Valkyries welcome Japanese phenom Kokoro Tanaka to Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Kokoro Tanaka flashed a smile to the Valkyries crowd while she beat the drum for the Valkyries’ pregame festivities, and maintained that wide grin as she launched rolled-up tee-shirts into the crowd during the team’s victory over the Fire on Friday night.

It was the sort of visible glee watchers of the Japanese National Team have become well-accustomed to this month during the FIBA World Cup in Germany.

“When I’m having fun, I naturally end up smiling,” Tanaka, who plays for ENEOS Sunflowers in Japan, told FIBA’s website earlier this month. “I’ve always preferred to laugh and smile.”

But don’t let the joyous expression, the diminutive 5-foot-8 frame, the bubbly mannerisms, of the team’s third round pick fool you.

Between those lines, Kokoro Tanaka is something else: Stone. Cold. Killer.

“She’s a bucket,” current Sunflowers and future Valkyries teammate Ashten Prechtel told the Bay Area News Group. “She’s pretty chill, but she’ll get after it.”

Tanaka, 20, was the team’s third-round draft pick in April. She made her first public visit to Chase Center on Friday evening, which just so happened to be Japanese Heritage Night. The Japanese point guard received a No. 26 jersey from team president Jess Smith and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, and then was the guest of honor for the rest of the night.

Head coach Natalie Nakase did not coach against Japan in this month’s FIBA tournament in Berlin, but she did have an opportunity to watch a few of Tanaka’s games as a spectator.

She came away impressed.

“She’s highly competitive, highly skilled, and IQ is off the charts,” Nakase said on Friday. “She doesn’t struggle with different coverages, and can operate in tight spaces and she does a really good job there. She’s got that left-handed floater, she shoots the three and can score in all three levels.”

Tanaka averaged 12.7 points per game in FIBA play this year, scoring in double figures in seven of nine games. She’s capable of knocking down 3-pointers off the bounce with a quick two-handed fling, a skill that has become more and more valuable as the shot only increases in value.

She has also shown she can get her shot off against WNBA competition, scoring 14 points in just 19 minutes in a preseason exhibition against the Mercury. On top of that, Tanaka is truly ambidextrous and has consistently shown an ability to creatively finish around the rim with both hands.

But it was her command of the offense that truly caught Nakase’s eye in Germany.

While she averaged only 2.7 assists per game, the agile 5-foot-8 lead guard displayed the leadership skills the team looks for from their point guard.

“What I kept saying was that in terms of body language and commanding and demanding, she’s competitive,” Nakase said. “So obviously, (I’m) really proud to say that she’s part of us and more importantly, that she wants to get better.”

That echoed the sentiments expressed by Nyanin on draft night.

“She is calm under pressure, she can knock it down from three, and she attacks the basket without hesitation,” Nyanin said in April.

Tanaka was not made available for interviews on Friday.

If the Valkyries decide to bring Tanaka over to the states in 2027, she faces long odds to make the team as a late pick trying to earn a spot on a roster that figures to be a title contender.

But at just 20, Tanaka would still be one of the youngest players in the league if she transitioned to the WNBA next season.

Though Tanaka has played well on an international stage, the best is still to come in what should be a long professional career.

“I’m excited to see her continue to grow and get better,” Prechtel said.