Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

At the entrance of Heguang Middle School, countless students poured out of the school gate.

Taoka Shigeichi stood watching at the school gate. He arrived twenty minutes early so that he could intercept Sakuragi the moment he stepped out of the school gate at the exact time school let out.

After the game that day, he moved Sakuragi Hanamichi's name to the front of Rukawa Kaede's name in his notebook.

Rukawa is undoubtedly a genius, but Sakuragi is the kind of unpolished gem that only comes along once in decades.

Techniques can be practiced, tactics can be taught, but physical talent is something God gives you.

Taoka's gaze swept across the crowd, then fell upon that head of red hair, which stood out starkly against the backdrop.

Sakuragi walked at the very back of the crowd, his steps slow, his head down, his shoulders slumped, looking like a blade of grass wilted by the sun.

Four boys were standing around him, talking to him.

Taoka walked towards Sakuragi at a moderate pace, with a smile on his face that he had practiced at least ten times—not so enthusiastic as to scare people away, nor so cold as to seem insincere, just right.

"You're Sakuragi Hanamichi, right?" Taoka's voice was steady and powerful, carrying the confidence of an adult and the authority of a coach.

He extended his hand. "I'm Shigeichi Taoka, the coach of the basketball team at Ryonan High School."

Sakuragi raised his head, glanced at him, then lowered his head and walked past him on his right without stopping.

Taoka's hand was still outstretched in mid-air. His fingers twitched slightly, then he slowly withdrew it.

The script is wrong.

He had anticipated many possible reactions from Sakuragi: surprise, excitement, doubt, or even impatience.

But he hadn't anticipated this.

Ignore him. Utterly ignore him, like he's a telephone pole on the side of the road.

Taoka quickly took a few steps to catch up with Sakuragi, turned sideways, and stood in front of Sakuragi again, but this time he did not reach out.

"Sakuragi-kun, I have high hopes for you. I'd like you to attend Ryonan High School, join the Ryonan basketball team, and continue playing basketball."

Without any preamble or pleasantries, he revealed his hand directly.

When he said "join the Ryonan basketball team," his voice was a little louder and his pronunciation was a little stronger than before.

The words "join the basketball team" were like a pebble thrown into a stagnant pool.

Sakuragi stopped in his tracks.

Taoka saw the change. Sakuragi's shoulders went from slumped to slightly tense, his head lifted, and something lit up in his dull eyes, like someone blowing on ashes and a spark igniting.

"Can you really play basketball?" Sakuragi's voice was a little hoarse.

Taoka's lips curled up.

He mentally gave himself a thumbs up. The script was right, that's how it should be.

"Ryonan is a strong team in the Kanagawa prefectural tournament. If you join Ryonan, we will be strong contenders for the prefectural championship."

Taoka's voice carried an unquestionable certainty, as if he were stating a theorem that had already been verified.

"And it's not just the prefectural tournament; our goal at Ryonan is the national tournament. You've heard of the national tournament, right? It's where the strongest high school teams from all over the country gather to compete for the highest honor in Japanese high school basketball."

As Taoka said these words, a movie was already playing in his mind.

Sakuragi and Uo fought side-by-side under the basket, one defending and the other attacking, one positioning and the other jumping. Sendoh orchestrated the offense from the outside, while Rukawa dominated the wing. Add to that Fukuda's cuts and Ikegami's defense.

Ryonan's team uniforms were running around the court in the national tournament, and the opposing coach was scratching his head during a timeout, unable to come up with a way to break through.

Those scenes were so real, so real, that he felt like his hand was about to touch the national championship trophy.

Upon hearing Taoka's grand promise, Sakuragi's eyes lit up.

His mouth opened, and the smile that had disappeared for several days finally returned to his face.

His lips were moving; the word "okay" was already on his lips, and he was about to agree.

"Wait a moment."

Yohei's voice suddenly rang out, and with a "snap," he cut off the word Sakuragi was about to say.

"Um, Coach Taoka, right? Actually, Sakuragi is a terrible student." Yohei looked at Taoka Moichi. "His grades over three years of middle school were probably only passing physical education."

Taoka's eyebrows twitched.

"Moreover, he is an orphan, lives alone, and has no family. He relies on government subsidies and working at a convenience store to make a living."

Yohei's tone was completely flat, as if he were stating facts he had accepted for a long time. He didn't try to evoke emotions or play the victim; he was simply stating facts.

Taoka's gaze shifted from Yohei to Sakuragi. Sakuragi neither denied nor refuted the allegations, nor did he show any discomfort at having his secret exposed.

Ryonan is a private school, and Taoka knows this better than anyone else.

Private school tuition is significantly higher than public school tuition. In addition to entrance fees, facility fees, uniform fees, and textbook fees, the cost for the first year is a considerable sum.

There are two ways to enroll at Ryonan High School: either you get a scholarship if you have good grades, or you come from a wealthy family who can afford the tuition.

Sakuragi Hanamichi is neither of those. Academic underachiever, orphan, struggling to make ends meet through part-time jobs—these words lined up in Taoka's mind.

Taoka looked into Sakuragi's eyes. Those eyes were still shining. This child didn't know the difference between private and public schools, didn't know what tuition and living expenses meant, and didn't know what the words "underachiever" and "orphan" meant when it came to getting into a good school.

Two voices were arguing in Taoka's head.

One is realistic: tell him it's difficult, the school board isn't a charity, there are limited spots for special admissions, scholarships are based on grades, and convincing those old men requires a sufficiently compelling reason.

Another impulse was to tell him that the kid was worth it, that he could play like this after only two months of playing basketball, and what would he be like after another year or two of training? He didn't dare to think about it, but he had to.

"As long as Sakuragi-kun is willing to come to Ryonan, I will take care of everything else."

When Taoka said this, his voice was half a tone lower than before, but twice as forceful. Every word was pushed out from his chest, carrying the weight of a promise made by an adult.

He knew what he was saying, and he knew what it meant. He was going to keep his promise, no matter how many troubles lay ahead.

Yohei looked at him without saying a word. Those shrewd eyes lingered on his face for a long time, as if judging whether the adult's words were trustworthy, and then Yohei nodded in agreement.

Taoka and Sakuragi said goodbye and made an appointment to meet again.

After Wadaka made the arrangements, Sakuragi's dejected expression vanished, and he walked away laughing and joking with the Sakuragi Army.

Taoka stood there, watching the five people's backs grow smaller and smaller until they disappeared around the corner of the street.

Taoka's brow was furrowed, a furrow that hadn't eased since Sakuragi left. The wrinkles between his brows were much deeper than usual, and his mind was racing with thoughts of how to persuade the school board.

Special recruitment of Sakuragi Hanamichi requires a reason. He has one: Sakuragi's talent is undeniable; he was able to go toe-to-toe with Rukawa Kaede in just two months. Isn't that reason enough?

It's enough, but not sufficient. Those old men on the school board don't just look at talent; they look at grades, college acceptance rates, and the school's reputation.

Why should a student with poor grades take up a special admission spot?

Providing scholarships is even more difficult. Scholarships are for students with good grades, not for students who are good at basketball.

There are other pathways for athletes to be admitted through special admissions programs, but Ryonan University has no precedent for offering scholarships to athletes admitted through special admissions programs, especially for those who have not presented competition results.

If Sakuragi's shoes hadn't broken that day, Kazuhiro would have been able to defeat Tomioka Junior High and advance to the finals. With Sakuragi and that inside duo of Oda Ryusei, winning the prefectural championship wouldn't have been a problem.

If Sakuragi wins the prefectural championship, convincing the school board won't be so difficult.

Thinking of this, Taoka frowned even more deeply. This was no easy task. But since he had said "I will handle it," he would definitely find a way to resolve it.