Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

When the players from Hainan and Lingnan took to the field to warm up, the cheers from the stands began to erupt again.

Hainan's purple supporters unfurled a banner that read "Ever-Victorious" on the east side of the stadium, while Lingnan's blue supporters hung a banner that read "Brave and Courageous" on the west side.

Kiminobu Kogure sat down in the Shohoku stands, his gaze sweeping over Ryonan's half of the court.

A figure with a hairstyle very similar to Miyagi leaped into the air, catching the ball that Sendoh threw from the top of the arc with one hand in mid-air, and slamming it into the basket.

"Wow...!" A gasp of surprise erupted from the stands.

Akagi frowned slightly: "During the practice match against Ryonan... why didn't I see this guy?"

Such a jump is definitely not something an unknown person can achieve.

Kogure Kiminobu looked at Sakuragi in the front row. He knew that Sakuragi had a good relationship with Ryonan and should know him.

Sakuragi introduced, "That's Fukuda. He didn't play a practice match with us for some reason. That guy is really strong."

Akagi and the others looked back at Fukuda, who was high-fiving Sendoh, and nodded thoughtfully.

Only Sakuragi looked curiously at Maki Shinichi, who was warming up on the other side, and noticed that the guy had several band-aids on his face and some bruises.

Subconsciously, I glanced at Yanai beside me, who was calmly watching the scene unfold.

Sakuragi scratched the back of his head, wondering if he was overthinking things.

After warm-up, both teams returned to their respective benches. Taoka Shigeichi walked towards the bench and came face-to-face with Takato Riki.

Two middle-aged coaches stopped in front of the technical table, less than two meters apart.

"Hey, Takato." Taoka's voice was neither too loud nor too soft.

"Taoka." Takato held a new folding fan in his hand. The two looked at each other, and sparks seemed to fly between them.

There were no further words. Taoka nodded, and Takato nodded as well, then they each turned away.

"Coach, are you very familiar with Coach Takato?" Uozumi asked curiously.

Taoka turned to face the Ryonan players who were forming a semi-circle: "We're familiar. Of course we're familiar. In the high school basketball tournament, he and I were mortal enemies. I'm like Sendoh now, and he's like Rukawa now."

"Rukawa Kaede? Sendoh? ... You're lying!" The Ryonan team members all disbelieved it.

"You bunch of brats!" Taoka's face flushed red for half a second, but he quickly regained his seriousness.

"Hainan lost to Shohoku last week."

Taoka's voice was heavy, "Today, we must defeat Hainan at all costs. As long as we win this game, we will secure our ticket to the national tournament ahead of schedule, without having to wait until tomorrow or worry about Shohoku's performance."

So you have to treat today's game as if it were your last. Don't put your hopes on tomorrow's game against Shohoku; you've already seen Shohoku's strength firsthand.

"Even if it's just for the last drop of sweat and the last breath, we must take Hainan today. Think about the days you trained so hard."

The entire Ryonan team broke out in a cold sweat as they recalled Taoka's grueling training: "Yes...!"

On the opposite side of the Hainan bench, Gao Touli folded his new folding fan and stood in front of his players. His voice wasn't as passionate as Taoka's, but every word exuded a chilling coldness that seeped from the very core of his being.

"We must win today's match. Only by defeating Ryonan can we keep our hopes of advancing to the national tournament alive."

Today was a do-or-die battle. A loss would mean the end. Hainan's sixteen-year record of reaching the national championships, their pride in consecutive titles, and their dream of reaching the national level—all of this came to an end today.

The entire Hainan team held their breath.

Kogure Kiminobu observed the game and began to analyze: "The current situation is very delicate. If Ryonan wins, then Ryonan and Shohoku will have secured their spots in the national tournament ahead of schedule, and tomorrow's game will only be a battle for the prefectural championship title."

"But if Hainan wins," Kogure lowered his voice, "then if we beat Ryonan tomorrow, Ryonan will be eliminated. But if Ryonan beats us tomorrow, then the qualification for the national tournament won't be truly certain. All three teams will have two wins and one loss, so the qualification will depend on the point differential."

The good news is that we defeated Buri and Hainan by large margins, which is a great improvement.

Sakuragi stared at Ryonan's blue jerseys on the court, and images flashed through his mind.

Last summer, during the sweltering heat and every weekend during the second half of my third year of junior high, I spent training with the rest of the Ryonan basketball team at their gym.

He suddenly stood up. He cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath, and yelled towards Ryonan's bench.

"Ryonan! Go for it! Take down Hainan!"

The sound echoed several times throughout the stadium. Students near the Shohoku stands turned to look at him.

On the Ryonan bench, Jun Uozumi suddenly looked up. He saw the man with the red buzz cut in the stands, standing up and yelling at them.

"You all heard that, didn't you?"

Taoka Shigeichi's expression remained unchanged, but his voice rose a beat more than before, "Sakuragi's watching from the stands. He's cheering you on. Do you want to embarrass yourselves in front of him?"

"No!" Ryonan's response shook the bench chairs.

Taoka nodded in satisfaction and announced the starting lineup:

"Starting lineup... Off-road, Sendoh, Uozumi, Ikegami, Fukuda."

He looked at each person in turn, "On the defensive end, Ikegami will specifically guard A-Shen. A-Shen's three-pointers are the lifeline of Hainan's outside shooting, so you need to stick to him like glue."

The overall defense will use a 2-3 zone defense. Uozumi should focus on protecting the rim and blocking Hainan's inside penetration routes.

Finally, looking at Sendoh, "On offense, Sendoh, you'll play point guard, and Fukuda will be the main scorer."

The referee blew his whistle, and the game was over.

The starting players from both sides walked towards the center circle. Jun Uozumi and Kazuma Takasago stood on either side of the center circle.

Seeing that Maki Shinichi's face was somewhat bruised and swollen, Uozumi asked curiously, "Maki, your face...?"

Maki Shinichi gritted his teeth: "He fell by accident!"

Uozumi didn't ask any further questions, simply stating, "Ryonan is definitely going to get a ticket to the national tournament this year. You Hainan guys should probably get some rest early."

Maki Shinichi raised his head, his still slightly swollen face expressionless. He looked at Uozumi: "Ha! Your Ryonan... isn't qualified."

The referee held the ball on his fingertips and had the whistle in his mouth.

The entire room fell silent in that instant.

The whistle blows. The orange basketball is tossed vertically into the air, and Takasago and Uozumi simultaneously leap off the ground.

Uozumi's fingertips were a full hand's width higher than Takasago's, and at the highest point, he slapped the ball hard, sending it flying diagonally backward.

Hiroaki Koshino caught the ball the instant it hit the ground, and without any hesitation, tossed it to Akira Sendoh with one hand.

As Sendoh received the ball and dribbled it to the top of the key, a spectator in the stands simultaneously uttered a question: "Sendoh playing point guard?"

Sendoh dribbled at the top of the arc, his pace neither too fast nor too slow. Maki lowered his center of gravity and closed in.

Sendoh stepped forward with his right foot, his shoulder sinking to the left, and Maki Shinichi followed perfectly with his sidestep. Sendoh switched hands, cutting from the right, but Maki Shinichi blocked his path with a sidestep.

Two attempts were made, but both were blocked.

Then Sendoh turned around. He leaned his back against Maki Shinichi's chest, lowered his center of gravity, and used a backstab.

Shinichi Maki's pupils contracted sharply. The moment Sendoh's back struck his chest, a thought flashed through his mind: something's not right.

Last year, Sendoh was a graceful penetrator and a scoring machine; physical confrontation was never his weapon.

But now, the power of this back-to-the-basket move is on a completely different level.

It's not just that his core strength is strong; it's that the rhythm of every step he takes, the angle of his shoulders, and the way he exerts his core power all carry a flavor that Maki Shinichi has only ever seen in one person... Sakuragi Hanamichi.

After being relentlessly attacked from behind by Sendoh, Maki Shinichi felt a dull ache in his chest and collarbone again.

Sendoh backed down and drove in, from the top of the key to near the free-throw line.

On the sidelines, Shigeichi Taoka crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes that only he knew the meaning of.

Since last summer vacation, Sakuragi has been coming to Ryonan every weekend to train.

During the scrimmage, the red-haired kid used back-to-the-basket moves as the best weapon against Sendoh, and Sendoh was so overwhelmed by Sakuragi's back-to-the-basket moves that he questioned his existence.

Unbeknownst to many, the way Sendoh fought also began to change.

He started training his core strength, began trying to use his body to take down his opponents, and started actively posting up in low posts during practice games.

Moreover, apart from Uozumi, every member of the team is incredibly easy to back down.

After experiencing the benefits, Sendoh was surprised to find that it was incredibly satisfying to overpower opponents with his physical strength. As a result, he stopped focusing on technical basketball and began down the path of physical confrontation.

As a result, my weight has increased from 79KG to 84KG.

Taoka couldn't suppress the smile on his face as he watched Sendoh crushing Maki Shinichi on the field.

On the court, Sendoh backed down the ball and drove it to the vicinity of the free-throw line.

Hainan's half-court defensive formation began to tighten, and Muto rushed over from the weak side to double-team them.

Just as Muto started his run, Sendoh flipped over and tossed the ball high to the right side of the basket.

A dark blue figure launched himself from the baseline. Fukuda Kichijo, left wide open by Takeda, jumped, caught the ball in mid-air with one hand, and slammed it into the basket.

The rim made a dull, loud thud.

The whole place erupted.

"Beautiful pass! Fukuda's alley-oop was even more beautiful!" Aida Hikoichi jumped up.