Allan Hilzinger (Farthest left - With Logan Thunder WNBL Head Coach Richard Orlick and other ADU staff)
Allan lived and grew up in South-East Queensland. He spent much of his childhood playing representative basketball in the Logan-pacific region before moving into coaching after a knee injury forced him to stop playing for one year at age 18.
Allan spent his first three years coaching at club level for Beenleigh Blitz in both juniors and mini basketball, before being appointed coach of the Logan u/14 boys representative team. He coached both representative basketball for Logan (continuing with the same team and also some other assistant positions) and club level basketball for Beenleigh Blitz for a further three seasons before moving to Japan with his wife to experience a different culture. Within three months of living in Japan he was appointed as the Girls Basketball co-ordinator at Ageo, Taihei JHS and additionally began a non profit basketball club.
Some of his highlights to date from his basketball career in Japan include;
2005-2008 South-Saitama Prefecture JHS girls representative coach, 2004-2008 Ageo City JHS girls representative coach, 2007, 2008 Japan National JHS All-star tournament referee, 2006, 2007, 2008 Saitama Prefecture JHS Boys state finals referee, 2005 Saitama Prefecture JHS Girls state finals referee.
Taihei JHS teams coached by Allan achievements include; Ageo JHS Boys Best 16 game 2005 All-Japan tournament, Ageo JHS Boys Best 8 game 2006 All-Japan tournament (lost by 3 points to eventual champions), ADU Mini Basketball Final 4 2008 All-Japan Tournament, Ageo JHS Girls 2008 Saitama State Champions, Best 8 finish in the November 2006 Saitama Prefectural Girls Tournament (losing to the eventual champions in the best 8 game by 5 points), winning 8 Ageo City Girls Championships (2004-2008), winning the 2007 Girls Saitama Challenge Cup (selected schools invitational tournament), winning the 2007 and 2009 Girls Kumajo Cup (open invitational tournament) and winning the 2007 Ageo Minami H.S Boys Friendship Championship (open invitational tournament).
Allan has a Bachelor of Leisure Management, majoring in sport and is now completing further studies in Business Management.
Allan currently lives between both Australia and Japan.
L
ari Hilzinger (2nd from left in back row - Winning members of the ADU July 07 Logan Invitational)
Lari first came to Japan at age 14 on a short term exchange program where she home stayed in Kyoto Prefecture. Inspired from this visit she returned to Australia and decided to continue studying Japanese with a goal of mastering the language. After graduating from Stuartholme School in Brisbane she returned to Japan on a Rotary scholarship and completed one full year of Japanese High School. During this one year she home stayed with 6 families in Gifu Prefecture. After returning to Australia she completed a Bachelor of Public Relations majoring in Japanese and has since studied a post-graduate in secondary education.
Lari has worked in Japan for the past eight years, starting as a teacher in Hyogo prefecture working on a government run Program (JET) for two years and then moved to Saitama Prefecture where she became a Junior Executive and the Human Resource Manager for a foreign employee recruitment company, RCS Corporation. Her work with RCS involved visiting and liaising with schools throughout Tokyo, Saitama and surrounding areas. For the past two years Lari has worked as a Public Relations consultant promoting tourism and travel in Japan as well as a free lance cross-cultural communications lecturer.
Lari has obtained the highest level of the World recognized Japanese Proficiency Examination and has completed certifications in translation.
Yuichi Ito (left side, Yuichi with Australian NBL and International referee Scott Butler)
Yuichi has been playing basketball since Junior High school where he played at Saitama prefectures Miyahara JHS. His JHS team made the Prefecture Championships and finished best 5 in the prefecture. They later went on to the Kanto Regional finals (Tokyo and surrounding states/prefectures), and finished in the best 8.
Yuichi later represented Tokyos Kyohoku SHS where his team went on to be placed 8th in the National Championships. He was later selected in the Tokyo Youth Team, a dream of most Japanese basketball players of his age.
At Japan University Yuichi studied to became a P.E teacher while playing basketball in his free time. He played for the University Club team receiving the MVP award. He also played in private leagues, including Gulliver Club which came 3rd overall in the Mens club team National Championships. He was selected 3 consequetive years into the all Saitama Prefecture team where they made the best 16 amongst teams in Osaka, Fukushima and Hiroshima.?
After University Yuichi began his career as a teacher working in Okegawa Higashi JHS for 5 years. There he coached both the boys and girls teams to the best 16 in the Prefecture for 5 years running. He additionally had one student chosen in the Saitama Prefecture All Star team during that span.
Yuichi then moved schools and worked for the next 10 years at Taihei JHS where he coached the boys team for that time frame. Over a 9 year span his boys team won the Prefectural Championships 6 times, came runner up once, third 3 times and best 8 three times. In 2004 Yuichi was the Saitama JHS boys All Star Team coach in which they came 3rd in the national championships. 8 members of his own team were selected for this representative side. In 2005 and again 2006 his boys team won the Prefectural and Kanto (Tokyo and surrounding states and prefectures) championships creating basketball history within Kanto as the first team to achieve such a feat. In 2005 the team made the best 16 and 2006 best 8 in the National Tournament. 3 members of the 2006 team were selected for the national top ender under 15 team.
At the beginning of 2007 Yuichi moved to Ageo, Oishi JHS. His team immediately made the best 8 in the 2007 Prefecture Championships. They have since won the 2008 Saitama state championships
Outside of school time Yuichi is very active in the Basketball community, including coaching the Gulliver mens club team who won the All Japan Championships in 2005. They have also been in the state championships 10 times and have won the Kanto championships once, 2nd twice and 3rd once while he has been at the helm.
Misato Ito (2nd from left - Some members of the July 07 ADU Tour at Cold Rock Ice Creamery)
Misato began basketball at Oishi-Minami JHS in Ageo City, where her team made the State finals and she was chosen as a representative player for the City.
At Ina Gakken SHS she continued basketball with her team again making the State finals and she was again chosen for the regional team where she was awarded for her high level of play as a selected best member.
As a University student she played in her University club team while simultaneously representing the Red Space Club team in her home City of Ageo. During this time Red Space placed 4th in the prefecture and progressed to the best 8 in the Kanto Championships (Tokyo and surrounding prefectures and states).? Additionally, as a university student Misato coached the girls team at her former JHS for 3 years (2000-2002). The team won the City championships 4 times and was in the Prefecture championships 3 times, once making the best 16 in the prefecture during that span.
On graduating University, Misato began teaching P.E. at Saiyama Higashi JHS where she coached the girls team. This team won the Prefecture championship in 2004 and came in the best 16 in the Kanto tournament. In 2005 they won the City championships 5 times going on to the prefecture champions 4 times and making the best 16. In 2006 they again won the City championships 5 times and entered the prefecture championship 4 times progressing to the best 8 on one occasion. In 2007 Misato started teaching at a new school, Ageo JHS where she continues to coach the girls team.
Misato is a JABBA qualified coach and a Japanese recognized referee.
Email: adubasketball@gmail.com
phone: (+61) 0418 882 031 (Australia) or (+81) 080 3310 1309 (Japan)