This time we have three middle-aged people.
#2 Futoshi Onodera
Onodera is now the number one middle player in Japan. He has high numbers in quick and block, and his hybrid serve is also effective. I'm really glad he didn't switch to the side (laughs). He won the JOC Olympic Promising Player Award when he was in the third year of junior high school, so I only knew his name, but I think I saw his video at the Spring High School Volleyball Tournament when he was in his second year. However, at that time, I was so impressed by the high jumper Matsubayashi (now Suntory), who was also in his third year at Tohoku High School, that I just thought, "There's a big player here~" (laughs). After that, he followed Matsubayashi and enrolled at Tokai University, where he was a regular starter from his first year, and even served as captain in his fourth year. When I saw him again during his time at Tokai University, I simply thought, "He's a good player." He was not only tall, but also had a solid physique even back then, and was mobile and skillful. He was full of the feeling of a "reliable man." I felt that especially when he was in his fourth year. That's why he was entrusted with the captaincy in this year's match against China. He made his senior national team debut in 2017 while he was still a student. It was really a mystery why he was playing on the side because of Gaichi's plan to develop tall side players (lol). On the other hand, he was a regular at JT, winning the block award and the spike award in the derby. And he became the undisputed middle player for the national team.
However, he was not able to fully demonstrate his strength in the Nations League and was substituted several times during the game. But he can't continue like this. From the best middle in Japan to the best middle in the world. He's going to show off his quick, block and serve in Ariake!!
#6 Akira Yamauchi
The only survivor of "NEXT4" other than Ishikawa. At the time, I never expected that he would be the only one of the three players other than Ishikawa to make the Tokyo Olympic team. I think the first time I saw him play was at the All Japan Intercollegiate Championships when he was in his third year at Aichi Gakuin University. That was the year Yamauchi was called up to the All Japan team for the first time and made his match debut, but he was a completely unknown player in high school and there was little information about him, so I was curious. When I first saw him, I wondered, "Why was a player like this chosen for the national team?" I could see that he was certainly tall and had good jumping ability, but his movements during the game were still somewhat awkward and his body was too thin.
But his growth rate since then has been amazing. His thinness is still an issue, but his movements have improved dramatically, and before we knew it, he was a regular in the starting lineup for the national team. Even after he was a regular in the starting lineup for the national team, I often felt that he was overrated. Especially when playing against the world, he didn't seem to be able to make his presence felt in terms of blocking and put pressure on the opponents. Even so, in the recent VNL, I got the impression that he was able to block and spike well, especially against strong countries, and I think he was the best performing of the four middle players! This large middle player continues to grow, and we look forward to seeing him grow even more! I just wish he'd put on a bit more weight (laughs).
As mentioned before, there were many promising players in the 1993 generation, including Sekita, who I introduced earlier, and Yamauchi. For example, Fujinaka (currently at Suntory), Takano (currently at Sakai), and Imamura (currently at Panasonic). It really makes you think that being great or highly regarded in middle and high school is not an absolute requirement. Only those who continue to grow and seize opportunities will survive.
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