Gonzaga forward Hachimura continues Bulldogs' tradition of strong international finds
SALT LAKE CITY - The reporters come at Rui Hachimura in waves of notepads, microphones and cameras with glaring lights.
They spot him in the back corner of the locker room, dressed in a gray T-shirt and shorts after practice, his thick frame folded into a small chair. He sneaks a few bites of pasta from a Styrofoam plate as they move in.
"I don't mind," he says. "It's been like this since I was in high school."
The English-speaking reporters go first, asking Hachimura about his team's chances in the NCAA basketball tournament. The 21-year-old Gonzaga star responds slowly, politely, pausing to find suitable words in a language that is still unfamiliar.
Things go more smoothly when the Asian reporters take their turn, the conversation flowing in Japanese, his answers accompanied by an occasional smile flashed from beneath piles of curly, black hair.
