AJ Edu is now a free agent after spending his first pro season with the Toyama Grouses in the Japan B.League.
Despite an injury-riddled season that saw him play just 14 of the 60 games in total for the Toyama Grouses, big man AJ Edu reflected on his first year playing as a professional in Japan.
Edu, who is now a free agent and is among a handful of Filipino Asian imports who are testing the open market, picked his home debut for the Grouses against Nagasaki Velca as his favorite moment of the 2023-24 Japan B.League season, a game in which he tallied impressive numbers of 18 points and eight rebounds in just 21 minutes.
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“My favorite moment of the season was probably my first game for Toyama in front of the Grouses fans against Nagasaki [Velca]. I think just experiencing the Grouses fans was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it," Edu said in an interview release on the B.League social media pages.
The former Toledo Rocket and now Gilas Pilipinas forward added that being able to perform in front of their home crowd stood out on the team-bonding activities that he enjoyed the most.
“[Just] any of those interactions with fans. Like playing the games with the fans, I think it was a lot of fun and just seeing the joy on their faces and how much they were enjoying it made it for us too.”
Edu also shared his plans this offseason, mainly recovering from a torn meniscus he suffered on November 12, 2023 during the Grouses’ game against the Utsunomiya Brex.
“Just training to get healthy again, obviously coming back from injury. Just rehab and recovery," he said.
The 6-foot-10 big man’s services were definitely missed for Toyama, who finished dead last in the B1 with a 4-56 win-loss record. The Grouses have been relegated to the B.League's second division next season.
Edu averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 boards, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.7 blocks in the 14 games he played.
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