Rui Hachimura Kicked In His Nuts So Hard That He Had Surgery

On November 21, 2015, Hachimura signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the United States, being considered by ESPN as one of the best international players entering college.

On December 29, 2015, Hachimura posted 34 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks to guide Meisei past Tsuchiura Nihon University High School for his third All-Japan Tournament victory, per source.

Despite signing with Gonzaga in the early signing period for 2016, Hachimura had his eligibility to play college basketball called into question. The concerns were that he needed to acclimate better culturally and linguistically to the U.S., and would potentially need to attend a prep school before entering Gonzaga.