When the MVP was announced from outside the finalist teams, the arena fell silent for a full second.
But for those familiar with the 161cm Japanese point guard, Miya Takeuchi’s success was no accident. Her story is one written with family, perseverance, and the power of a “Hard Smile.”
The Unexpected MVP
The announcer’s voice boomed through the pristine Karisma Arena, and for a full second, the applause from the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Cup crowd stuttered to a halt.
Japan had finished third. By convention, the Most Valuable Player award belongs to the finalists—to Australia or New Zealand. But the name that echoed through the Malaysian gymnasium defied convention, silencing the arena before igniting it.
“From Japan, Miya Takeuchi!”
The small guard froze for a moment. Then, the same smile that had become her signature throughout the tournament returned. She stepped into the spotlight, the unexpected MVP accepting her trophy not with shock, but with a beaming, resilient joy.
That smile is her emblem: unexpectedly genuine, disarming, and masking a fierce competitive engine. Her numbers told a dominant story—19.4 points and 6.6 assists per game, both tournament highs, capped by a 25-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist masterclass in the bronze-medal win over China.
Her performance not only earned her the MVP award, but also a place on the tournament’s All-Star Five
What lingered most was not the stat line, it was her courage to believe in herself, relentlessly.
A Home Forged in Basketball
For Miya Takeuchi, basketball was a first language, learned in the confines of her Kanagawa home. It was the rhythm she shared with her father, Naoya.
“I always played one-on-one with my dad,” Takeuchi said after the game through her former trainer, Coach Bang Lee. “We’d watch the NBA, and if we saw a move we liked, we’d go outside and try to mimic it, over and over.”
Naoya Takeuchi, a basketball enthusiast, recalls the crucible of his daughters’ childhood. “She and her older sister, Natsu, would battle every day,” he shared through Coach Bang Lee. “Sometimes I joined, sometimes her younger sister, Sawa, would too. Miya could never beat Natsu. She’d always cry after losing, but the next day, she’d be right back out there, challenging her again.”
PAYWALL TRIGGERS HERE
How Those Tears Forged Her “Hard Smile”
You’ve just read the humble beginnings behind a budding phenom. This is where the real story begins. Unlock the full chapter to discover:- How these daily, tear-filled battles unknowingly shaped the next star of Japanese basketball.
- The origin of her “Hard Smile” philosophy and how she weaponized it to conquer Asia.
- Her personal blueprint for success, inspired by her idol, and her dream of becoming “the female Yuki Kawamura.”
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