Tournament shoots for fun, scholarship funds

The Nikkei Student Union hosted 34 teams this weekend in the
Yuji Ichioka Memorial Basketball Tournament held in Pauley
Pavilion.

The 12th annual tournament, previously called the “shoot
out,” was renamed last year after the death of Asian American
activist Yuji Ichioka, one of the founders of the Asian American
Studies Center.

Ten percent of the event’s proceeds go to the Yuji Ichioka
Memorial Scholarship Fund. Other revenue goes to support NSU
activities, such as intramural fees for its members.

The tournament draws both Asian and non-Asian students from
across the state, and provides something that even professional
basketball doesn’t offer.

“You don’t see very many Asian basketball players
(in professional basketball),” said Eric Lo, a spectator at
the event. “It’s fun to watch.”

Tracy Ohara, a fourth-year biology student and president of NSU,
has varied goals in hosting the tournament. She sees the event as
an opportunity to “bring the basketball community
together” and to help educate people about Ichioka.

As the man who coined the term “Asian American” and
helped pioneer the way for historians of Asian American studies,
Ichioka is thought of by members of NSU as highly important. Ohara
says she hopes the tournament will help inform others about
Ichioka’s work.

Ichioka, who died in September 2002, taught the first Asian
American Studies class at UCLA in 1969. Over the next three
decades, Ichioka made his mark at UCLA in both research and
teaching.

He also collaborated on the Japanese American Research Project
Collection at UCLA and served on the editorial board for the
Pacific Historical Review and Amerasia Journal.

Ichioka’s link to the tournament surpasses his ties to the
club. “He was a big basketball player,” Ohara said,
pointing to basketball as an important part of Japanese American
culture.

Jacquelyn Wong, a second-year civil engineering student and head
of the NSU athletic committee, said “basketball ties us
together.”

Others share the sentiments of Ohara and Wong in identifying
basketball as an important thread in their social circles.

Trisha Kawasaki, a tournament participant, said she saw people
she had played basketball with since middle school at the
tournament. Kawasaki, who regularly attends tournaments like this
one, says she enjoys the familiar faces she has grown accustomed to
seeing through the sport.

Her twin sister, Kimberly Kawasaki, also participated in the
tournament. She points to basketball as not just a social link
between friends, but as something in which she and her family
participate.

“We’ve played all our lives,” she said.
“All our family members play so basketball runs in the
family.”

Kevin Toda, a participant and spectator, said he heard about the
tournament through friends. Though he pointed to various other
tournaments he has participated in at UC Irvine and UC Santa
Barbara, he said this particular tournament was well known among
his friends and fellow players.

NSU began preparing for the event last fall. Wong explained that
early preparation is necessary to ensure a spot in Pauley Pavilion,
the location being one of the draws of the event.

Kimberly Kawasaki remembered games she has watched at UCLA and
said she enjoyed the opportunity to play basketball in a place
where she has seen so many others compete.

“It’s cool just to say I’ve been able to play
in Pauley Pavilion.”

In addition to the much-loved venue, many participants enjoyed
the competition that the tournament provided.

Kimmie Won, a second-year undeclared student, enjoyed what she
felt was a “nice variety” of competition. “They
come from different schools; it’s not just UCLA
people,” she said.