The Layup Drill

By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. 

Kicker from Japan gets AP Honors

What a year for the “Tokyo Toe.” The nickname refers to Kansei Matsuzawa of the University of Hawaii. The former soccer player turned to placekicker became a Consensus First Team All-American. Matsuzawa, a senior, made 25 of 26 field goals this season with the longest from 52 yards. He made 37 of 37 extra points. 

Matsuzawa’s All American honor is the first in University of Hawaii football history. A consensus All-American must have been listed in at least three of the five major All-American lists posted by the media. Matsuzawa was named in 4 of the 5. 

“This is a result of my teammates and coaches,” Matsuzawa said in a recent interview.  “I couldn’t have done this [without them]. I appreciate my family, and the state of Hawaii and Japan.”

As we’ve detailed before, Matsuzawa learned to be an American placekicker from watching YouTube highlights. He started off the season with a game-winning field goal in an upset victory over Stanford. His popularity grew from there with fans purchasing his t-shirt/jersey and streaming services were set up for fans in Japan to watch University of Hawaii games so they could see Matsuzawa play.  

Matsuzawa hopes his next stop will be in the NFL. 

Mariners sign Refsnyder

The Seattle Mariners signed former Boston Red Sox outfielder/first baseman, 34-year-old Rob Refsnyder. 

Refsnyder was born Kim Jung-tae in Seoul, South Korea. He was adopted when he was 5 months old by a German couple from Southern California. He has an older sister who is also an adopted Korean. 

Refsnyder excelled in sports growing up in Southern California and received a baseball scholarship to play at the University of Arizona. He was a part of the Wildcat team that won the College World Series in 2012. He was selected in the 5th round of the MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.

Refsnyder embraces his Korean identity. Once it was known that he was adopted, many people reached out with words of inspiration. Refsnyder notes that growing up, his complexion differed from his parents. He was subject to racist slurs and comments about his adoption during baseball games in college. 

The Mariners will be his seventh MLB baseball team since his debut in 2015. 

Chloe Kim

Snowboarder Chloe Kim says she’s “good to go” for the Milan Cortina Olympics despite tearing the labrum in her shoulder during a training run last week in Switzerland.

The two-time gold medalist in the halfpipe posted an update to Instagram on Tuesday, saying she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn her labrum — the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together. 

The women’s Olympic halfpipe contest starts Feb. 11.

The 25-year-old Kim, who already has qualified for the U.S. team and is the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she’s healthy, said she won’t compete this weekend. She didn’t mention the Winter X Games in Aspen later this month, which is the last big contest before the Olympics.

Liu returns to spotlight

Alyssa Liu will return to women’s figure skating’s biggest stage at the Olympics next month. After leaving the sport at the age of 16, the 20-year-old is no longer the teenager that many saw in 2022. After retiring from competitive skating in April 2022, she went on a break and decided to be a regular young person. 

She was the youngest female to win the U.S. Women’s Championships at age 13. She’s grown a full 7 inches since her last time in the spotlight. A recent “60 Minutes” piece noted that her father saw her talent and invested close to $1 million into travel and training for Liu. According to “60 Minutes,” he had a reputation for hiring and firing Liu’s coaches at will. Arthur Liu had no formal ice skating background, but he said he saw the talent and wanted the best for her. 

Her father emigrated from China and built a law practice in the Bay Area. He had five children through the help of surrogates. Liu is the oldest. 

Liu traveled the world and “lived her best life” as she described in a recent 60 Minutes interview. She enrolled at UCLA in 2023 and currently studies psychology. 

Liu debuted a new routine less than a month before the Olympic games in Italy. She says she’s come back to compete with less stress and worry. She looked unfazed by the spotlight. She has taken ownership of her skating and has brought passion to her skating. 

Japanese baseball stars sign with MLB teams

Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto signed with Major League Baseball teams to play in 2026. 

The 27-year-old Imai is a right-handed pitcher from Japan’s Saitama Seibu Lions. Imai signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Astros. Imai had the best strikeout rate per inning for the Japanese equivalent of Major League Baseball. The Astros needed pitching to compete with the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. It is the first significant signing of a Japanese star by the franchise. 

Okamoto is a third baseman that played with the Yomiuri Giants. He carries a big bat with him as he has hit over 30 home runs in multiple seasons with the Giants. Okamoto hit a home run against Team USA during the World Baseball Classic Final in 2023. Okamoto signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Blue Jays, who hope to return to the World Series next year. 

Jason Cruz can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.