Japan Times: Konno Reflects on First Season with Louisville
April 28, 2020 | Women's Basketball
TOKYO - Women's basketball phenom Norika Konno received a wealth of valuable experience, both on and off the court, during her first season at Louisville.
Her freshman campaign, however, still came to a bitter end because of an injury and also the COVID-19 outbreak.
Konno had been sidelined since mid-January because of an injury to her right knee. She underwent surgery on March 12, the same day the NCAA announced the cancellation of both the men's and women's Division I NCAA Tournaments.
She returned home to Sendai on March 25 after Louisville's practice facilities, and the school itself, was shut down amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Konno played her final game of the season on Jan. 16 against Boston College, before missing the rest because of her knee injury. She had felt discomfort in the knee since last year's FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Thailand.
Konno hadn't expected to get much playing time as a true freshman, having seen fellow Japanese Rui Hachimura average just 4.6 minutes per game in his first season at Gonzaga.
"I went over there, thinking it could happen to me, too," Konno said when asked if she was aware how much Hachimura, now with the Washington Wizards, played in his first year in the U.S.
As it turned out, Konno was given ample playing time from head coach Jeff Walz. The 19-year-old played 15.1 minutes per game, averaging 4.6 points and 1.9 assists for the Cardinals, who finished at sixth in both the AP and Coaches Poll, this past year. Considering she had to cope with the language barrier and other different cultural basketball customs, her season was even more of a surprise.
Asked which games were the most memorable, Konno named games against then-No. 1 Oregon and Ohio State. She scored six points in a 72-62 win over the Ducks and eight points in a 67-60 loss to the Buckeyes.
Konno said she was motivated to take on Oregon and Sabrina Ionescu, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the New York Liberty in the WNBA draft last week.
"I was watching her play in a movie while I was still in Japan," Konno said of Ionescu. "So now I was actually sharing the same court as her and it gave me extra motivation."
Walz reflected on Konno's first campaign with the Cards in a positive tone, stating that he was "very impressed with how quickly" she adjusted to the English language. He added that the Japanese was "a great teammate" and was "very active with our team" continuing to study the game.
"I expect Norika to have a major impact on our team this upcoming season," Walz said in an email. "She has a ton of potential and has a great feel for the game. Her ability to get to the rim and shoot off the dribble is very impressive."
Walz added: "She has been a joy to have in our program and I am excited to get her back on campus, hopefully this summer."
To read the entire story, please visit JapanTimes.co.
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Her freshman campaign, however, still came to a bitter end because of an injury and also the COVID-19 outbreak.
Konno had been sidelined since mid-January because of an injury to her right knee. She underwent surgery on March 12, the same day the NCAA announced the cancellation of both the men's and women's Division I NCAA Tournaments.
She returned home to Sendai on March 25 after Louisville's practice facilities, and the school itself, was shut down amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Konno played her final game of the season on Jan. 16 against Boston College, before missing the rest because of her knee injury. She had felt discomfort in the knee since last year's FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Thailand.
Konno hadn't expected to get much playing time as a true freshman, having seen fellow Japanese Rui Hachimura average just 4.6 minutes per game in his first season at Gonzaga.
"I went over there, thinking it could happen to me, too," Konno said when asked if she was aware how much Hachimura, now with the Washington Wizards, played in his first year in the U.S.
As it turned out, Konno was given ample playing time from head coach Jeff Walz. The 19-year-old played 15.1 minutes per game, averaging 4.6 points and 1.9 assists for the Cardinals, who finished at sixth in both the AP and Coaches Poll, this past year. Considering she had to cope with the language barrier and other different cultural basketball customs, her season was even more of a surprise.
Asked which games were the most memorable, Konno named games against then-No. 1 Oregon and Ohio State. She scored six points in a 72-62 win over the Ducks and eight points in a 67-60 loss to the Buckeyes.
Konno said she was motivated to take on Oregon and Sabrina Ionescu, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the New York Liberty in the WNBA draft last week.
"I was watching her play in a movie while I was still in Japan," Konno said of Ionescu. "So now I was actually sharing the same court as her and it gave me extra motivation."
Walz reflected on Konno's first campaign with the Cards in a positive tone, stating that he was "very impressed with how quickly" she adjusted to the English language. He added that the Japanese was "a great teammate" and was "very active with our team" continuing to study the game.
"I expect Norika to have a major impact on our team this upcoming season," Walz said in an email. "She has a ton of potential and has a great feel for the game. Her ability to get to the rim and shoot off the dribble is very impressive."
Walz added: "She has been a joy to have in our program and I am excited to get her back on campus, hopefully this summer."
To read the entire story, please visit JapanTimes.co.
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Players Mentioned
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