Veteran guard Masahiro Oguchi has been a mainstay off the bench for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix coach Kazuo Nakamura's team, filling the super substitute role throughout the first 40 games of the seasons.

Oguchi is the Circle K Sunkus Player of the Week, the bj-league announced on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old scored a season-high 23 points in an 81-65 victory over the host Shiga Lakestars on Saturday, draining 6 of 10 3-pointers and also picking up two steals.

A day later, Oguchi made five steals, finished 4-for-6 from 3-point range and had 17 points in Hamamatsu's 75-73 loss.

Oguchi, who is averaging 5.9 points per game, is No. 4 in the bj-league in steals (2.2 per game) and has helped the Phoenix (28-12) rise to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.