Kawamori's Basquash Anime Gets Airdate, Staff, Cast (Update 2)

The January issue (on sale on December 10) of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype magazine will confirm the 2009 airing date and staff for the previously revealed Basquash! anime project from Shoji Kawamori (Macross, Escaflowne, Aquarion). Kawamori is collaborating with France's Thomas Romain (Oban Star-Racers) in this Satelight project that combines robots with basketball. Kawamori is developing this project as a deliberately lighthearted counterbalance to the more serious work he has done. Romain developed the conceptual designs for the mecha and the art direction.

Shin Itagaki (Black Cat, Devil May Cry) will direct the actual production, while Tatsuo Sato (Cat Soup, Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture - Prince of Darkness) will oversee a team of writers that includes Yuuko Kakihara (Kamichama Karin, S.A, Stitch!) and Yuki Enatsu (Peach Girl , School Rumble, X TV). Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Future GPX Cyber Formula, Slayers: The Motion Picture, Trigun), SUEZEN (Yadamon), and Kazuhiro Soeta (Lord of Lords Ryu Knight, Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight) will split the character design chores.

Source: 2ch, Moon Phase Comments

Update: Image added.

Update 2: The main cast is the following:

Hiro Shimono: Dan JD
Shizuka Itou: Sera D. Miranda 
Yuuichi Nakamura: Iceman Hotty
Masumi Asano: Miyuki Ayukawa 
Kana Hanazawa: Coco JD