Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 346 The Opportunity to Go to America
After the awards ceremony, the Winter Games came to a close.

The elderly chairman of the national organizing committee, lacking energy, announced the disbandment after offering a few words of encouragement.

"Kogure-kun, please wait!"

Suddenly, Kogure was stopped by Kuki, the chairman of the Kanagawa organizing committee.

"I'll go over there first, you can go to the hospital first."

Kogure was preparing to visit Coach Anzai at the hospital to share his joy.

Akagi waved his hand and said, "Anyway, the audience is still being evacuated, so we'll wait for you here!"

Soon, Kogure followed Chairman Kuki to an office.

After Kanagawa became the host of the Winter Games, this place became his temporary office.

After closing the door, Chairman Kongmu no longer concealed the smile on his face.

He was overjoyed, and the thought of his old rival, the chairman of the Akita organizing committee, looking utterly defeated made him even happier.

"Kogure-kun, first of all, thank you for your indelible contributions to Kanagawa basketball and for making this winter tournament such a success."

Secondly, I would also like to express my personal gratitude to you!

Kogure seemed to remember something and couldn't help but ask, "Did you succeed?"

Recently, Kongmu has been vying for the position of vice chairman of the national organizing committee.

"Thanks to you, I was able to take another step forward!"

Kongmu's smile grew even brighter.

He never expected that Kanagawa would perform so well in this winter tournament.

The champion and runner-up both came from the same region, which is unprecedented even in the history of the Winter Games.

"Oh, right, besides thanking you, there's one more thing."

While they were talking, Kuki handed a notice to Kogure.

After taking the paper, Kogure glanced at it and realized it was a notice for an exchange trip.

Simply put, the national organizing committee funds the dispatch of elite teams to Europe or the United States to learn the most advanced training methods.

The elite team includes the coaching staff and players.

There are 12 spots for elite players.

As for where to study, it seems that nothing has been decided yet.

"Kogure-kun, is there anywhere you'd like to go? It has to be a country with a high level of basketball!"

Because of Kogure's help, Kuugi was able to make further progress, so he decided to return the favor and give the opportunity to Kogure.

Kogure replied without hesitation, "Then let's go to America?"

He had long wanted to go to America, where not only were the most advanced basketball concepts available, but he also had the opportunity to earn a special title.

He knew Bird, Drexler, and Mullin, who in turn knew many superstars.

This is the opportunity!
In addition, there are many American superstars who are still growing, so you might have a chance to meet them.

"Okay, let's go to America then!"

Kongmu made a promise on the spot, filling in the blank space on the notice with the words "America".

By the way, he was in charge of leading the team on this exchange trip.

"By the way, here's a list of potential players. You can take a look at it!"

Kūki then handed another form to Kōgure.

This shows how much Kūki values ​​Mōgure.

Based on the potential Kogure has shown, he believes that Kogure has the potential to become an NBA player, and he naturally wants to seize this opportunity!

Kogure took the spreadsheet, which was covered with the names of some familiar players.

Among them, all four of Xiangbei's top players were on the list.

Sannoh Industrial, Ryonan, and Shoyo each have four people on the list.

Mountain kings: Zebei, Shenjin, Ogata, Nobe Masahiro.

Ryonan: Sendoh, Uozumi, Ikegami, Matsumoto Minoru
Shoyo: Fujima, Nanretsu, Hanagata, Kishimoto

In addition, Suzuki Nobisuke, Moroboshi Dai, Tsuchiya Jun, Mikoshiba, Maki Shinichi, and others are also on the list.

Kogure roughly counted and found that there were thirty or forty reserve players, all from top teams across the country.

The five best players in the Winter Tournament were automatically selected: Naito, Kogure, Sawakita, Mitsui, and Sendoh.

Therefore, there are seven spots remaining.

Kogure didn't refuse; this would not only give his teammates valuable experience but also earn him favors.

Soon, the two began discussing the remaining seven spots.

"As a nationally renowned center, Akagi should definitely be selected!"

Without hesitation, Kogure recommended his good friend Takenori Akagi.

"Akagi is indeed one of the best centers in the country!"

Kuki agreed and promptly filled in Akagi's name.

“Uozumi’s strength is not much inferior to Akagi’s, and he is also the tallest player in this Winter Tournament.”

Kogure then recommended Uozumi, even though Uozumi wasn't a player for Shohoku, because he treated people to meals every few days.

He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding!
"Yes, Uozumi-kun performed very well in the match just now!"

There was one more thing that Kuki didn't say: Uozumi was also a player from Kanagawa.

This is a big plus!

"Matsumoto Minoru is one of the best players in the country..."

"Fujima needs no further explanation..."

Kūki took Kogure's suggestion and filled in their names on it.

Kogure originally wanted to suggest Ikegami, but after thinking about it, he decided against it, since there were only three spots left.

Kanagawa has already taken up too many spots; they shouldn't be too greedy.

Soon, Kuki filled in the names of Dai Moroboshi, Okawata, and Jun Tsuchiya.

As for Nobusuke Suzuki, the nation's top center, he was about to go to university, so Utsugi did not fill in his name, citing his studies.

In this way, the list can be considered to have been preliminarily determined.

He will later hand it over to all the chairpersons of the organizing committee for their decision.

Normally, the organizing committee chairman should adopt all of them.

"Mr. Kongmu, I'll head back now!"

After chatting for a while, Kogure said goodbye to Kuki, joined the Shohoku players, and walked out of the gymnasium.

After leaving the stadium, Kogure and the others took the trophy and prepared to go to the hospital.

Suddenly, a familiar bus stopped in front of them.

On the bus, Coach Taoka opened the window and called out to Kogure, "Kogure, are you going to visit Coach Anzai? We can give you a ride since we're going that way!"

Despite losing the championship, Coach Taoka was not in a bad mood at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy.

Not only did Ryonan's performance exceed expectations, but he himself also won the Best Coach award.

For a high school basketball coach, this is undoubtedly the highest honor a coach can receive.

Even his arch-rival Coach Gao Tou, who has won the regional league's best coach award multiple times, has never won a national honor.

Coach Taoka was overjoyed at the thought.

Coach Gao used to always show off in front of him, but now the roles have reversed.

Coach Takato's regional awards combined cannot compare to the Winter Championship Best Coach Award.

This is the gold content!

"Then I'll have to trouble Coach Taoka!"

After thanking them, Kogure and the others boarded the bus. Kogure glanced at the Ryonan players in the carriage, and finally sat down in the seat in front of Uozumi and Matsumoto Minoru.

With the addition of players from Shohoku, the bus was suddenly packed to the brim.

The Shohoku players expressed their envy of Ryonan's private car.

"Once we get back to Xiangbei, I'll make that suggestion to the school leaders!"

Kogure made a decision on the spot, which drew cheers from the Shohoku players.

Having a private car can save you a lot of trouble.

Before long, the bus finally arrived at its destination.

Before leaving, Kogure turned to Uozumi and Matsumoto and said, "Uozumi, Matsumoto, you'll probably have to thank me properly soon!"

As Kogure left the bus, he left behind a cryptic remark.

Uozumi and Matsumoto Minoru looked up at the same time, their eyes meeting.

Their eyes were filled with confusion, as if silently asking each other, "What does he mean?"

Uozumi frowned, while Matsumoto Minoru unconsciously bit his lower lip; both of them looked bewildered.

They tried to get answers from Kogure, but unfortunately, Kogure had already left.

Uozumi and Matsumoto Minoru exchanged another glance, seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

Those wretched riddle-makers, they're probably not going to sleep tonight.

They decided to stop speculating and would ask Kogure privately when the opportunity arose.

In short, as Kogure said, this is a good thing for them.

At the same time, this statement spread like wildfire among the Ryonan players, sparking all sorts of speculation and discussion.

Everyone is trying to decipher the words left behind by Kogure.

Soon, the entire Shohoku team went to the hospital.

Because the ward space is relatively small, it cannot accommodate so many people.

Therefore, Kogure, Akagi, and Mitsui were chosen as representatives to enter the ward, while the other players could only stand outside the ward door and cast concerned glances inside.

Inside the ward, besides Coach Anzai lying in bed, there was also Coach Anzai's wife.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, peeling an apple, taking good care of Coach Anzai.

"coach!"

"I knew you'd come!"

Although Coach Anzai is still a bit weak, he is much better than he was two days ago.

"We did not disappoint our coach and won the Winter Championship again!"

At Kogure's prompting, Mitsui carefully presented the gleaming trophy to Coach Anzai.

"I knew you could do it!"

Upon seeing the championship trophy, Coach Anzai did not let out his usual hearty laugh, but a relieved smile still appeared on his face.

Shohoku's consecutive Winter Tournament championship was undoubtedly within Coach Anzai's expectations.

He knew very well that the pillar of Shohoku was not him, but Kogure!

Even without him, as long as Kogure is still there, Shohoku is the biggest favorite for the championship.

Soon, Kogure gave a brief account of the match and the highlights of the past two days.

As for his encounter with Ah Long along the way, he naturally didn't mention it.

Soon, they began taking turns to visit Coach Anzai and express their hope for his speedy recovery.

To avoid disturbing Coach Anzai's recovery, they did not stay long and chose to leave.

Instead of returning to their own homes, they went back to Xiangbei.

If nothing unexpected happens, the school will definitely award them.

This is also the best time to offer them advice.

Around five o'clock, Kogure and the others finally returned to Shohoku.

When they returned with honors, they were immediately warmly welcomed by the teachers and students of Xiangbei.

"we are the champion!"

Kogure accepted the trophy, a symbol of glory, from Mitsui's hands, raising it high as if to share his joy with everyone.

At this moment, Kogure became the focus of everyone's attention.

"we are the champion!"

As Kogure shouted, the entire campus became increasingly frenzied.

An atmosphere of joy and excitement filled the air.

Whether they were Shohoku players or teachers and students present, they all joined in the celebration.

In an instant, the entire campus turned into a sea of ​​joy.

This championship belongs not only to the team, but also to every member of the Shohoku community.

After the celebration ended, the usually stern school leaders gave speeches, praising the team's fighting spirit and indomitable will.

As Kogure had expected, the school leaders commended them.

In this exciting moment, each player received a bulging red envelope.

The players beamed with joy and satisfaction, for this was recognition of their hard work and dedication!

As the team captain and core player, Kogure's talent has been unanimously recognized by the school leaders.

Therefore, he received a check once again.

Under the watchful eyes of all teachers and students, the school leaders decided to further increase the budget for the basketball department.

This decision was immediately met with enthusiastic cheers from the teachers and students present.

These budgets include purchasing new training equipment, improving training facilities, hiring professional strength and conditioning coaches, and providing players with better nutrition and medical support.

In this way, the Shohoku team will have no more worries.

Along with announcing the budget increase, school leaders also expressed new expectations for the basketball team members.

The school leaders offered such generous treatment in the hope that the Xiangbei team could achieve even greater success, thereby enhancing the school's reputation.

He hopes that in the near future, the basketball team can become a calling card for Shohoku to connect with the whole country and win more honors for the school.

As the school leader finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted once again throughout the room.

Soon after, Kogure suggested to the school leaders that a private car be provided.

The school leaders exchanged glances and naturally agreed.

Although this is an additional expense, it is negligible compared to the value gained.

With Shohoku winning the Winter Tournament championship for the second consecutive year, and even becoming a double champion, Shohoku's influence continues to expand rapidly.

This is definitely a great advertisement!

If nothing unexpected happens, Shohoku will definitely recruit more and better students next year.

Not long after, the Shohoku team finally entered the basketball stadium.

The sound of basketballs hitting the floor echoed throughout the arena, and everything seemed so familiar.

Immediately, Kogure walked slowly toward the display window of honor.

He carefully and solemnly placed the championship trophy in the display window.

At this moment, there are five trophies displayed in the window, each representing the team's glorious achievements in major competitions.

They lay there quietly, witnessing the team's achievements at various stages.

From the fierce competition in the county-level competition, to the ultimate showdown in the summer national competition, and finally to the arduous battle in the winter competition.

Every trophy embodies the players' sweat and tears, recording their journey of growth.

Of course, Shohoku did not encounter any difficulties in this winter tournament; in fact, they had a smooth and successful season.

(End of this chapter)