TOKYO (2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship) - A rare connection to the Japanese international schools has given basketball officials in the country another hope for the future in the form of Avi Schafer - even a major promise for the up-coming 2016 FIBA Asia U18 Championship.

Schafer saw his breakout come in Germany in March as he played for the first time with the Japanese national team ranks at the biennial Albert Schweitzer Tournament. The 2.03m big man averaged 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals. But more importantly, he took his lumps in his first taste of international ball. 

"All the coaches told me I don't have bad habits yet because I haven't played basketball for very long." - Schafer

"We just threw him into cold water and the way he performed was just incredible," Japan coach Torsten Loibl said about Schafer's spring showing in Germany. "I'm very sure that he will be a real weapon for us inside at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship."

Loibl recalled an instance later at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament when Japan was going up against the United States.

"He dunked on the USA. Just to have the confidence to go up there and dunk the ball for this kind of interesting player shows what kinds of guts he has and what kind of ambition he has," Loibl said. "If he keeps developing at that pace, he’s going to be amazing in two or three years."

So where did Schafer come from? The son of an American father and Japanese mother is in his second year of playing basketball after previously playing soccer. The family moved from Kobe to Tokyo and Schafer had to change soccer teams but really couldn't find a good one in the Japanese metropolis. 

"My school had a pretty good basketball team, so I decided to give it a try," Schafer recalled. "I played forward and defender in soccer and it helped a lot. I think I'm quicker than most of the big men. And that's probably because of soccer. If I had played basketball the whole time I wouldn’t be so quick because I would have been playing center the whole time, and I wouldn't move so much. Since I played soccer, I moved constantly. That made me quicker."

A player like Schafer usually would not be accessible to Loibl and Japanese basketball officials since there was not a good relationship between basketball authorities and international schools in the country.

"I think I'm quicker than most of the big men. And that's probably because of soccer. If I had played basketball the whole time I wouldn’t be so quick because I would have been playing center the whole time, and I wouldn't move so much. Since I played soccer, I moved constantly. That made me quicker." - Schafer

But the fact that Schafer made it to the U18 team and seems ready to excel could give Japanese basketball officials a whole new source of talent to tap into - since most of the students at the schools have an immigration background from at least one of the parents. 

And the fact that Schafer is late to joining basketball is also a benefit, the young big man insists. 

"All the coaches told me I don't have bad habits yet because I haven't played basketball for very long," he said. 

One thing that makes Schafer so important is his good size at 2.03m, a problem traditionally for Japanese teams. He provides Loibl with an excellent option in the low post - especially opposite Rui Hachimura to give the team's top star some space to operate. 

Schafer along with Rui Hachimura (middle) give Japan two inside talents.  

Team Hachimura and Schafer with the strong shooting duo of Yudai Nishida and Yuki Mikami and Japan have a solid core at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship, where Loibl's team is drawn into Group B with hosts Iran, Korea, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Lebanon. 

"I think we have a really good chance to get to the final and maybe even win it," Schafer said. "China is really good and it will be really hard against them but I think we can play with them. I think we can play with any team in Asia. I think we have a good chance."

Japan are looking for a podium finish to qualify for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship, a competition the Japanese haven't attended since 1999. Since qualifying for the U19 Worlds by taking third place in the FIBA Asia U18 Championship back in 1998, Japan have three times failed to win in the Semi-Finals and 3rd Place Game - in 2000, 2008 and 2012 - twice losing to China. 

When asked what it would mean to help Japan to the U19 Worlds, Schafer said: "It would be huge for country. If I could be in that team it would be sky's the limit."

Just like for Schafer as well - thanks to a rare connection with Japan's international school.

FIBA