A season ago, established stars Nick Fazekas and Naoto Tsuji set the tone for the then-Toshiba Brave Thunders in the final NBL season. From a statistical standpoint, they were the driving force behind the team's championship.
Consider the dynamic duo's performances in the decisive Game 5 of the NBL Finals against the Aisin SeaHorses in early June: Fazekas put 21 points on the board and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Tsuji, the series MVP, scored 20 points and made three steals.
Now, during the B. League's first campaign, the 211-cm Fazekas, and to an extension his team, now called the Kawasaki Brave Thunders, is bolstered by the complementary skills of power forward Ryan Spangler.