Who is the leading vote-getter for the bj-league’s ninth annual All-Star Game?
In a news release issued on Friday afternoon, at the top of the list is Ryukyu’s Draelon Burns, the Golden Kings’ dynamic 194-cm, do-it-all super reserve. His versatility enables him to play multiple forward and guard positions. He has a knack for making clutch baskets, big steals and big assists. Burns, listed as a forward, has 24,994 fan votes, according to the news release.
Burns, a DePaul University alum, played a key role for the past two championship-winning clubs: the Golden Kings in May and the Yokohama B-Corsairs in 2013.
The next four vote-getters are also from the Western Conference and are listed in the forward/center category: Ryukyu’s Anthony McHenry (22,981), Hamamatsu’s Atsuya Ota (21,467), Kyoto’s David Palmer (20,942) and Kyoto’s Reggie Warren (19,057).
In the backcourt, the West’s top five vote-getters are Ryukyu’s Ryuichi Kishimoto (16,296), Fukuoka’s eight-time All-Star Cohey Aoki (15,785), Ryukyu’s Narito Namizato (12,864), Kyoto’s Shun Watanuki (9,899) and Kyoto’s Hikaru Kusaka (9,276).
For the East’s guards, the top five are Akita’s Shigehiro Taguchi (16,643), Fukushima’s Masaya Karimata (15,600), Aomori’s Yuki Kitamuki (13,646), Gunma’s Kenya Tomori (13,207) and reigning regular-season MVP Masashi Joho of Toyama (13,182).
In the frontcourt, the East’s top-five vote-getters are Akita’s Richard Roby (15,333), Niigata’s Yuichi Ikeda (14,755), Toyama’s Joe Werner (13,779), Iwate’s Hayato Kantake (13,513) and Akita’s Deshawn Stephens (13,429).
Fan voting for the two conferences’ starting lineups will conclude on Jan. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Twelve players will be named to the East and West squads, which will be held Feb. 1 in Gunma. The reserves will be chosen by the league.
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The Saitama Broncos on Friday evening announced that head coach Kazuaki Shimoji, who has been battling bacterial endocarditis, a heart illness, remains hospitalized and will not be on the bench this weekend for the home series against Ryukyu.
Broncos trainer/strength and conditioning coach Takahisa Yamaguchi remains in charge during Shimoji’s absence.
Shimoji, 38, has not coached a game since Dec. 7.
The Broncos are 0-20 in Shimoji’s first season at the helm. They went 5-47 under Takatoshi Ishibashi in 2013-14.
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