Playing sports while attending classes can be tricky to balance. Planning and maintaining good time management are key factors to staying on track for Hikaru Fukuda, ’22. Fukuda is a guard on the men’s basketball team and is currently majoring in marketing.
Choosing NCC
Coming from Toshima-Ku, Japan, Fukuda has been playing basketball since second grade. His choice to attend NCC came after speaking with his counselor.
Fukuda wanted to play basketball at an American university, so his study abroad counselor suggested playing Division III basketball even if he wasn’t the most outstanding player. The academic programs and the chance to continue his basketball career were his reasons for choosing NCC. Fukuda was named to the All-Academic CCIW team his sophomore year.
Memories of NCC
Building relationships with his teammates and traveling are some of Fukuda’s favorite memories at NCC. A team trip to Costa Rica is one of his most memorable trips. The team had the opportunity to play against local pro teams.
When not practicing or playing, the team was able to sightsee and enjoy some outdoor activities. “I could score in the game and have ample time to build a relationship with my teammates,” said Fukuda, ’22. Enjoying hot springs, waterfalls and zip-lining were some of the activities they were able to do.
Benefits of joining NCC basketball
Joining the team has allowed him to play with teammates that come from different backgrounds, races and cultures.
It has also allowed him to practice his English. Being an English Language Institute (ELI) student his first term, Fukuda said the English was different from how his teammates spoke. “Now, I have better communication with my teammates and coaches,” said Fukuda.
The 2020–21 season was pushed back to the spring semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to compete, in a shorter season, as long as all follow the COVID-19 protocols. The team finished the season with an overall record of 5-5. Fukuda plans to continue playing basketball after graduating from NCC.
