Career: JOMO Sunflowers (WJBL-1, 2001-08)

Japan’s Yuko Oga made her debut with the National Team as soon as she graduated from high school and developed so quickly that she became the starting playmaker. Yuko is very quick and thrives on the fast break while also excelling in one-on-one situations. Her up-tempo style, which some might describe as “run-and-gun”, is very important for Japan as it helps them get the ball up the floor quickly ahead of taller defences. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of Japan’s assistant coach, Mikiko Hagiwara, her intention is to be the second Japanese player to reach the WNBA, something she hopes to do after the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Madrid.