By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Seattle U Men’s Basketball Media Day – Oct. 5, 2025 (Credit: Seattle University)
The Seattle University (SU) men’s basketball team’s early success (including wins over the University of Washington and Washington State) is due in part to Gonzaga transfer Junseok Yeo. His practice partner, Yuto Kawashima, is looking to help out.
Kawashima is a redshirt freshman at Seattle University. The 6-foot-9 forward from Gunma, Japan was recruited to Seattle University by former Washington State Cougars center Josh Hawkinson.
The 20-year-old sat out last season in Seattle to get acclimated to his new surroundings. This season, he is averaging almost 7 points a game in the limited games he has played. On his recruiting visit, he recalled how he liked the city and its Asian community. Like most visitors, he was not a fan of the rain.
Kawashima started playing basketball at the age of 6. His father played basketball, which inspired Kawashima to start. Both he and his mom encouraged him to play. Kawashima also has a sister who played basketball as a youth.
Notably, Kawashima’s mother is from China and moved to Japan for work. His father followed. Growing up, he spoke Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
At the age of 12, Kawashima knew that he was good at the game. He was taller than everyone he played against and “he could do everything.” “I scored a lot,” he said. He recalls scoring 60 points in a game.
He was invited to play for the Japanese National Basketball under-13 team. He has played and trained with Team Japan up to the 19-year-old team.
Kawashima started to think that he could play in the United States when he was in junior high school. “The United States is the highest level in the world,” Kawashima said of the reason why he wanted to play in the United States.
Seattle U Men’s Basketball Media Day – Oct. 5, 2025 (Credit: Seattle University)
Growing up, Kawashima did not watch NBA or U.S. College Basketball but patterns his game after Yuta Watanabe. Watanabe was the first Japanese-born basketball player to earn a Division I scholarship when he played for George Washington. He went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. The 31-year-old currently plays in the Japanese basketball professional league.
Kawashima also keeps in contact with Yuki Kawamura. Kawamura has been in the NBA since 2025 with the Memphis Grizzlies and now the Chicago Bulls. The two were teammates when they both played for the Japanese national team. Kawamura gives Kawashima tips on training and the mental side of the game.
In addition, Kawashima admires the play of Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner. The former University of Michigan standout is from Germany and played for its national team. Kawashima recalls watching Wagner play during the FIBA Cup.
Kawashima was a member of the NBA Global Academy while at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Australia. While in Australia, he ran into current teammate Houran Dan. The two didn’t know they would cross paths later. Dan has credited Kawashima with helping him overcome language barriers on and off the court at SU.
Kawashima has a lot of experience with international play for Japan. He’s represented the country in the FIBA Asian Championships and World Cup. At the age of 16, he was the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Asian Cup, averaging nearly 27 points and 11 rebounds during the 2022 tournament. He is on the senior team for Japan for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. One of his goals is to play for Japan in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Kawashima compliments teammate Junseok Yeo for helping him get better on the court. He notes that they match up against each other during practice. “He is a great player,” Kawashima said of Yeo.
SU’s next home game is Thursday night, Jan. 15 against the University of San Diego at the Connolly Center and then Saturday, Jan. 17 at Climate Pledge Arena against Gonzaga.
For information on Seattle U men’s basketball tickets, visit goseattleu.com/tickets.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.