Rui Hachimura

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Rui Hachimura
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Position Power forward / Small forward
League West Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (1998-02-08) February 8, 1998 (age 26)
Sendai, Japan
Nationality Japanese / Beninese
Listed height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school Meisei (Sendai, Japan)
College Gonzaga (Commit)

Rui "Louis" Hachimura (八村 塁 Hachimura Rui?, born February 8, 1998 in Toyama Prefecture) is a Japanese-Beninese basketball player. He stands 6'8" (203cm) tall and plays forward. Hachimura is currently playing at the Meisei High School in Japan and will join Gonzaga University beginning in the 2016-17 season.

Youth career

Hachimura played baseball before picking up basketball.[1] In his native Japan, he was quickly regarded as a prodigy and a basketball sensation.

Hachimura was invited to play in the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic International Game. Coming off the bench, he had nine points, five rebounds and a blocked shot in 18 minutes of play.[2]

In December 2015, Hachimura led Meisei High School to its third straight title in the All-Japan High School Tournament.[3]

Recruiting

<templatestyles src="Template:Quote_box/styles.css" />

"The kid from Japan is a terrific athlete. He's going to remind people of a bigger Elias Harris. I don't know if he can step in right away. I just know that he's a man child. He is, and he's going to have to learn the language a little bit better and learn the system and learn how to play Zags basketball, but unlimited potential, unlimited athletic potential, and he's going to be good."

Fran Fraschilla, ESPN.[4]

<templatestyles src="Template:Quote_box/styles.css" />

"He's really developed in the last year. His body has really changed. He's a legit 6-foot-8 1/4 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and huge hands. He can control the ball easily and can shoot."

Tommy Lloyd, Gonzaga Associate Head Coach.[5]

In December 2014, Hachimura expressed his desire to play college basketball in the United States.[6] In January 2015, Hachimura was highlighted by ESPN among five of the best international players in the 2015 and 2016 classes with aspirations to play college basketball. He was drawing major interest from Arizona, Gonzaga, and Vanderbilt at the time, and scouts were impressed with his length, athleticism, and shooting ability.[7]

After taking visits to Gonzaga and Arizona,[8] in November 2015 he signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Gonzaga University,[9] "the most prestigious college program a Japanese player will have ever suited up for", according to the Japan Times.[10]

Despite signing with Gonzaga in the early signing period for 2016, Rui Hachimura's eligibility to play college basketball was called into question.[11] Concerns were that he needed to acclimate better culturally and language-wise to the United States, and he would potentially need to attend a prep school before attending Gonzaga or redshirting if eligible.[5] In February 2016, Hachimura claimed to understand 80 percent of English, but was only able to speak 30 to 40 percent of it.[12] As of April 2016, Hachimura was still working toward passing the SAT to gain entrance to college.[13][14] In May 2016, Hachimura announced that he met the SAT and GPA requirements to be eligible to play at Gonzaga beginning as early as Fall 2016. He plans to play as a true freshman and not redshirt his first year.[15]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rui Hachimura
SF/PF
Sendai, Japan Meisei 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 20, 2015 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  247Sports: #136  ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

International career

He represents Japan internationally. At the 2013 FIBA Asia U16 Championship in Iran, Hachimura averaged 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks through eight contests,[16] guiding his team to a third-place finish.[17] In April 2014, he played the Albert-Schweitzer-Tournament in Germany with Japan's under 18 national team,[18][19] finishing in last place.[20]

Japan finished the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships 14th of 16 teams, with Hachimura scoring a tournament-high 22.6 points per game, while pulling down 6.6 boards and blocking 1.7 shots a contest.[21] During the tournament, he dropped 25 points on the US team that included Ivan Rabb, Diamond Stone, Malik Newman, and went on to win the title.[22]

Personal life

His mother is Japanese, his father comes from Benin.[23]

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.