From US to Japan, Maya harbours hoop dreams

BENGALURU: Japan's tryst with having naturalised athletes power their sporting ambitions has on most occasions paid rich dividends. At the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, Japan had 11 naturalised players in their ranks, who then went on to register a stunning 34-32 win over champions South Africa.
Though they are powerhouses in basketball, the move to include naturalised players has seen a handful of foreign-born hoopsters of both Japanese and non-Japanese descent trying to make their mark for their adopted Asian nation in both men's and women's events.
One such player is Maya McArthur, a towering figure among the pacey, skillful bunch of Japanese girls gunning for glory at the FIBA U-16 Women's Asian Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here. Making her debut for Japan, the 5'11" US-born centre was at her rebounding best as they cruised to a 113-36 win over Hong Kong on Monday.
Maya has dual citizenship, thanks to her Japanese mother and American father Eric McArthur - a former basketball player who plied his trade in the Japanese Basketball League for nearly 16 years and also represented Japan at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
"Honestly, I never really thought this would happen," the 16-year-old said. "I've been with the team for about six practice sessions. My dad played for Japan and now here I am. It’s really an honour... I feel so blessed to be here."
Talent notwithstanding, it was also a stroke of luck that now sees the California-based player making her presence felt in the Japanese squad. Earlier this year, Maya had appeared for trials at the FIBA U-16 Americas Championship and though she found herself among the initial 37 probables, she failed to make the final 18-member US team.
“I was never exposed to so many talented and gifted players before so it was a good experience to see the kind of competition that there is across the country. It was a bit disappointing to not make the final cut but it was my first time so I was just trying to get as far as I could,” Maya said.
Later in August, she got a call from Japan senior women’s coach Tom Hovasse saying she was eligible to play for the U-16 squad. “I came for the camp in September and since I can speak fluent Japanese, the initial interaction with the squad was good,” said the junior high student.
“Some of the slang was a bit iffy for me and at first, it was a bit hard to get the chemistry going because they were shy and I was shy but now we are a close bunch.”
Like her predecessors, Maya hopes for a transition to the senior Japanese team in the near future, but her focus also remains on a fruitful career in the US. “My ultimate goal is to get to college with a scholarship, hopefully play at a D1 (Division 1) level and win an NCAA tournament. Of course, the dream right now is to win the Asia Cup,” she signed off.