Former Brigham Young University–Hawaii basketball player Yuta Tabuse secured a spot on the opening-day roster of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.
Tabuse, who played for the Seasiders during the 2001-2002 season, will become the first Japanese player and the first BYU–Hawaii player to play in the NBA. The Suns open the season on Wednesday, November 3, against the Atlanta Hawks in Phoenix.
Suns Head Coach Mike D'Antoni said he was happy for Tabuse. "The guy has worked his rear off and he deserves it, so I'm happy for him. It's a big step for him."
Tabuse, 5 foot, nine inches, and 165 pounds, said, "I feel great now, but I'm going to keep playing hard." Regarding being the first Japanese-born player in the NBA, he said, "Hopefully, Japanese people will be proud of my station right now and hopefully will keep on cheering me up."
BYU–Hawaii Head Coach Ken Wagner was pleased with the news. "He's a great young man and it's nice to see him do well," said Wagner. "It's always been a dream of Yuta's to play in the NBA and I hope he's successful."
Tabuse, a huge crowd favorite during his year with the Seasiders, averaged 7.6 points per game and led the Pacific West Conference in assists 6.5 per contest. He finished fourth in the conference in steals at 1.8 per game and sixth in free throw percentage at .782. He helped lead the Seasiders to the championship of the PacWest and to the NCAA II Regional Tournament.
With Tabuse dazzling the crowds with his passing and ball-handling skills, the Seasiders also advanced to the championship game of the Yahoo! Sports Invitational Tournament against Division I competition. Tabuse was named to the All-Tournament team after setting the tournament record for assists, including 13 during the semifinal win over New Mexico State.
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