Hugh Watanabe
渡邉 飛勇
No. 9 – Ryukyu Golden Kings
PositionPower forward
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1998-12-23) December 23, 1998
Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
NationalityJapanese / American
Listed height207 cm (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight106 kg (234 lb)
Career information
High schoolʻIolani School
(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
College
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentRyukyu Golden Kings
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Japan
William Jones Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Taiwan Team

Hugh Watanabe (渡邉 飛勇, ワタナべ·ヒュー, Watanabe Hyū, born December 23, 1998), also known as Hugh Hogland, is a Japanese-American professional basketball player for Ryukyu Golden Kings of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Portland Pilots and the UC Davis Aggies. Watanabe has been a member of the Japan national basketball team.

Early life

Watanabe was born in Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi to a Japanese mother, Sanae Watanabe, and an American father, Matthew Hogland.[1][2][3] He played volleyball and baseball as a child but after sustaining an injury, Watanabe gave up baseball and started playing basketball and soccer for fun. He focused more towards volleyball in eighth grade and was a standout prep volleyball player. He was a part of the team that finished fifth in a national competition. Watanabe was a member of the USA youth and junior national volleyball teams before he decided to pursue collegiate basketball.[1][3][4]

High school career

Watanabe attended ʻIolani School and played four years of varsity basketball for the Raiders. As a freshman, he was a part of the team that won the state championship. As a sophomore, Watanabe helped the Raiders to finish runner-up in the state tournament. As a junior, he led the team to state championship, averaging 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.9 blocks per game. In his efforts, Watanabe was named Honolulu Star-Advertiser State Player of the Year, Gatorade State Player of the Year, and the Division I State Tournament Most Outstanding Player. As a senior, he led the Raiders to its fourth consecutive state tournament appearance, logging a double-double average with 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, to go along with 4.0 assists and 3.1 blocks per game.[3][5] Watanabe earned both the All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu First Team and the Hawaiʻi State All-Tournament selection three times and was named to the Iolani Classic First Team twice.[3][5]

College career

Portland

Watanabe attended the University of Portland and played for the Pilots. After redshirting his freshman year,[2][3][6] he made his collegiate debut on November 6, 2018, posting two points, six rebounds and a steal.[7][8] On December 8, Watanabe scored a season-high 13 points in a win over Sacramento State.[7][9] On February 28, 2019, Watanabe grabbed a season-high nine rebounds against Saint Mary's.[7][10] As a sophomore, he averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 15.4 minute per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field.[3][11][12]

Watanabe grabbed a season-high five rebounds on November 20[13][14] and December 23, 2019.[13][15] He scored a season-high six points on December 1[13][16] and 13.[13][17] As a junior, Watanabe averaged 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 10.7 minutes per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.[3][18][12]

UC Davis

After earning a bachelor's degree in finance, Watanabe transferred to the University of California, Davis, where he enrolled in the MBA program.[6][19][20] Due to NCAA COVID-19 eligibility rules, he had two years of eligibility.[20] Watanabe, who suffered from a hand injury earlier the season,[6][21] played two games with the Aggies, including one start, averaging 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 20.0 minutes per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field.[5][12][22]

Watanabe decided to forego his final year of college eligibility to play professional basketball.[20]

Professional career

Ryukyu Golden Kings (2021–present)

On June 18, 2021, Watanabe signed with the Ryukyu Golden Kings of the B.League.[20][21][23][24] On September 4, he sustained an injury on his right elbow during a practice match against the Akita Northern Happinets. Three days later, Watanabe underwent surgery after being diagnosed with a fractured radial head. He was estimated to be sidelined between four and five months and was entered in the Injury List.[25] On December 24, Watanabe was removed from the list and was cleared to participate fully in practices.[26] On January 17, 2022, CT scan results revealed the displacement of bone fragments in his right elbow. He underwent closed reduction and bone graft surgeries at Ryukyu University Hospital on January 20. On January 22, Watanabe was ruled out for the entire 2021–22 season.[27] On August 5, Watanabe went under the knife for the third time in less than a year, receiving a radial head replacement surgery for his injured elbow in Los Angeles. He was estimated to be sidelined for four to six months.[28]

On February 5, 2023, Watanabe made his professional debut against the Toyoma Grouses, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds in 12 minutes of play.[29] Watanabe helped the Golden Kings defeat the Chiba Jets to claim their first B.League championship title.[30][31] On June 7, the team announced they signed Watanabe for the 2023–24 season.[32]

National team career

After Watanabe's mother sent an email to the Japan Basketball Association, he was called up to join the training camps of the national team.[1][2][33] Watanabe made his international debut for Japan at the 2019 William Jones Cup, where he helped the team win the bronze medal.[34][35] He suited up for Japan at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where he only played in one game.[36] Watanabe was named to the 12-man roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he is set to become the youngest player to represent Japan in basketball.[19][20][21][37][38]

Personal life

Watanabe is from a sports family. His brother, Cole, is a middle blocker for the University of Hawaiʻi men's volleyball team. His father, Matthew, played baseball at Southern Oregon. His paternal grandfather, Doug Hogland, was an offensive linemen in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions from 1953 to 1958.[1][4][19]

Watanabe holds dual citizenship with United States and Japan.[19][21]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Portland Redshirt Redshirt
2018–19 Portland 30315.4.536–.5603.2.5.3.34.4
2019–20 Portland 13035.1.483.000.6672.2.4.1.82.8
2020–21 UC Davis 2120.0.333–1.0002.0.51.01.53.0
Career 45414.2.515.000.5942.8.5.3.53.9

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Young ex-volleyball ace Watanabe anxious to help Japan basketball at Qualifiers". FIBA. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. 1 2 3 Nagatsuka, Kaz (2019-07-08). "University of Portland power forward Hugh Hogland grateful for opportunity with Japan's national team". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hugh Hogland - Men's Basketball". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  4. 1 2 "Hugh Hogland signs NLI with UC Davis". UC Davis Athletics. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  5. 1 2 3 "Hugh Hogland - Men's Basketball". UC Davis Athletics. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  6. 1 2 3 "Former men's basketball center Hugh Hogland transferring to UC Davis". The Beacon. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  7. 1 2 3 "Hugh Hogland - 2018-19 Game Log". ESPN. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  8. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Multnomah on 11/6/2018 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  9. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Sacramento State on 12/8/2018 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  10. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Saint Mary's on 2/28/2019 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  11. ↑ "2018-19 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  12. 1 2 3 "Hugh Hogland College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Hugh Hogland - 2019-20 Game Log". ESPN. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  14. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Portland State on 11/20/2019 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  15. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Boise State on 12/23/2019 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  16. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Incarnate Word on 12/1/2019 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  17. ↑ "Men's Basketball vs Evergreen State on 12/13/2019 - Box Score". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  18. ↑ "2019-20 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". University of Portland Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Tsai, Stephen (2021-07-06). "Ex-'Iolani star Hugh Hogland on Japan's Olympic basketball team". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Waimanalo's Hugh Hogland lives out a high school dream of becoming an Olympian on Japan's Basketball Team". KHON2. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  21. 1 2 3 4 McGinn, Michelle (7 July 2021). "'Iolani's Hugh Hogland named to Japan's Olympic basketball team". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  22. ↑ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". UC Davis Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  23. ↑ "渡邉 飛勇選手 契約(新規)のお知らせ". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 18 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  24. ↑ Odeven, Ed (2021-06-20). "[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Will Local Spectators Be Allowed at Tokyo Olympics? We Should Know Soon | JAPAN Forward". japan-forward.com. Retrieved 2021-06-28. Power forward Hugh Watanabe, who played college ball at the University of Portland (2018-20) and University of California, Davis (2020-21), will launch his pro career with the title-chasing Ryukyu Golden Kings.
  25. ↑ "#9渡邉選手 右肘負傷のご報告". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  26. ↑ "#9渡邉飛勇選手インジュアリーリスト抹消のご報告". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 24 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  27. ↑ "#9渡邉飛勇選手 右肘再手術終了のご報告". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  28. ↑ "#9渡邉飛勇選手 手術終了のご報告". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 13 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  29. ↑ "試合速報". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  30. ↑ "Basketball: Golden Kings sweep Jets 2-0 to win 1st B-League title". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  31. ↑ "Ryukyu Golden Kings sweep Chiba Jets for first B. League title". The Japan Times. 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  32. ↑ "#9 渡邉飛勇選手 契約(継続)のご報告". 琉球ゴールデンキングス (in Japanese). 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  33. ↑ "Pilots thrive playing internationally this summer". The Beacon. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  34. ↑ "Japan at the 2019 William Jones Cup". jonescup.meetagile.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  35. ↑ Nagatsuka, Kaz (2019-07-30). "Big guns set to lead Japan at FIBA World Cup". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  36. ↑ "Japan at the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers". FIBA. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  37. ↑ 公益財団法人日本バスケットボール協会 (2021-07-05). "第32回オリンピック競技大会(2020/東京) 5人制バスケットボール男子日本代表チーム 内定選手12名発表". Japan Basketball Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  38. ↑ "BASKETBALL | Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe Among 12 Players Named to Japan National Team for Tokyo Games | JAPAN Forward". japan-forward.com. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
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