Basketball miracles

Chapter 178 [BUG and Newcomers]

Akagi Takenori immediately decided to train Sakuragi Hanamichi properly, and went with his excited sister to talk to Sakuragi.

Sakuragi's performance today was like a Japanese basketball player winning a game against the elite American team. Akagi was very enthusiastic about it, seemingly wanting to adopt a younger brother.

Xiao Tu dribbled the ball to the sidelines, not tired but too lazy to show off his skills any further. One-on-one matches were too easy for him; he needed to play a full game to truly learn and practice controlling the game.

Ayako asked curiously, "You knew Sakuragi Hanamichi was exceptionally talented just because you saw him running in the hallway?"

Xiao Tu nodded: "Yes, I also know that he is good at fighting. You can ask him if you don't believe me. His physique is very suitable for practicing combat. He should be very good at learning karate and judo."

Xiao Tu had already thought of how to explain it; he couldn't very well say that he had known this person for a long time, could he?

Sakuragi's frame looks a bit like Dolph Lundgren's, even his hairstyle is somewhat similar, so he'd definitely be good at karate. His suitability for judo will also be proven soon; Aota Tatsuhiko from the judo club will be trying to recruit him.

Kogure Kiminobu asked, "You also know about martial arts?"

"I know a little bit. I have many hobbies, and I've practiced martial arts. I even practiced fencing; I learned it from her," Xiao Tu said, putting his arm around Uchida Yuki. The two of them had actually tried fencing a few times when they had nothing else to do.

Fencing athletes need to react quickly and change positions flexibly. This sport can effectively improve reaction speed and coordination, making people more agile.

Xiao Tu picked it up quickly and really enjoys the sport.

Xiao Tu watched others train from the sidelines as a spectator, occasionally offering a comment, and everyone believed that what he said was true.

When you lack the ability, you have to be considerate of others and social niceties.

When you have enough strength, people will have to consider personal relationships and social niceties with you.

Mitsui Hisashi secured a starting position after just one training session, and his strength is considerable.

Kogure assumed Mitsui hadn't played in a long time and his skills must have declined significantly, requiring time to regain his form. However, Mitsui practiced casually and easily defeated Kogure in a one-on-one match.

Basketball is a sport that heavily relies on talent; in the face of talent, hard work is worthless. Kogure is 178cm tall and weighs only 62kg, lacking speed and strength, making it almost impossible for him to score against Mitsui Hisashi's defense.

Xiao Tu gave him advice: "Don't be discouraged. Practice your corner three-pointers and three-pointers from the 60-degree angles on both sides. As long as you can maintain your catch-and-shoot accuracy, I'll pass you the ball."

Kogure gave a wry smile: "Do you really think I can do it?"

Xiao Tu said seriously, "You can do it. Actually, you have talent. Your shooting is good, and you can hang in the air for a whole episode."

What does "a whole episode" mean?

"I misspoke and didn't speak Japanese well, but that's not important," Xiao Tu encouraged. "Anyway, if you practice your three-point shooting well, I'm confident I can help you get the title of 'Emperor Twilight'."

"..." Muguru didn't know any other foreigners, and Xiao Tu was very different from the Americans he had imagined.

Mitsui Hisashi took a break after the match and chatted with Xiao Tu while drinking water.

Xiao Tu said, "You haven't laughed like this in a long time, have you? This is the first time I've ever seen you."

Mitsui Hisashi laughed and said, "I've finally realized one thing: it's not that I've declined to the point where I can't play basketball anymore, it's that you're too strong."

Xiao Tu said, "Of course you're very strong; you're the most accurate shooter on the team. If I convince Akagi to give you off-ball screens, you can score a lot of points. I'll pass you the ball; practice your off-ball movement more."

Mitsui Hisashi's shooting is more accurate than Xiao Tu's right now, and his touch is smoother. Xiao Tu needs time to improve his shooting percentage; he's not invincible.

Mitsui Hisashi glanced at Akagi, who was practicing low footwork, and sighed, "He definitely doesn't want to pull out. I've argued with him about this before."

"That's because he doesn't respect you. I say it's different," Xiao Tu said confidently.

Xiao Tu knew that Akagi Takenori wasn't an unreasonable person; during the match against Sannoh Industrial, he had been willing to go out and cover for Mitsui Hisashi. Of course, that was because he couldn't beat Kawada in a one-on-one fight and was forced into it.

When the opponent doesn't have a good center, Akagi can dribble the ball and attack hard; he can draw double teams.

Xiao Tu had already figured out what tactics the Xiangbei team was best suited for. As long as the players listened to him, they would definitely be much stronger than in the manga.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi hadn't devised any tactics at all; the offense consisted of the starting lineup taking turns dribbling and attacking one-on-one. And this didn't even include Miyagi Ryota.

When Sakuragi first joined the team, Anzai helped him practice shooting. Miyagi, a second-year student, was a guard who could only drive to the basket, wasn't good at shooting, and had no three-point shooting ability. Anzai didn't develop him and rarely communicated with him. This actually shows that Miyagi was the weakest link among the Shohoku five.

After Xiao Tu joined the team, Miyagi Ryota no longer had a place in the squad and could only be a substitute.

Xiao Tu felt that Miyagi Ryota was in an awkward position, not just because he looked down on him due to their overlapping positions. In the manga, Miyagi was a bug; he was 168cm tall and weighed 59kg, yet he didn't become a defensive liability, all thanks to the author making his opponents less intelligent.

There is never a scene in the manga where the opponent launches a fierce attack on Miyagi's position; the opposing coach can't even see this kid.

Kenji Fujima had a huge advantage over Miyagi, but the author gave him a part-time coaching role and only played half the game, and he didn't even take many shots.

Maki Shinichi had a huge advantage over Miyagi in their matchup, so the author double-teamed and zoned him. The author ensured that all the Hainan players except Jin Soichiro couldn't make a single shot, minimizing Maki Shinichi's impact in the second half.

Kazunari Fukatsu has a huge advantage over Miyagi, so we should make Eiji Sawakita a one-man show, preventing Kazunari Fukatsu from touching the ball many times throughout the game.

Don't ask why Fukatsu, as captain and point guard, couldn't get the ball. Sannoh's coach was just a figurehead; he didn't call a single timeout the entire game. Matsumoto Minoru was a mole on the team for half the game, but the coach didn't even consider substituting him.

If Xiao Tu wanted to rack up points, facing someone with Gong Cheng's physique would be an absolute blast.

After the basketball team activity, everyone went home. Xiao Tu rode his bike and took Uchida Yuki to find a place to eat.

Xiao Tu didn't plan to have dinner with the basketball team. It wasn't that he'd become stingy; it was simply that he wasn't familiar with these people yet. Besides, the basketball team wasn't all there right now, and Rukawa Kaede was still sleeping on the rooftop.

For several days in a row, the Shohoku basketball team was bustling with activity. Perhaps because they saw hope of dominating the nation, the players trained with extra enthusiasm.

On the fourth day of school, the first-year students were to report to the team. Anzai Mitsuyoshi, the nominal coach, hadn't shown up at the arena even once.

Xiao Tu had no complaints, and neither did anyone on the Shohoku team, so as an outsider, he had even less reason to cause trouble. However, if someone like Mitsuyoshi Anzai were a coach in an American high school, he would definitely have been fired long ago.

Coach Anzai delegated all matters, big and small, to the basketball team manager, Ayako Inoue, and training to Takenori Akagi, only to have the team eliminated in the first round every time. This isn't a coach; he's just a complete slacker!
Xiao Tu thought of a certain master from another world who was also a scoundrel before meeting Tang San, elevating himself by deceiving others and teaching geniuses. In fact, without him, that person might have been even more successful.

That's good, otherwise Xiao Tu would definitely have a conflict with An Xi.

Coach Anzai's knowledge is probably no more than Xiao Tu's. The title of former Japanese national player is nothing special to him; it's only good for intimidating students.

In the crucial match against Ryonan in the prefectural tournament, Ryonan coach Shigeichi Taoka bluntly stated before the game: "The Shohoku players rely entirely on their talent, and their tactical awareness is almost zero."

Then, without their coach, Shohoku delivered their most spectacular performance in the prefectural tournament, defeating Ryonan and advancing to the national tournament. This was because they truly relied on talent; the absence of a coach didn't matter.

With Coach Anzai absent, Takenori Akagi took over the task of inspecting the team members. He first had the new recruits line up, and then had everyone introduce themselves.

Kentaro Ishii is 170cm tall and works as a water dispenser attendant.

Sasaoka Tomo, 172cm tall, is a cheerleader. She doesn't wear a jersey; her number is made of tape.

Kuwata Toki is 162cm tall and weighs 50kg. His position delighted Yasuda; he was finally not the shortest.

When Sang Tian introduced himself as a forward in junior high school, Xiao Tu couldn't help but mentally complain.

It's no surprise that Shohoku was eliminated in the first round. People like him can get into the school team with just an application.

Forward? If you went to the football field as a forward, you'd be 3cm shorter than Maradona.

You wouldn't find someone this short in any high school class team competition in China.

These three were the ones who stayed on the team. Other new members joined today, but they quit after only a short time training in the manga. They weren't forced out by Akagi; they had their own legs to run.

Akagi Takenori patiently took notes and told Kuwata to switch to point guard and improve his dribbling and passing skills.

When Rukawa Kaede introduced himself, he spoke very little. "Rukawa Kaede, graduated from Tomioka Junior High School, 187cm, 75kg, can play any position."

Akagi thought highly of him and asked, "Rukawa, what are you interested in?"

Rukawa Kaede thought about it seriously for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, "Interest... Let's go to sleep."

Rukawa Kaede is just that boring, but this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi isn't there to laugh at him. The two didn't fight on the rooftop; this is their first meeting.

(End of this chapter)