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| Akita Northern Happinets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Conference | East | |||
| Division | First | |||
| Leagues | B.League | |||
| Founded | 2010; 15 years ago (2010) | |||
| History | bj league(2010–2016) B.League (2016–present) | |||
| Arena | CNA Arena Akita | |||
| Capacity | 5,000 | |||
| Location | Akita, Akita | |||
| Team colors | Pink, Gold, Black [1] | |||
| President | Yuki Mizuno (fr)[2][3] | |||
| Head coach | Kenzo Maeda | |||
| Conference titles | 2bj league Eastern Conference champions (2014, 2015) | |||
| Website | Happinets.com | |||
| ||||
TheAkita Northern Happinets are a Japanese professional basketball team based inAkita that competes in the Eastern Conference of the First Division of theB.League.[4] The team was formed as an expansion team of thebj league in 2010[5] and found success for the first time in 2013–14, finishing their fourth season as league runners-up.[6] They went on to finish as runners-up for the second year in a row in 2014–15 and in third place in 2015–16, the final season of the bj league.[7]
Akita Prefecture's connection with basketball has historically lay withNoshiro Technical High School, which has won a total of 58 national-level championships,[8] and theIsuzu corporate team (Akita Isuzu Motors, currently the Yokohama Giga Spirits), which was based in Akita from 1955 until 1987.[9] Following the formation of the independentbj league in 2006, a committee was formed to investigate the formation of a professional club within the prefecture in 2007 but was unsuccessful. In June 2008 another association was formed to pursue a bj league franchise licence and a pre-season match between theSendai 89ers andNiigata Albirex BB was held a few months later.[10] In January 2009 Akita Pro Basketball Club Co., Ltd. was established and in the following May was granted a licence to enter the 2010-11 bj league season. The team's name was announced at a pre-season match hosted in Akita between the 89ers andHamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix in September 2009.[11]
The Happinets entered the Eastern Conference of the bj league in October 2010 as one of three expansion teams. TheShimane Susanoo Magic andMiyazaki Shining Suns joined the Western Conference, taking the league to a total of 16 teams.[12] For their first season the Happinets signedSeiichi Oba as general manager[13] and formerShiga Lakestars coachRobert Pierce as head coach.[14] 39-year-old Akita native and Noshiro Tech alumnusMakoto Hasegawa was acquired from Niigata in exchange for a first-round draft pick and took on a player-manager role.[15] The team draftedJun Nakanishi [ja] andRyosuke Mizumachi in the expansion draft,Yuki Nobuhira [fr] in the second round of the rookie draft andMakoto Sawaguchi in the development draft.[16] The team was unable to reach a deal with Nakanishi, who instead signed withRizing Fukuoka before the start of the season.[17] Happinets' inaugural home game was held at theAkita Prefectural Gymnasium in October.[18]
In November 2011 the team signedCurtis Terry, brother of NBA playerJason Terry, to replace the injuredBrandon Wallace. After 14 games Terry was released from the club in January due to his arrest for theft from a convenience store.[19]
Has emerged as a strong league power, and won a conference title two years in a row.
ANH struggled throughout the season and were relegated to second division.[20]
Akita finished the regular season with a 54–6 record, defeatedKumamoto Volters in the B2 playoffs and were promoted to B1.[21]
The team suffered its 11th consecutive defeat,[22] However, Akita was not relegated and remained in the B1 league.
Coach Pep left, andMaeda was promoted from assistant coach to bench boss.[23] The 10th anniversary team got sponsorship deals from electronics companyTDK Corporation.[24] Tokyo Denki Kagaku sponsoredLiga ACB team,TDK Manresa between 1985 and 2000.[25]New practice facilities, near theAkita Station, was completed in December. Two games were played without spectators due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in March.[26]
Assistant coachMakoto Tanaka was arrested fordrink-driving on July 17, 2021.[27] The team clinched their first B. League playoff berth on May 8, 2022.
Amida Brimah was released by Happinets on August 29, 2022. He originally signed for this season on July 13.
| Akita Northern Happinets roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: April 30, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
 The headquarters are housed in theAkita Northern Gate Square | |
| Company type | Kabushiki gaisha |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 30 January 2009 |
| Headquarters | Akita Northern Gate Square 2F, Nakadori 7-chome 1 2-3, Akitashi. Akitaken 010-0001 ,Japan |
Area served | Akita Prefecture |
Key people | Yuki Mizuno |
| Website | northern-happinets |
| Headquarters | |
|---|---|
 |
39°42′53.2″N140°7′49″E / 39.714778°N 140.13028°E /39.714778; 140.13028
Yukio Kodaka Shintaro Tahara Itsuki Midorikawa Ryohei Sugano unknown| Akita Northern Happinets season-by-season record | ||||||||||||||
| Season | League | Finish | G | W | L | W-L | GB | Play-offs | PG | PW | PL | PWL | ||
| 2010–11 | Bj League | East 6th | 50 | 18 | 32 | .360 | 24 | Lost in First Round toNiigata | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||
| 2011-12 | Bj League | East 3rd | 52 | 28 | 24 | .538 | 9 | Lost in Second Round toYokohama | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | ||
| 2012-13 | Bj League | East 5th | 52 | 26 | 26 | .500 | 8 | Lost in Second Round toNiigata | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | ||
| 2013-14 | Bj League | East 3rd | 52 | 40 | 12 | .759 | 2 | Eastern Conference Champions | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 | ||
| 2014–15 | Bj League | East 1st | 52 | 41 | 11 | .788 | - | Eastern Conference Champions | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bj League | East 3rd | 52 | 35 | 17 | .673 | 4 | 3rd place | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 | ||
| 2016–17 | B.League | East 5th | 60 | 18 | 42 | .300 | 31 | relegated to B2 | ||||||
| 2017–18 | B.League2 | East 1st | 60 | 54 | 6 | .900 | - | B2 Runners-up | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | ||
| 2018–19 | B.League | East 5th | 60 | 17 | 43 | .283 | 35 | - | ||||||
| 2019–20 | B.League | East 5th | 41 | 19 | 22 | .463 | 13 | - | ||||||
| 2020–21 | B.League | East 7th | 59 | 28 | 31 | .475 | 20.5 | - | ||||||
| 2021–22 | B.League | East 5th | 54 | 31 | 23 | .574 | 9 | Lost in First Round toRyukyu | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||
| 2022–23 | B.League | East 4th | 60 | 29 | 31 | .483 | 24 | |||||||
| 2023–24 | B.League | East 5th | 60 | 30 | 30 | .500 | 21 | |||||||
| 2024–25 | B.League | East 4th | 56 | 27 | 29 | .482 | 19 | |||||||
| Totals | B.League | 450 | 199 | 251 | .442 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||||
| Totals | Bj League | 310 | 188 | 122 | .606 | 32 | 20 | 12 | .625 | |||||
| Totals | B.League2 | 60 | 54 | 6 | .900 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | |||||
| Year | Lg | GP | MP | FG(%) | 3P(%) | FT(%) | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | OPPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | bj | 50 | 10050 | .414 | .324 | .620 | 49.3 | 15.5 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 79.4 | 84.3 |
| 2011–12 | bj | 52 | 10425 | .408 | .323 | .669 | 37.3 | 15.6 | 8.0 | 2.2 | 73.8 | 80.2 |
| 2012–13 | bj | 52 | 10475 | .415 | .334 | .620 | 33.4 | 15.8 | 6.8 | 2.5 | 77.4 | 76.9 |
| 2013–14 | bj | 52 | 10475 | .457 | .354 | .692 | 40.0 | 19.4 | 7.1 | 3.0 | 90.2 | 81.1 |
| 2014–15 | bj | 52 | 10475 | .484 | .375 | .679 | 38.8 | 20.3 | 7.1 | 4.1 | 89.2 | 77.1 |
| 2015–16 | bj | 52 | 10475 | .462 | .359 | .692 | 46.3 | 19.7 | 7.4 | 3.1 | 83.9 | 75.9 |
| 2016–17 | B1 | 60 | 12150 | .425 | .342 | .684 | 37.5 | 12.1 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 70.4 | 74.3 |
| 2017–18 | B2 | 60 | 12000 | .437 | .339 | .631 | 40.7 | 20.6 | 11.9 | 3.5 | 80.0 | 67.7 |
| 2018–19 | B1 | 60 | 12025 | .421 | .307 | .696 | 36.8 | 18.3 | 8.2 | 2.9 | 71.3 | 78.2 |
| 2019–20 | B1 | 41 | 8200 | .430 | .306 | .711 | 35.8 | 19.1 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 75.5 | 73.9 |
| 2020–21 | B1 | 59 | 11875 | .435 | .319 | .696 | 35.5 | 20.9 | 9.1 | 4.0 | 77.5 | 78.1 |
| 2021–22 | B1 | 54 | 10850 | .446 | .378 | .751 | 36.1 | 20.8 | 8.9 | 2.7 | 78.7 | 75.7 |
| 2022–23 | B1 | 60 | 12000 | .428 | .342 | .732 | 39.0 | 22.1 | 7.3 | 2.0 | 78.6 | 77.7 |
| 2023–24 | B1 | 60 | 12000 | .411 | .326 | .710 | 40.5 | 18.9 | 6.5 | 2.1 | 74.2 | 75.2 |
| 2024–25 | B1 | 56 | 11000 | .411 | .329 | .701 | 36.9 | 20.3 | 8.3 | 2.3 | 73.4 | 74.5 |
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| Years | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 |  Bob Pierce | 18–32 |
| 2011–2014 | Kazuo Nakamura | 94-62 |
| 2014–2017 | Makoto Hasegawa | 94–70 |
| 2017–2019 |  Josep Clarós | 71-49 |
| 2019–present | Kenzo Maeda | 47-53 |
| 2010–present | Total | 354-266 |
| HOME | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    2016 - 19 |   2019 - 20 |   2020 - 21 | ||
| AWAY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  2016 - 19 |   2019 - 20 |   2020 - 21 | ||
| Other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
  2020 - 21 FANS ユニフォーム | ||||
 | |
| Akita Northern Happinets Cheer Dance Team | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2010-present |
| Director | Mineko Abe |
| Affiliations | Happinets Cheer Dance Team |
| Membership | 9 |
| Website | Cheer homepage |
TheAkita Northern Happinets Cheer Dance Team are the official B.League Cheerleading squad representing Happinets. The group performs atCNA Arena Akita, the home court of the Happinets. The squad also has a "Junior Cheer School Programme", for young women aged 5–12.[28]
Source:[30]
Bicky is the official mascot of the Akita Northern Happinets. The Frog wears #82 and is able to slam-dunk. He is 182 cm tall and weighs 82 kg.[31] Happinets introduced a new mascotRana, Bicky's girl friend, on June 26, 2020.[32] University HOSP man is the unofficial mascot.
The Happinets play their home games at CNA Arena Akita, their home since 2016. During their time in the bj league, the Happinets played their home games at theAkita Prefectural Gymnasium. Another home,Nices Arena is an indoor sporting arena located inYurihonjo. A new prefectural gymnasium will be built in 2026.[33] The team has practice facilities at theAkita Northern Gate Square,Akita Bank Gymnasium,Akita Xerox Sports Square andAkita International University Suda Hall.[34] They also build muscle at Varsity Weight Room in Yabase, Akita.[35] Happinets players love to take spa at Youland Hotel Yabase in Akita.[36] (Tattooed players have special privileges to take a bath.)
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The Happinets fans are widely known as "Crazy Pink" and sometimes have overwhelming numbers at the visitors games.[37][38][39] The hoop-crazed fans light up arena with "Bigabiga", pinkglow sticks and sing the prefectural anthem before the game.[40] The Happinets home court rocks with anotherstadium anthem "Fly Again" byMan with a Mission, andCNA Arena Akita is one of the hottest and loudest basketball venues in Asia.[41][42][43] TheAkita Airport limousine buses have the painted images of the Happinets andBlaublitz Akita.[44]
| Year | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
2010–2012 | Gambax |
2012–2014 | Bull Fight |
2014–2016 | Mizuno |
2016–2020 | Under Armour |
2020–present | Fila |
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org. |
The Happinets players' talk show is aired occasionally onABS.[45] The Happinets don't have anyplay-by-play radio broadcasting.
SoftBank Group Corp. is estimated to have invested over ¥12 billion to get the broadcasting rights of B.League in 2016.[46] The Happinets home game broadcasters areToshifumi Takeshima (Akita Television, play-by-play announcer) andHiroyuki Chida (JR Akita Peckers).
