Basketball miracles

Chapter 181 [Training Methods for Geniuses]

Soon, a week had passed since the first-year players from Shohoku joined the basketball club.

Xiao Tu's fanbase is growing, and every day after school, many girls run to the basketball court to watch the team practice. Haruko Akagi has also become a fan of Xiao Tu and is no longer so obsessed with Kaede Rukawa.

Compared to Xiao Tu, Rukawa Kaede is clearly a junior. He was consistently outmatched in one-on-one fights with Xiao Tu, and his limelight was completely stolen.

The two men treat their audiences differently, which also affects their popularity. Xiao Tu greets his female fans every day with a smile and a magnetic, gentle voice.

It's quite surprising that an American can speak Japanese better than a native speaker.

Rukawa Kaede, on the other hand, never interacts with anyone and has a poker face. He is handsome but not delicate, with upturned eyes and a straight nose, which makes him look particularly sharp from the side, giving people a sense of distance.

In the manga, Rukawa Kaede doesn't really pay attention to anyone; he only teases Sakuragi Hanamichi and talks to Sakuragi the most.

Naturally, everyone chose the more handsome and charming person as their idol, and Shohoku became a high school that was crazy about worshipping foreign things.

Several girls gave Xiao Tu small gifts and confessed their feelings, but were politely rejected and subsequently lost focus in class. This incident has alarmed school leaders, who are urging students to be rational in their pursuit of celebrities.

Xiao Tu accepted all the gifts; one of the girls made a chocolate cake that was quite delicious. His reason for refusing the girls was simple: he would be returning to the United States after summer.

Xiao Tu is the core player and coach of the Shohoku team. Because of the butterfly effect he created, even Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was known as a "problem child," did not cause trouble in the team.

In the manga, Sakuragi Hanamichi had been practicing basic dribbling on the sidelines for a week after joining the club, and he was getting increasingly frustrated.

Akagi Takenori refused to let Sakuragi participate in the team's practice, but in reality, Akagi was more at fault. Xiao Tu believed that basketball should be taught according to individual aptitude and shouldn't be so rigid.

For example, Ben Wallace, the future famous blue-collar center, was still a rough guy until he retired. Did the coach make him practice basic dribbling on the sidelines every day?

Having Ben Wallace practice shooting and ball-handling offense is a waste of time. His talent lies in defense; he should focus on physical conditioning, rebounding, and shot blocking.

When Xiao Tu was 206cm tall, he first practiced the pull-up jump shot, which was very powerful in the 80s and no one could block it. With his current physique, he can't practice the pull-up jump shot anymore, and even if he practices it until he dies, it will never be very powerful because he is only 185cm tall barefoot.

Similarly, if an inside player likes to use crossovers, then he's a complete idiot; Cousins ​​likes to do that.

For Akagi to make the genius Sakuragi dribble the ball on the sidelines like an ordinary person is utterly insulting. Sakuragi could have easily accelerated his progress, practicing fundamentals and shooting together.

Akagi was unaware of this, only remembering how he had learned basketball in his early days, so he arranged similar training tasks. Back then, he had just entered junior high school, and his physical abilities were worlds apart from Sakuragi's now.

After Xiao Tu intervened, he not only taught Sakuragi how to dunk with both hands and one hand under the basket, but also had Sakuragi practice shooting in the paint for a week.

Shooting under the basket is really simple. For Sakuragi, who is nearly 190cm tall, all he needs to do is master the form and the power of his release. Xiao Tu doesn't let anyone pass the ball to Sakuragi. If Sakuragi misses, Xiao Tu jumps up at top speed to grab the ball and immediately puts it in for a putback, or he picks up the ball, turns around, and jumps to shoot from that spot.

Now, Sakuragi not only makes shots, but he also makes them with quick releases, which makes sense. He also practiced the basics of rebounding, but no one was there to box him out.

This week, Sakuragi trained with the team and was responsible for defending Akagi Takenori during tactical drills, practicing positioning and close defense.

On offense, Xiao Tu began teaching Sakuragi how to cut to the basket after setting screens and attacking the rim. Sakuragi's lack of shooting range didn't matter; his ability to receive the ball and drive to the basket was formidable, even Akagi might not be able to defend against him.

Xiao Tu taught him step by step. Sakuragi learned to catch the ball and jump up to dunk in one step, which was simpler than a normal person learning a three-step layup. He was fast and strong, taking off in an instant.

Sakuragi can master all these techniques without affecting his practice of basic dribbling.

Because Sakuragi's stamina is so good, he doesn't need anyone to urge him to stay in the gym every day and practice until late before going home. He won't leave until his calves cramp up!

Haruko Akagi encouraged Sakuragi a few times, and he became so proud that he never complained once while practicing shooting.

In the manga, Akagi initially always said that Sakuragi lacked perseverance. Now, Sakuragi has turned the tables and become a role model for the team, with Akagi praising him for his hard work in training every day.

No one else could train like Sakuragi, including Rukawa. The way Sakuragi trained would make an ordinary person sick. But this guy didn't care; he slept through class the next day, recovered well after school, and was able to train hard again.

Rukawa's stamina is a weakness; he's currently nowhere near Sakuragi's level. This is a difference in talent. Rukawa could only unleash his full potential for half a game in the early stages, and he was already exhausted during the match against Hainan.

That day, after the team finished their warm-up practice, Xiao Tu called Sakuragi to the edge of the penalty area. "Sakuragi, let's learn something new today." Sakuragi immediately perked up. "Okay!"

"You can catch the ball and take one step to dunk now. Today we'll practice taking two steps to dunk. This will help you better grasp the offensive distance. Watch my movements and then imitate them."

After Xiao Tu finished speaking, he took two big steps with the basketball and dunked with both hands.

Sakuragi already had the foundation for a dunk with one step, and this time he took two big steps while holding the ball and successfully dunked with both hands on his first try. His jumping distance was even greater, and he even had a gliding motion in the air.

Then Xiao Tu completed a two-step, one-handed dunk, deliberately jumping a distance from the basket, which Sakuragi imitated successfully on his first try.

Xiao Tu asked, "Isn't it simple? As long as you don't jump off course, you can dunk it. From now on, practice this move, with both hands or one hand, it doesn't matter."

Sakuragi nodded and grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, it's simple."

Xiao Tu instructed, "Yasuda, you pass him the ball, let him receive it in the middle and on the sides, take two steps and dunk. 10 times per set, rest for a while and then continue, let's do two sets first."

Sakuragi cheerfully began practicing dunks, displaying considerable power and making loud clanging sounds!

The first-year players, including Satoru Kakuta, Tetsushi Shiozaki, and Kogure, were all dumbfounded.

"That's outrageous! Is it even acceptable for him to practice dunking like that?"

"Is Sakuragi really a beginner? It feels like he's only been practicing for a week, but he's already good enough to be a starter?"

"He's simply a monster; I've never seen anyone improve so quickly."

Akagi Takenori walked up to Xiao Tu and asked, "Are you teaching him the three-step layup in reverse?"

"Yes. He has superb physical abilities, so dunking is easier for him than layup. We'll have him practice dunking first, so he can be effective in games and score with a high probability. Then he can practice layups and jump shots, getting further and further away from the basket."

Akagi asked with a smile, "Are American players trained this casually?"

"Training for prodigies is often very casual. Some Black players started out without any coaching, just messing around on street courts, and ended up playing in the NBA. Basketball is a sport where talent is more important than hard work. Some people can become stars even if they don't know how to handle the ball and attack."

"To receive the ball and drive to the basket like Sakuragi?"

"Yes, he can make a difference as long as his teammates are willing to pass him the ball. Sakuragi isn't suited to the training methods of ordinary people; he has the potential to play in the NBA."

Akagi took a deep breath and asked, "What do you think of me?"

"Unless you can master jump shooting, passing, and cutting to the basket after a screen, becoming versatile inside and out, you can't become a professional player. The paint is your comfort zone, but once you encounter someone who can contain you, you won't perform well. Because you lack shooting range and can't adjust your playing style."

After a moment's thought, Akagi humbly asked, "Should I focus on practicing my mid-range shot now?"

"Yes, if you can consistently shoot mid-range shots from the high post after setting a screen for your teammates, your tactical impact will be much greater. Even if you want to force your way to the basket, you can either cut to the basket after a screen to receive the ball and drive to the rim, or run to the low post to receive the ball with your back to the basket. You must learn to adjust so that the opponent cannot defend you."

Akagi nodded; he hadn't adjusted as Xiao Tu had said. His two low-post back-to-the-basket moves were useless against Xiao Tu. If other teams had players like that, wouldn't he be finished?
Xiao Tu continued, "You also need to practice passing and support, drawing double teams and passing to teammates in better positions. If you do all of these things well and perform well in the national competition, I think prestigious universities will definitely contact you, and you might even be admitted to a university as a special talent."

"Thank you, I know what to do now." Akagi bowed to Xiao Tu excitedly.

Xiao Tu waved his hand: "Don't be shy, I believe in you. If you can master free throws, you should be able to master high-post jump shots. As long as you play according to the tactics, I will help you become the best high school center in Japan."

Akagi was somewhat moved, feeling that Xiao Tu was more like a coach now. Coach Anzai had never said these things to him before.

School has been in session for a long time, and Coach Anzai hasn't come to the stadium even once.

Actually, Anzai Mitsuyoshi came today, but the entrance to the stadium was full of Xiao Tu's female fans, so he couldn't squeeze in. Right now, he's been knocked down by someone's butt and hasn't gotten up yet.

(End of this chapter)