Mototaka Kohama

Mototaka Kohama (小浜元孝, Kohama Mototaka) was a Japanese basketball Head coach for the Akita Isuzu Motors, Isuzu Motors Lynx/Giga Cats and Yokohama Giga Cats. He was known as the “Godfather of Japanese basketball,” and served as head coach of the Japan national basketball team three times. Growing up in Akita during WWII as a young boy, he was told to stop playing basketball because it was an American sport. The pioneer studied basketball coaching at the University of Kentucky.[1][2]

Mototaka Kohama
Personal information
Born(1932-10-17)October 17, 1932
Tokyo
Died12 January 2017(2017-01-12) (aged 84)
Minato, Tokyo, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Career information
High schoolSumida Technical HS (Tokyo, Japan)
PositionHead coach
Career history
As player:
1951-1958Nippon Mining
As coach:
?Showa Gakuin HS
?Yasuda Life
?Hitachi Totsuka Leopard　
1977Hosei University
1979Japan National
1984-1989Japan
1996-2000Japan
1982-1992Akita Isuzu Motors/Isuzu Motors Lynx
1994-2005Isuzu Motors Lynx/Giga Cats/Yokohama Giga Cats
2007-2017Ikai Red Chimps
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • Japanese High School MVP

As coach:

  • Japanese college champion (1977)
  • JBL2 champion (1983)
  • 6x Emperor's Cup champions (1984, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001)
  • 6x JBL champions (1988, 1995,1996, 1997, 1998, 2000)

References
  1. Odeven, Ed (13 January 2017). "Japan hoop legend Kohama dead at 84". Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. Odeven, Ed (11 February 2017). "Kohama's legacy certain to live on". Retrieved 2 November 2017.


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