A season ago, established stars Nick Fazekas and Naoto Tsuji set the tone for the then-Toshiba Brave Thunders in the final NBL season. From a statistical standpoint, they were the driving force behind the team¡¯s championship.

Consider the dynamic duo¡¯s performances in the decisive Game 5 of the NBL Finals against the Aisin SeaHorses in early June: Fazekas put 21 points on the board and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Tsuji, the series MVP, scored 20 points and made three steals.

Now, during the B. League¡¯s first campaign, the 211-cm Fazekas, and to an extension his team, now called the Kawasaki Brave Thunders, is bolstered by the complementary skills of power forward Ryan Spangler.