USA and Australian basketball fans show their support prior to a match between the teams on Sunday at the World Basketball Championships in Saitama, Japan. (Itsuo Inouye / AP)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — It was a happy ending for the Yokota group that feared it might not get to see Team USA at the FIBA World Championship on Sunday at Saitama Super Arena after a scheduling change late last week put the trip in jeopardy.
A day earlier, tournament organizers granted exchanges for all the base fans when a few went to Saitama in person to ask for refunds or permission to use their tickets for the now-1 p.m. game between the U.S. and Australia.
The Yokota contingent says it bought tickets based on a 5 p.m. start time listed in the tournament’s original brackets. FIBA officials said dates for final-round games had been mapped out in January, but specific times were not announced until Thursday.
Kris Kwiatek, a Yokota East Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, said Monday he’s just thrilled it all worked out.
“Everyone in our group got to go, and we actually wound up 18 rows closer in the same section,” he said. “A buddy and I went down there Saturday night and brought all 11 tickets. The FIBA guy made sure we had the paperwork. He disappeared with our stuff for a little while, but they exchanged ’em.
“He said it was a special circumstance only. I was so happy.”
It showed Sunday during the U.S. team’s 113-73 rout of Australia in the round of 16. The Yokota group’s flag-waving energy attracted all sorts of attention, and photos of them landed on nba.com.
“Watching the U.S. team represent our country was such a memorable experience,” Kwiatek said. “Being in Japan and being able to see the U.S. compete internationally reminds us all of the freedom we have in the U.S. Not only did it feel great waving our flag and standing tall as they played our national anthem, but Team USA’s performance topped the night off for us.”
He also said FIBA has since added a red-letter disclaimer to its Web site saying game times are subject to change.
“It was never there before. Somebody messed up, but they made it right,” he said.
And Kwiatek said the outing made the dispute worthwhile.
“There were some headaches getting there, but every one of us that went left shaking our heads, in a good way,” he said. “It was not like any regular NBA game. It was just an overwhelming experience.”
The Americans have a quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night against Germany. Kwiatek said the Yokota fans are eyeing a return to Saitama on Sunday — provided, of course, the United States reaches the championship game.
