Basketball: American David Hobbs out as Japan coach
Associated Press
TOKYO — The Japan Basketball Association has terminated the contract of American coach David Hobbs.
Hobbs, 60, was on leave due to health problems and will be replaced by Osamu Kuraishi for the Aug. 6-16 Asian Championship in Tianjin, China.
The top three finishers at the 16-nation tournament will win berths in next year’s world championships in Turkey.
Hobbs, a former University of Alabama head coach, was hired to coach Japan’s national squad in February and guided the team to a second-place finish in last month’s East Asia Championship.