Young athletes compete during the Sasebo Friendship Cup in Sasebo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. (Sasebo Friendship Cup Committee)
Young Japanese and American basketball players faced off at a Defense Department high school in southern Japan in a tournament designed to build ties between base and local communities.
Nearly 500 people attended the Sasebo Friendship Cup on Jan. 4 at E.J. King Middle High School on Sasebo Naval Base.
Former E.J. King basketball standout Cameron Reinhart and Rimi Ushizu, president of a Nagasaki-based educational nonprofit, organized the event. It featured a full-court tournament along with a dunk contest, 3-on-3 games, shooting competitions and an exhibition game with professional and college basketball players.
A wheelchair basketball team from Saga prefecture also participated, and players were invited to try the sport.
Reinhart and Ushizu, who leads Conpeito — a nonprofit that operates a free school for Japanese youth disengaged from traditional education — met three years ago. The idea for the tournament grew out of conversations about Reinhart’s high school experience and a shared realization that on-base children have limited opportunities to interact with nearby communities, Reinhart said.
“I love the game of basketball, and I think so do many others,” he told Stars and Stripes in a Feb. 4 text message. “So, we came up with the idea to hold an event where kids from both sides of the gate can interact and have fun through basketball.”
Tournament medals are on display during the Sasebo Friendship Cup in Sasebo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. (Sasebo Friendship Cup Committee)
Athletes compete during the Sasebo Friendship Cup in Sasebo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2026. (Sasebo Friendship Cup Committee)
Reinhart, a 2023 E.J. King graduate, averaged 21 points per game and scored 557 points during his senior season. He won a national 3-point shooting contest at age 15 and now attends Nihon University on a basketball scholarship.
His former coach at E.J. King, Travis Elliot, said Reinhart’s talent stood out early.
“I have coached for 13 years, and as a coach, athlete, and sports lover, you know greatness at first sight, and upon seeing Cameron in 7th grade, you knew this kid was special,” Elliot said by email Thursday. “Seeing our players excel at life brings more joy and satisfaction to a coach than any buzzer beater bucket or close game victories ever could.”
Reinhart said he and Ushizu hope to organize similar tournaments in the future.
“After seeing the success of this event, I hope to possibly hold more,” Reinhart said. “Not quite sure when, but hopefully sometime soon.”