Transferred from Ryukyu Golden Kings)

#5 Motoki Kojima

#7 Finn Delaney (Transferred from NBL Melbourne United)

#8 Hirotaka Yoshii (Transferred from San-En NeoPhoenix)

#10 Ryuu Chenoka

#11 Tim Soares (Transferred from NBL Sydney Kings)

#12 Kento Akama (Selected 2nd overall in the 1st round of B.LEAGUE DRAFT 2026)

#13 Kohei Nakamura

#14 Kotaro Hisaoka

#15 Reo Maeda (Transferred from Altiri Chiba)

#25 Mitsunobu Hirao

#34 Hugh Watanabe (Transferred from Shinshu Brave Warriors)

<Team Staff>

Yoshihisa Raku, General Manager

Ryo Ogawa, Assistant General Manager

Paul Henare, Head Coach (New)

Trent Adams, Assistant Coach (New)

Hideto Yuminami, Assistant Coach (New)

Mao Ihori, Assistant Coach

Dion Prewster, Player Development Coach (New)

Ayumu Yanagi, Video Analyst

Rika Kato, Video Analyst (New)

Keisuke Yawata, Interpreter

Anousis Buaporn, High Performance Director (New)

Shintaro Tahara, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

Ryuto Matsubara, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach

Shujin Kanbe, Head Athletic Trainer

Hayato Kato, Athletic Trainer

Haruno Onozuka, Head Manager

Noyoshi Hasegawa, Manager

Kota Nemoto, Top Team Athletic Trainer & Youth Performance Team Leader

Shion Seta, Youth Team Athletic Trainer & Top Team Support Athletic Trainer

<Official Mascot Character>

Robosuke #01

General Manager Raku's Explanation of the 2026-27 Season Team Composition Intentions

With the confirmation of the 2026-27 season's top team roster, coaching staff, and team staff, I would like to explain my intentions for this team composition and my resolve for the new season to all stakeholders.

【Introduction】

We set a team goal of "30 wins (a winning percentage of 50%)" for the 2025-26 season, but we ended the season with a very tough and disappointing record of 19 wins and 41 losses (10th place in B1 Eastern Division). I, as the person fully responsible for team composition and the team's leader, bear the responsibility for betraying the expectations of our fans and boosters who continued to encourage the players through difficult times, our sponsors who have always supported the team, and the local governments including Mito City.

During last season's games, we proved that we could make any opponent play a close game. However, we felt the gap with strong B1 clubs in terms of the mentality to win those close games and the execution of tactics prepared by the team. Specifically, we were faced with clear challenges in interior defensive intensity at crucial moments, rebounding disadvantages, and shooting percentages, including 3-point shots, and stable scoring throughout the 40 minutes.

On the other hand, we also gained a definite light connecting to the future from our difficult season. We were able to steadily build the foundation of our team culture, which is that each individual remains team-first, with an "UNSELFISH" mindset, and the locker room motto of "NATTO" mind, by fighting tenaciously.

*NATTO Mind

N: Nakama wo Shinjite (Believe in your teammates) A: Aggressive ni Semete (Attack aggressively) T: Transition wo Hayaku (Fast transitions) T: Tight na Defense de (With tight defense) O: Owari made Nebaritsuyoku Tatakau (Fight tenaciously until the end)

We will not let the "bitter experience" of last season go to waste. As GM, I calmly analyzed and clarified all the "frustrations" from last season and the "challenges" that must be overcome to achieve our mid-to-long-term goals. I then poured these as the "greatest fuel for transformation" into this roster composition.

【2026-27 Season Team Composition Goals: "Scrap & Build" for Victory and "Inheritance of the Foundation"】

In the 2026-27 season, the B.LEAGUE will enter a new top-tier stage called "B.PREMIER." To transform the Robots into a "perpetually winning club" that competes for the championship on the highest stage and to achieve the club's mid-to-long-term goal of "becoming number one in Japan by the 2030-31 season," we have undertaken the most daring transformation in club history this offseason. This season's composition concept is "inheritance of the solid foundation built up from the past," "overwhelming size-up and intensity" to grasp the number one spot in Japan, and "injection of championship (CS) mentality."

1 Inheritance of the "Robots' Soul" Built Up from the Past

This composition is by no means a complete negation of the past. Rather, we believe that it is precisely because of the solid foundation that the club has built with all its might that we have been able to add world-class talent on top of it. Guards who know the team's culture and intense defense better than anyone else, including #3 Nobu Hasegawa, #5 Motoki Kojima, #13 Kohei Nakamura, #14 Kotaro Hisaoka, and #25 Mitsunobu Hirao, as well as #10 Ryuu Chenoka, who grew significantly last season and proved he can fight toughly even among B1 powerhouses, will all continue to play with us.

Furthermore, #12 Kento Akama, who was selected 2nd overall in the first-ever "B.LEAGUE DRAFT 2026" and left a brilliant impact after joining the team last season, will enter his rookie year as a professional player, aiming for even greater heights. The "culture" of "never giving up, fighting tenaciously and grit" that players and staff who have been with the team for many years, including #21 Eric Jacobsen who retired last season and #29 Keita Tsurumaki who supported the team for a long time, have steadily built up over the 10 years since the B.LEAGUE's opening, has become part of their being and is being reliably passed down to the new players.

2 Overwhelming "Championship Mentality" Injected into the Organization

We will challenge our mid-to-long-term goal of "becoming number one in Japan by the 2030-31 season," which we set after being promoted to B1, starting from the first year of B.PREMIER. To succeed in this challenge, we have gathered "top talent and intellect destined to win," with international-standard size and intensity, and above all else.

#4 Vic Law, a top-tier all-around player in the league who has reached the championship finals for five consecutive years and can demonstrate overwhelming leadership for team victories, and #2 Kohei Fukuzawa, who experienced winning the Emperor's Cup last season and has ingrained the discipline of winning at the powerhouse Alvark Tokyo, will form the core, transplanting the "view of being number one in Japan" and a winning mentality to the entire team.

Joining them are #15 Reo Maeda, a large 191cm combo guard with outstanding game-making abilities; #8 Hirotaka Yoshii, the "strongest shield" who has stopped world-class opponents as a member of the Japan national team and is a top-tier wing player in the league; and the Asian special quota player #1 Ray Parks Jr., who boasts an extraordinary 193cm physique. This backcourt and wing lineup will possess league-leading size and intensity.

Furthermore, in the paint, we have the 211cm center #11 Tim Soares, who can also sink 3-point shots; the 207cm #34 Hugh Watanabe, Japan's "supreme rim protector"; and former New Zealand representative #7 Finn Delaney, who can drive to the basket and shoot from outside with his strong physique. This completes a "world-class wall" that is the tallest and fastest in B1 history.

We believe that not only the overwhelming performance of the new players but also the "leadership" and "competitive spirit" they bring will be the driving force for our growth as a team and our transformation into a powerhouse club.

3 Strengthening of Coaching Staff and Performance Team: "Intelligence" to Conquer a Packed Schedule

In B.PREMIER, we will be required to compete in a "packed schedule" with shorter intervals between games and demanding travel than ever before. To conquer this tough season, we have prepared the best possible environment at this stage in terms of both "bench intelligence" and "backstage science."

As the new Head Coach, Paul Henare HC led the team for four seasons with the Shimane Susanoo Magic, elevating the team to a powerhouse from his first year. He is a universally recognized master strategist who greatly contributed to the championship team Nagasaki Velca as Associate Head Coach in the 2025-26 season, and he is the Head Coach who knows best how to play and win in the B.LEAGUE. We are confident that the discipline of "defense and fast break" without compromise and the updated tactics and strategies he instills will lead us to many victories.

Supporting Henare HC's coaching staff will be the continued presence of Assistant Coach (AC) Mao Ihori, who is familiar with the Robots' tactics from last season, the recruitment of Hideto Yuminami AC from the previous championship team Nagasaki Velca, who is well-versed in cutting-edge systems and tactics for winning, and Trent Adams AC from the consistently winning Utsunomiya Brex, who were also the EASL (East Asia Super League) champions last season and possesses one of the league's best tactical eyes. We have also recruited Dion Prewster, Player Development Coach, who was in charge of player development under Henare HC at Shimane Susanoo Magic. The fusion of this "coaching staff that knows champions" will elevate the Robots into the most tactically sound team in the league.

Furthermore, we have newly recruited Anousis Buaporn, High Performance Director (HPD), with world-class expertise, as the director of "load management" to manage player condition during the packed schedule. By integrating him with the existing excellent performance team, we will prevent injuries and maintain "running Robots" at 100% at all times. Additionally, to win the information war, including opponent scouting, we have doubled the number of video coordinators who analyze opponent tactics from the previous one-person system to two.

Long-Cherished Dream, Completion of New Practice Facility: Dramatic Evolution of Hard Infrastructure

Since becoming GM, I have stated that environmental improvements, both in terms of hard and soft infrastructure, are necessary for the growth of players and the team. In particular, I considered hard infrastructure (such as practice facility improvements) to be the utmost priority for the team and a management issue.

With the opening of B.PREMIER, our long-standing challenge and dream, the "new practice facility," has been completed and we have already started using it since June.

The completion of hard infrastructure improvements will be an immeasurable help to the players and staff who will compete in the packed schedule. This environment, which minimizes travel burden and allows for high-quality training and sufficient recovery at any time, is the best foundation for the load management led by HPD Buaporn to function at 100%.

In this enriched environment, we believe that the players will constantly grow through daily practice, strengthen their team cohesion, and step up to the next level. We are also confident that the team staff will be able to make more meticulous preparations and maintain top-tier performance in the league.

To All Stakeholders: Becoming the Protagonists of the New Era "B.PREMIER"

I believe that the work of the GM, that is, "preparation to conquer the packed B.PREMIER schedule and climb the mountain," has been completed in all areas, including players, staff, science, and the new practice facility's hard infrastructure. Based on what we have prepared with the club's front office for the opening of B.PREMIER, we will strive to approach our desired form by repeating trial and error to become a sustainable organization and clearing challenges one by one.

To Our Fans and Boosters: This season's Robots will show you a more intense, tougher, and overwhelmingly strong basketball than you have ever seen. Please come to the arena, filled with drama and excitement every game, and become a witness to this history.

To Our Sponsor Companies and Local Governments: We have shifted gears by investing your support correctly and boldly at this time when all surrounding environments are in place to maximize the club's value. Please expect us to announce to the nation that "the most exciting and sophisticated basketball in Japan is now in Ibaraki," and to repay you with the best results.

It may take some trials for the new team to truly become "family" and build perfect chemistry. However, under HC Henare, players with a winning DNA will clash fiercely in daily practice, continuing players will support the Robots' soul, and excellent team staff will fully support the players to perform at their best as professionals. I am confident that as the season progresses, we will evolve into an "invincible legion" that no one can touch.

We intend to grow steadily and sincerely as a team and as a club to become "protagonists" on the stage of the new era "B.PREMIER," and to significantly alter the league's power balance. We will become the "pride of Ibaraki Prefecture" and a source of greater energy, courage, and vitality for all stakeholders than ever before.

Please look forward to the challenge of the strongest, smartest, and most exciting Ibaraki Robots in history with the greatest passion ever. Let's overturn the "B.PREMIER" stage of the new era and Japanese basketball from Ibaraki! We look forward to seeing you at the arena!

July 1, 2026 Ibaraki Robots Sports Entertainment Co., Ltd. Yoshihisa Raku, General Manager