DONGGUAN (China) – Expect the Fujitsu Red Wave to come out swinging once they begin their campaign in the highly anticipated FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia (WBL Asia) 2025 in this city.<\/p>\n
WBL Asia history<\/p>\n
The perennial Women’s Japan Basketball League (WJBL) contenders were among the four teams that competed in the prestigious club competition’s inaugural edition just last year, taking home the bronze in the process.<\/p>\n
As glad as they were, to be at the podium, the crew was hardly satisfied. They’re without a doubt hungry for a much better showing this year after winning only once in the three games they played in Chengdu.<\/p>\n
That lone W was a dominant one – a 115-45 drubbing of Indonesia’s Surabaya Fever – though, but finishing a tournament with just one win is something that a team as storied as Fujitsu wouldn’t want to settle in.<\/p>\n
Qualifying path<\/p>\n
But a year later, the Red Wave have earned themselves an opportunity to show the entire continent that they can do better than that following a successful back-to-back bid in the WJBL in the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n
Fujitsu took down Denso Iris in a best-of-5 Finals that featured the top two teams of the regular season, capped by a 75-60 victory in the winner-take-all Game 5 to give the organization its third league tiara.<\/p>\n
That series also became an avenue for Coach BT Toews’ charges to flex their championship poise.<\/p>\n
After taking the curtain-raiser by way of a convincing 63-49 win, the Red Wave found themselves on the verge of kissing their title retention hopes goodbye as they stared at a 1-2 deficit in the race-to-3 affair.<\/p>\n
But they went on to win the next two games, and did as much in dominant fashion. They bounced back mightily in Game 4 with a 64-35 rout, then the aforementioned 15-point triumph in the rubber match to win it all.<\/p>\n
Players to watch<\/p>\n
Rui Machida will once again be among the biggest stars to grace the 2025 WBL Asia, coming in fresh off a WJBL season so memorable as the 32-year-old PG won both the Regular Season and Playoff MVP awards.<\/p>\n
She averaged 10.57 points, 4.2 rebounds, and a league-best 9.39 assists during the preliminaries, before tallying 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 11.5 assists in their two-game sweep of the ENEOS Sunflowers in the Semi-Finals.<\/p>\n
Machida then notched 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the Finals.<\/p>\n
Of course, she led both the Regular Season and Playoff Best 5 teams as well together with teammate Yuki Miyazawa as the sweet-shooting forward were also part of the two mythical team selections.<\/p>\n
Also expected to contribute significantly for Fujitsu is Kiho Miyashita, the 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year.<\/p>\n