Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 372 County Tournament Match Schedule
In this 'intense' practice match, Kogure once again demonstrated his breathtaking skills, living up to his reputation as the greatest high school player in history.

Of course, Kogure was not satisfied with this seemingly impressive title.

Because his goals extend far beyond this, he cannot confine himself to the stage of this tiny country.

"Sakuragi, you played very well in the second half!"

After the game, Kogure praised Sakuragi at the opportune moment.

"That's a must! I'm the super genius Sakuragi Hanamichi!"

Kogure's praise made Sakuragi a little smug.

In fact, considering the performance in the first half, Sakuragi was the worst performer among the starting five in the second half.

However, if you want to spur Sakuragi to improve, you have to give him a sweet treat from time to time.

At this moment, Sendoh took the initiative to approach Sakuragi and extended his right hand as a gesture of goodwill.

"Sakuragi, I look forward to facing you again next time!"

Although Ryonan lost this practice match, Sakuragi not only failed to defeat Sendoh, but was actually at a disadvantage.

"Next time, I'm going to beat you completely!"

Sakuragi responded immediately, gripping Sendoh's right hand tightly.

That's right, shake hands firmly!
As everyone knows, Sakuragi is a vengeful guy.

Sendoh remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected.

But when Sakuragi turned around, Sendoh could no longer maintain the calm expression on his face.

He gasped and couldn't help but blow on his swollen right hand to relieve the pain.

"This bastard..."

Sendoh muttered something that had an even deeper impact on Sakuragi.

Not far away, the two coaches were shaking hands amicably.

Coach Taoka said with a hint of respect, "Coach Anzai, Shohoku has become even stronger this year!"

This wasn't just polite talk; it was Coach Taoka's heartfelt exclamation.

The strength of the Shohoku team has reached a whole new level, which even Ryonan can hardly match.

This put Coach Taoka under unprecedented pressure.

With such a powerful Shohoku team, who can stop their advance?
"Oh ho ho ho, Coach Taoka, you're too kind. This year's Ryonan team will be even better than last year's!"

Coach Anzai let out his signature hearty laugh.

Compared to last year, the Ryonan team has made effective reinforcements this year, not only making up for the team's shortcomings but also taking it a step further.

However, the gap between the two teams is widening further compared to Shohoku.

After speaking with Coach Anzai, Coach Taoka turned to Kogure and said, "Kogure, if possible, I'd like Sendoh to train with you for a while. What do you think?"

"It's nothing, just a small favor!"

Kogure naturally welcomed free labor with open arms.

Beside him, Sendoh looked dejected, and the lemon slice in his mouth suddenly stopped being sour.

The thought of training alongside Kogure and Rukawa filled him with despair.

"No, Coach!"

Sendoh expressed strong protest.

If he trains with Kogure, where will he find the time to go fishing?

Forget about fishing, I don't even have time to get my hair done.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, his hairstyle will likely revert to the middle-part style he had in junior high school.

"Sendoh, all of this is for your own good."

Coach Taoka's eyes were stern. If it weren't for Sendoh, he wouldn't have lowered himself to beg Kogure.

"Coach, you'll regret this!"

"I am the coach!"

Under pressure from Coach Taoka, Sendoh had no choice but to swallow his bitter pill.

He wanted to cherish his last moments of happiness, because the tough times were just around the corner.

Therefore, Sendoh made up his mind to fish all night long.

……

Three days later, when the Shohoku team saw Sendoh again, they were all astonished.

Sendoh not only lacked his signature spiky hair, but also sported severe dark circles under his eyes, looking gaunt and as if he hadn't slept for days.

However, Sendoh's mental state is quite good.

Because he was holding a large fish in his hands.

This is a yellow croaker from an island nation, nearly one meter long. It has an elongated, laterally compressed body with a shallowly arched back and belly. Its head is medium-sized, laterally compressed, and pointed. It is one of the large fish species found along the coast of the island nation.

The island nation yellow croaker is a typical carnivorous fish, with a ferocious appetite, and prefers to inhabit the middle and lower layers of shallow coastal waters within a depth of 100 meters.

The largest individual recorded was 1.35 meters in length and 25 kilograms in weight.

After hearing Sendoh's explanation, Mitsui exclaimed in astonishment, "So, you've been fishing all night for three consecutive days!"

Kogure had nothing to say about the angler's perseverance.

If Sendoh had focused his energy on basketball like Rukawa, his skills would certainly not have been inferior to Sawakita's.

In terms of talent, Sendoh is subtly superior to Rukawa.

Unfortunately, the path to immortality lies elsewhere.

"Yes, this yellow croaker was caught at four o'clock this morning, it's still very fresh."

Sendoh put down the yellow croaker in his hand, still looking somewhat dissatisfied: "It's a pity that fish don't live here!"

Sendoh didn't not want to call Uozumi over, but Uozumi was still the captain of Ryonan High School, unlike him who was so relaxed.

"Since Coach Taoka specifically asked me to do this, let's start training today!"

"No way, look at me like this, can't you even give me one more day?"

Sendoh was taken aback. He had deliberately made himself look so disheveled mainly to buy time.

Let's just wait and see!

"no!"

Kogure seemed to see through Sendoh's scheme and sternly refused.

"Senior, this fish needs to be prepared, right? I'll treat everyone to a whole fish feast!"

Sendoh's eyes darted around, and he had another idea in mind.

Looking at the nearly one-meter-long yellow croaker on the ground, Kogure and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Just when Sendoh thought Kogure would definitely agree, Mitsui revealed a sinister smile and said, "Sendoh, leave this fish to me. I guarantee it will be delicious and visually appealing. You just go and train obediently."

Mitsui comes from a wealthy family, so dealing with a fish is naturally no problem for him.

"No!"

Sendoh looked panicked, and for a moment he couldn't find a reason to refute it.

Soon, after changing his clothes, Sendoh reluctantly joined the training.

After the morning training session ended, Sendoh was lying on the ground, panting heavily.

As a player for Ryonan, his physical fitness is naturally not a problem.

The problem is that this guy expended a lot of energy to catch this yellow croaker.

This is what caused the immortal's physical strength to fail.

Sakuragi looked down at Sendoh with a smug expression: "Sendoh, are you even capable?"

Sendoh couldn't help but roll his eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention.

However, he was surprised by Sakuragi's almost limitless physical abilities.

Sakuragi's training intensity was no less than his; he trained all morning without even breaking a sweat.

"dinner time!"

It was at this moment that Mitsui's voice interrupted Sendoh's thoughts. At the entrance of the basketball court, Mitsui laboriously carried a large food box and walked towards them.

"Everyone, let's help!"

Everyone's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and the three goofy guys couldn't wait to run up and help.

Soon, everyone sat around the table in the lounge.

As the food box was opened, a rich aroma wafted out, making one's mouth water.
A variety of seafood is laid out on the table, each dish exuding an enticing sheen and aroma.

In addition to yellow croaker, there were also sea bass, ribbonfish, lobster and other seafood, which were obviously added by Mitsui.

Although the yellow croaker that Sendoh caught was large, it only weighed 15 kilograms at most, which was not enough to fill the stomachs of Kogure and the others.

……

As Sendoh joined Kogure's training team, time slowly passed, and May arrived in the blink of an eye.

This day was also the day the county tournament match schedule was announced.

Just like last year, Coach Anzai once again entrusted this task to Kogure and Ayako.

Kanagawa Organizing Committee Building, Office!

Upon entering the office, Kogure discovered that he wasn't the first one there.

Coach Taoka, Coach Takato, and Coach Kawasaki arrived first.

They are clearly very interested in the match schedule for this year's county competition.

"Kogure, over here!"

Coach Taoka waved after spotting Kogure.

Kogure sat down next to Coach Taoka and started chatting with him.

Ayako sat next to the manager of Ryonan.

"Thanks to you, Xiandao has become much more diligent than before."

After Kogure sat down, Coach Taoka forced a smile onto his serious face and thanked Kogure.

For nearly a month, Sendoh spent his time at the Shohoku basketball gym.

As for academics, don't forget that Ryonan is a private school. Even if you fail every subject, you can still compete in national-level events.

This is fundamentally different from Shohoku.

After this period of arduous training, Xiandao has undergone some changes; at least his attitude towards training is much better than before.

"Coach Taoka, you're too kind."

Kogure waved his hand, then asked in confusion, "Coach Taoka, you didn't really need to come. You could have just left this to Uozumi."

With Ryonan's strength, they are second only to Shohoku, and even stronger than Shoyo and Takezato.

Normally, Coach Taoka would only need to send a representative.

"I'm mainly here to join in the fun, but I'm even more eager to see someone make a fool of themselves!"

While speaking, Coach Taoka stared at Coach Takato with a mischievous look.

Before Ryonan rose to prominence, Takato Riki mocked Coach Taoka for several years.

Even a clay figure has some fire in it, let alone a human being.

Now that the tables have turned, Coach Taoka naturally wants to retaliate with a sharp rebuke.

"I hope that Hainan Affiliated High School and our Lingnan High School will be placed in the same group."

Coach Tian Gang muttered to himself, sincerely hoping that the organizing committee could grant his wish.

"Coach Taoka, I wish you all the best in achieving your goal!"

What else could Kogure say? He could only wish Coach Taoka well.

In this way, it can also inject some vitality into his boring life.

"Then I'll accept your kind words!"

Coach Taoka seemed to remember something and continued, "By the way, this year Kanagawa is applying to be the host of the Summer National Tournament, continuing the glory of the Winter Tournament."

Coach Taoka revealed an important piece of information to Kogure.

Kogure was slightly startled, but then felt it made perfect sense.

Kanagawa is too unpredictable; even a strong team like Ryonan could be eliminated, let alone other strong teams.

If Kanagawa becomes the host of the national tournament, it will have one more spot, making it three and a half.

Although it appears to be three and a half slots, it is actually no different from four.

In this way, the strong teams in Kanagawa will no longer have to worry about their opponents.

Of course, whether they can apply to become the host country is still unknown.

However, given Kanagawa's outstanding performance last year, the chances are very high.

It was at this moment that Coach Kazumi Kawasaki also came over.

"Coach Kawasaki, I haven't congratulated you on becoming the coach of Takezato yet!"

Because of Coach Anzai, Kogure and Kazumi Kawasaki are quite close.

Coach Anzai was Kazumi Kawasaki's teacher and the person he respected most.

"Where there!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki responded humbly with a smile on his face.

Without a doubt, becoming Buri's coach was probably the best decision he ever made.

Buri has a rich history and boasts many excellent players such as Mitsuaki Nagato, Imamura, and Ebina, making it a long-established powerhouse in Kanagawa.

After Kazumi Kawasaki joined Takezato, players from Tsukubu, led by Tomokazu Godai, voluntarily transferred to Takezato, further strengthening the team.

In addition, he also "seduced" Mike Okita, a five-star high school student in the United States, which greatly increased the strength of the Wuli team.

Finally, in this year's recruitment, Wu Sato also made a breakthrough, namely Katsumi Ichiro!
Katsumi Ichiro was Mitsui's junior at Takeishi Middle School. He possesses excellent physical qualities and a soft touch, further enhancing Takeishi's reputation.

According to Kazumi Kawasaki, this Buri team is in no way inferior to the Buri team that won the national championship two years ago, and has even greater potential.

Thinking of these outstanding players fills Kazumi Kawasaki with boundless passion and a sense of responsibility.

During casual conversations with Kazumi Kawasaki and Coach Taoka, more and more team coaches and captains gathered here.

At nine o'clock, the current chairman of the Kanagawa Basketball Organizing Committee finally arrived at the scene.

He started by saying a few polite words, expressing his hope that the Kanagawa team could achieve new glory.

During this process, a staff member placed the lottery box on the office desk.

"Next, we will begin the lottery!"

At this point, the tense atmosphere on the scene reached its peak.

As usual, the four seeded teams do not need to queue for a draw, because their positions are already fixed.

Under the arrangement of the staff, the representatives of the other teams lined up in an orderly long queue.

The eyes of these people were filled with anticipation and nervousness, hoping to draw a good lot.

The first person to draw lots was Captain Murasame Kengo of Miuradai.

Murasame reached into the lottery box and randomly took out a small ball.

"Damn it, the first group!"

Murasame looked very unhappy because the seeded team in the first group was Shohoku.

Even though Murasame is very arrogant, he doesn't think Miura Dai can defeat Shohoku.

Some are happy while others are sad. Following the village rain, more and more team coaches and captains have completed the draw.

Before long, it was Coach Gao's turn.

Coach Gao took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together, and then put his trembling right hand inside.

During this process, Coach Gao Tou began to pray.

He quickly pulled a round ball out of the box.

The sphere has a large "3" written on it, which means that Hainan Affiliated High School is in the third group.

At that moment, Coach Takato's heart sank, because the seeded team in Group 3 was none other than Ryonan!
(End of this chapter)