Nagasaki Velca
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| Nagasaki Velca | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Conference | West | ||
| Division | Second | ||
| Leagues | B1 League | ||
| Founded | 2020 | ||
| History | Nagasaki Velca (2020–present) | ||
| Arena | HAPPINESS ARENA | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Location | Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture | ||
| Team colors | Prussian blue, white and dark yellow | ||
| Main sponsor | Nishikawa | ||
| CEO | Hideki Iwashita | ||
| President | Hideki Iwashita | ||
| Team manager | Takuma Ito | ||
| Head coach | Mody Maor | ||
| Ownership | Japanet | ||
| Website | www | ||
| |||
The Nagasaki Velca (長崎ヴェルカ, ながさきヴェルカ, Nagasaki Veruka) is a Japanese professional basketball team based in Nagasaki Prefecture that competes in the first division of the B.League.
Foundation
In 2020, Japanet announced the creation of Nagasaki Prefecture's first professional basketball club.[1] The club was formally launched on July 10, and will compete in B3 or the third division of the B.League beginning the 2021–22 season.[2][3] The company Nagasaki Velca Co., Ltd. (株式会社長崎ヴェルカ) was established with Hideki Iwashita (岩下 英樹) as the president and CEO, and Akito Takata (髙田 旭人) as the director. The company is responsible for the operation and promotion of the basketball club as well as the management of the athletes. The company headquarters is located in Manzaimachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture.[1]
On January 26, 2021, the team announced that Takumi Ito will serve as the head coach and general manager.[4][5]
Naming the team
In July 2020, the management asked suggestions for the team name. On September 15, they revealed that the 2,324 entries were narrowed down to three prospects: Nagasaki Jabuzz (長崎ジャブズ), Nagasaki Haretto (長崎ハレット) and Nagasaki Velca (長崎ヴェルカ).[3][6][7] To select the team name, online voting was done and voting events were also held in different parts of the Nagasaki Prefecture.[3][7] On October 30, the club name Nagasaki Velca was unveiled.[6][8] "Velca" is derived from the words "welcome," "well community" and "victory."[1][3][6][8]
Promotion to B2
The team finished their inaugural season with 42 wins and 3 losses, setting a B3 record with a .933 winning percentage. They were subsequently named B3 Champions and earned a promotion to B2 or the second division of the B.League.[9][10][11] On May 17, 2022, the team announced that Takumi Ito will continue to serve as the general manager[12] and Kenjiro Maeda, who was the team's associate head coach, will take over as the head coach beginning the 2022–23 season.[13] On May 29, B.League announced that Nagasaki will compete in the West conference of B2.[14]
Uniform
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Nagasaki Velca roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable players
To appear in this section a player must have either:
- Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
- Played at least one official international match for his senior national team.
Head coaches
Takuma Ito: 2021–2022[4][5]- Kenjiro Maeda: 2022–2024[16]
Mody Maor: 2024–present[17]
Management
Arenas
Practice facilities
The team opened a new practice facility, the Velca Clubhouse (ヴェルカクラブハウス), in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture on May 27, 2021.[20]