ODDS and EVENS | Nagasaki Velca Shattered the Norms with Rapid Rise to the Top

In the aftermath of their glorious first season in 2021-22 as a B.League third-division expansion team, Takuma Ito, the head coach/general manager of the Nagasaki Velca, made a big decision.

He decided to quit his coaching job.

Many others who faced the same situation probably would've kept juggling both jobs, even though it's rare in the modern era of pro sports for a person to be a front-office executive and a head coach.

Ito could've bragged about the job he'd done as the bench boss for the entire offseason, then continued boasting about his coaching acumen during the 2022-23 season. (After all, the Velca won the B3 title after steamrolling over the competition during the regular season en route to a seemingly impossible 45 wins in 48 games.)

*The Nagasaki Velca's team portrait for the 2021-22 season. Takuma Ito (center) served as head coach and general manager. (©NAGASAKI VELCA)*

Instead, to his credit, Ito decided to focus on handling the day-to-day management of the organization, including player-personnel decisions. And he promoted Kenjiro Maeda to replace him as head coach.

Ito, despite his relatively youthful age (he turns 44 on June 30) as a coach and team executive, could've burned out from work-related stress if he stayed employed in the dual roles. Heck, he could've burned out from the long hours spent working in either role.

That didn't happen. Instead, he remained a steadfast pillar of the Velca organization, building the foundation for the team's future success as GM/president.

Achieving an Ambitious Goal

In their fifth season, the 2025-26 campaign, Nagasaki led the B.League first division (26 teams) with a robust 47-13 win-loss record. Then the Velca knocked off the Alvark Tokyo, the Chiba Jets and the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the playoffs.

The Velca captured their first B.League Finals title with a 72-63 triumph over the Golden Kings in Game 3 on May 26 at Yokohama Arena.

Victory in the deciding game of the championship series was validation that Ito's decision-making had been right many more times than he'd been wrong.

For instance, he hired American-Israeli head coach Mody Maor before the 2024-25 season to be Maeda's successor.

And Ito exhibited patience instead of pushing the panic button after a less-than-stellar 26-34 campaign in Maor's first season in charge. Other GMs might have dismissed Maor for failing to lead his players to a winning season. And don't forget this: Some GMs have giant egos and believe they are the pulse of their team and the source of the squad's success.

Wisely, Maor got a second season at the helm to demonstrate that the team had built a solid foundation to raise its level of play in 2025-26.

A Retooled Roster

With Ito running the front office, the Nagasaki Velca upgraded their roster, identifying a need: to upgrade the team's offense.

Nagasaki was 17th in the B.League in scoring in 2024-25, averaging 75.8 points per game.

The arrival of Korean sharpshooter Hyunjung Lee, American forward Stanley Johnson and American center Akil Mitchell, among others, helped boost the team's speed and scoring capability.

Johnson led the club in scoring (22.8 ppg), and the Velca finished No 1 in the B.League in points (90.3 per contest).

Lee had a brilliant season for the title-winning squad, leading the B.League in 3-point shooting accuracy (47.9%) and pouring in 17.4 ppg.

Mitchell was a key inside presence for Nagasaki at both ends of the court, a solid veteran leader who helped stabilize the team's overall play. He contributed 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds a game.

Hard Work Pays Off for the Velca

In the upbeat news conference after Game 3, Maor acknowledged the team has fine-tuned its offensive and defensive strategies, improving in both areas from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Credit for the team's success must be dished out to many people, the happy coach insisted in front of a crowded room of reporters.

"The system is certainly important, but I don't think we won because the system was good," Moar commented. "We won because we were able to execute what we wanted to do at a high level, and I believe we could have won even if we'd used a different system.

"This team is full of wonderful players and talent. They made the system look good — not the other way around."

Maor also reflected on the unlikely journey the Nagasaki Velca made, climbing from B3 (2021-22) to B2 to B1 and winning the top-flight title in their fifth season of existence.

It was a remarkable achievement without major detours or deviations from the blueprint created by Ito.

"Everyone in this organization has taken each step properly, without skipping a beat," declared Moar, who has accepted an offer to become an assistant coach for the reigning NCAA champion University of Michigan men's basketball team for the 2026-27 season.

"It's truly wonderful that everyone who has been with this organization for the past five years has had a genuine vision and has been fully committed to it — it's something we should all be proud of. We were the best team all year. In the [playoffs], we soundly defeated the so-called 'Big Three,' (Tokyo, Chiba and Ryukyu) who are all fantastic teams."

Baba Fills Important Role for the Nagasaki Velca

When analyzing how the Nagasaki Velca have been transformed from an ordinary B.League first-division club into an elite team, you can't overlook the impact of veteran Japan national team player Yudai Baba's arrival in 2023.

By winning two B.League titles early in his career with the Alvark, Baba became one of Japan's most popular players. And by playing in the NBA G League for the Texas Legends in multiple seasons and for the Australian National Basketball League's Melbourne United, Baba brought credibility to the Velca.

His 2025-26 regular-season statistics aren't jaw-dropping numbers. But even just a quick glance at them tells you an important story: Baba had an influential role for the club in fundamental facets of the game. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists. And perhaps most important was his role as a disruptor of opposing offensives. Baba had 102 steals while inspiring his teammates to hustle in every second of every game.

"Yudai's growth has been remarkable," Ito was quoted as saying by Sports Hochi at his postgame news conference on May 26. "It's been a joy to witness this endearing young man gradually mature as a basketball player, as a person, and as a leader."

Dedication and Commitment

After title-clinching wins, euphoric celebrations are the norm in professional team sports leagues. Champagne flows freely in team locker rooms and clubhouses, and it's often splashed on players without hesitation.

In comments to reporters in the hours after a team wins a championship, the focus is often about the most recent contest or pivotal moments in the current season.

Ito took time at his press conference to also reflect on the Kyushu-based franchise's five-year journey to reach the top.

"The strength of the Nagasaki Velca lies in the combined efforts of the coaches, players, staff, the business division, and all the fans in Nagasaki," Ito said, according to Sports Hochi. "We won this championship not just this year, but through five years of hard work."

The Nagasaki Velca have aspirations beyond the basketball court, aiming to be a positive force within the local community and in Japanese society.

"We want to revitalize the region through entertainment," Ito told the news conference.

The GM added, "We don't just want to excite Nagasaki with basketball; we also want to tackle social issues. It's precisely because the Velca are doing this that people will take notice. We are fully committed to that."

And as a new era dawns on Japan pro basketball ― B.Premier is the top flight's new name (replacing B.League) for the 2026-27 season ― the Velca are poised to remain a success story.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.