Basketball miracles

Chapter 185 [A Group Outing to Battle Lingnan]

On Friday, the Shohoku basketball team practiced until very late, and everyone was full of energy.

Because they're going to play a practice match against Ryonan High School tomorrow, they need to focus on practicing tactics tonight.

Through extra practice, Sakuragi Hanamichi mastered the basic layup in two days, averaging 4 out of 5 bank shots. Akagi Takenori praised Sakuragi again, saying he already looked like a starting player for the team.

Xiao Tu caused a butterfly effect, significantly boosting Sakuragi's abilities. In the manga, Sakuragi could only be a substitute during practice matches, with Rukawa Kaede starting at power forward.

To appease Sakuragi, Anzai Mitsuyoshi lied and said he was a secret weapon, when in fact he only let him fight for 9 minutes. If Akagi Takenori hadn't been elbowed in the head and bled profusely, requiring treatment at the infirmary, Sakuragi would have continued to sit on the bench.

Xiao Tu felt that Shohoku's starting lineup in the practice match in the manga was absolutely atrocious, and Sakuragi should have been put on the court long ago. No matter how inexperienced or unskilled he was, just standing near the paint defending was better than those two second-year students.

The starting backcourt consisted of Yasuharu Yasuda and Tetsushi Shiozaki, with Kiminobu Kogure as small forward and Akagi as center.

Shohoku was down 19-0 at the start, their defense was a complete mess. The main reason they were able to catch up was that Ryonan's key outside player, Sendoh Akira, wasn't playing seriously.

After training, Xiao Tu suggested to Coach Anzai that Sakuragi start and Kogure come on as a substitute.

“Sakuragi is a beginner, but his athleticism is superb. I think starting him will be more effective in training him and boosting his confidence. This kid has plenty of stamina, and it would be a waste to play him for too short a time.”

Coach Anzai, holding his teacup, chuckled and agreed.

Sakuragi Hanamichi listened from the side, clenching his fist in delight.

Xiao Tu patted Sakuragi on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Don't be nervous when you go on the court tomorrow. Just play like you do in practice games. The guy guarding you from Ryonan isn't anything special; he can't possibly be better than Akagi or Rukawa."

Sakuragi was brimming with confidence: "I will defeat Sendoh."

Ayako asked in surprise, "Oh, you know about Ryonan's ace, Sendoh?"

"I'm going to take down Uozumi too." Sakuragi grinned foolishly, hands on his hips. "Hehe, Ayako, don't underestimate my intelligence network, Sakuragi Hanamichi."

Kogure and Akagi were immediately impressed by Sakuragi, not expecting him to investigate his opponents before the match.

Xiao Tu knew that Sakuragi must have met Ryonan's substitute guard, Aida Hikoichi, during extra practice, and thus learned some information about the Ryonan team.

Hikoichi Aida has an older sister who works as a sports reporter. Both siblings share the catchphrase "Pay attention!" and enjoy investigating players. Considering Hikoichi Aida is only 165cm tall, playing basketball wouldn't be a good career path for him; being a reporter would be a much better fit.

Xiao Tu said, "Defend your area well, remember what I said about positioning yourself and not sticking with anyone. Xian Dao will attack your side. Disrupt him, don't jump around randomly."

Ryonan had a very strong offensive power forward, Fukuda Kichijou, who was fired from the team for hitting the coach with a snake-like hand gesture. Sakuragi's job in practice games was relatively easy; his main task was to grab rebounds.

Sakuragi's nervousness is relieved whenever he starts the game.

Everyone experiences this feeling, including Xiao Tu with the Lakers in the 80s. He was always very nervous during the preseason, afraid of not playing well. But he wasn't afraid anymore when he entered the regular season opener, having adjusted his mindset.

If a newcomer has strong teammates to support them, the pressure won't be so great. Now, Xiao Tu has become Sakuragi's support, letting him know that with a senior player leading the way, the game will be much easier.

The next morning at 8:30, the Shohoku team gathered at the station on time and took the tram to Ryonan High School in Kamakura City.

Since it was the weekend and everyone wasn't required to wear school uniforms, Xiao Tu and Yuki Uchida wore matching denim outfits and sunglasses, looking youthful and stylish, like they were going out on a date.

Yuki Uchida was there as a spectator. She had accompanied Xiao Tu during his practice sessions and now wanted to see him display his prowess on the court.

The other members of Shohoku High School came in school uniforms, which Akagi Takenori believed made them appear more united and gave them a stronger presence.

Xiao Tu laughed and said, "We will definitely win. Today is Ryonan's home game, so why are we so aggressive? We're leading by a lot, so we have to save face for them. Never mind, you'll understand what I mean after the first half."

Akagi has extremely low emotional intelligence and is somewhat brain-dead. When he was a freshman in high school, he even tried to teach the senior students in the third year how to do things.

Haruko Akagi and her two best friends also rode the train together, not separating from the players, to cheer for the Shohoku team.

It was Xiao Tu's first time observing Matsui up close with her twin ponytails and full lips; she looked more like Akagi Takenori's younger sister.

The two are the same age. Were they switched at birth in the hospital back then?

It's also possible that Akagi Takenori was mischievous as a child and switched his sister's bed number at the hospital. Perhaps next year the two families will realize something is wrong and switch the two children back.

Haruko Akagi: "In my next life, I want to be a tree, because once a tree is planted in one place, it will stay there forever and never move, so I won't have to be separated from my family."

And then... that was it. Haruko definitely wouldn't be interested in a gorilla like Takenori Akagi, so she couldn't act in "Autumn in My Heart." Even if Haruko had leukemia, she could only act in "Blood Ties."

Accompanying them were the "Rukawa-kun" trio, fans of Xiao Tu, who were extremely hostile towards Uchida Yuki.

Horita Tokuo, along with his three underlings, Mito Yohei and others from the Sakuragi Army, all boarded the same train.

A large group of students from Shohoku High School came this time, making it very lively, like a group outing. Originally, the Sakuragi gang came on Mito Yohei's scooter, but the four of them were overtaken by bicycles on the way, traveling at less than five kilometers per hour.

Now, for some reason, they've all switched to taking the tram.

Takenori Akagi was taking it too seriously, and in the train, he rallied his teammates to shout the slogan – "Down with Ryonan!"
He couldn't stay still at all; he even did special training on the tram, where everyone lifted their buttocks 1 cm off their seats and held the position for 1 minute. This was supposed to strengthen his legs and waist, similar to a horse stance.

Xiao Tu didn't participate. He had practiced the Gongzi Fuhuquan (a style of Chinese martial arts) for a while, and his waist and stance were naturally strong without needing to stand in a specific stance, and his arms and legs were naturally powerful without needing to strike a target. Among the defenders, no one could have a more stable lower body than him.

Upon arrival, Akagi led the way, walking out with his head held high and chest puffed out, a group of imposing, delusional teenagers.

Xiao Tu, along with Yuki Uchida and Mitsuyoshi Anzai, walked at the back, looking out of place with the rest of the group.

The Ryonan players are already warming up. This practice match has attracted a lot of attention because of Sendoh, and even local sports reporters have come.

As soon as the Shohoku team arrived at the stadium, they greeted their opponents.

The starting players now have an average height of over 185cm, creating a very imposing presence. Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't shout "I'm going to defeat Sendoh!" On the way here, Xiao Tu told him to be polite first, then use force.

"Don't just shout it out, just do it. If you do well, people will naturally praise you. If you shout out your goals first and then fail to achieve them, you'll become a laughing stock."

Sakuragi always listened to Xiao Tu in the team and behaved very politely, even greeting Aida Hikoichi in a friendly manner. However, his striking red hair and tall stature still drew attention.

The most eye-catching was Xiao Tu, whose style was completely different from the others. Not only did he have the appearance and temperament of a movie star, but he was also leisurely holding hands with his girlfriend, showing off their affection.

"The people from Shohoku are here, and they're all so tall."

"Why is there a foreigner here? Is he a player too?"

"It shouldn't be, he wasn't wearing Shohoku's school uniform..."

Ryonan coach Shigeichi Taoka greeted Mitsuyoshi Anzai warmly, bowing as a junior. "We should have gone over there, I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all the way here."

Taoka was furious when he saw Aida Hikoichi had taken a normal chair and told him to quickly replace it with a large chair, twice the width of one, placed on the sidelines. Taoka wasn't being sarcastic; in fact, he was quite perceptive.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi was really too fat. He wasn't tall, but he was wider than Akagi, and he couldn't walk properly.

Judging from his appearance, Anzai definitely has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. Xiao Tu plans to persuade him to go to the hospital for a checkup after the game. Sakuragi has already practiced his shooting under the basket. If Anzai has a relapse and Sakuragi isn't there during the prefectural semifinals, the guy might just die.

As long as Taoka doesn't undergo grueling training, he's a very gentle middle-aged man, and he also shook hands with Takenori Akagi.

This match was arranged specifically by Taoka, who believed that Ryonan's center, Jun Uozumi, had improved a lot and wanted to help Uozumi build confidence before the prefectural tournament.

Only by defeating Akagi can Uozumi become the best center in Kanagawa.

Akagi went to shake hands with Uozumi again, saying, "Nice to meet you." Uozumi, however, showed no intention of shaking hands, coldly replying to Akagi, "I will win."

During the pre-match trash talk, Akagi laughed. "Uozumi, you'll soon find out how naive you've been."

Yesterday, Xiao Tu arranged the tactics, which were very targeted, focusing on outside attacks.

Akagi, playing on the defensive side, was completely overwhelmed. Uozumi was even slower than him; he was definitely going to get thrashed today…

(End of this chapter)