Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

"Have you heard? A famous streetball team from the UK is coming to play an exhibition game here!"

"Of course I've heard! The Dragons, their star player Nash has become the current national team player for the United States!"

Early in the morning, at a university, the 8:00 AM bell rang, and many students chatted while rushing to their classes.

A sharp-eyed boy, carrying textbooks, walked through the crowd and overheard snippets of their conversation. And this man was none other than our reliable senior, Kasamatsu!

Kasamatsu overheard the conversation, remaining outwardly calm but inwardly becoming quite animated.

"The 'Bomb Neck Dragons' team... I used to hear about them all the time back in high school. Are they coming here to play an exhibition match? Should we go watch sometime?"

Kasamatsu touched his nose, somewhat tempted, but quickly lowered his hand, looked at the textbook tucked under his arm, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh... Oh well, I don't even know how I'm going to pass the exams next month. I should just focus on my studies. I've already graduated from Haichang University."

Kasamatsu scratched his head, a hint of helplessness on his face. As someone who was meticulous and paid great attention to etiquette and rituals, Kasamatsu Yukio was unfortunately not good at academics.

While pondering whether to find time in the afternoon to cram at the library, Kasamatsu walked through the campus, heading towards his next classroom.

Just then, Kasamatsu Kabuto's cell phone suddenly rang.

"Moshi Moshi, I am Kasamatsu."

"Moshi moshi, Kasamatsu, I am Aida Kagetora, I don't know if you recognize me."

[Hmm? Aida Kagetora? The father of Aida Riko, the coach of Shiro Rin?]

Kasamatsu's expression froze for a moment, then he tentatively spoke into the phone, "Ah... Aida-senpai, I know you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

On the other side, Aida Kagetora, who was half-reclining in his boss's chair, listened to Kasamatsu's answer and couldn't help but smile slightly. He didn't immediately bring up the topic, but said, "As expected of the previous captain of Kaijo, your intelligence capabilities are outstanding. I guess you only met me when we played against my daughter's basketball team?"

"No, Aida-senpai is joking. You were very famous when you were a Japanese national team player. I had heard of you back then."

Kasamatsu glanced down at his watch; there wasn't much time left before class started.

"Excuse me, senior, what can I do for you?"

Aida chuckled, clearly pleased with Kasamatsu's compliment. Looking at the poster of the Exploding Neck Dragons on his computer screen, he said in a low voice, "Looks like you're in a bit of a rush, Kasamatsu. Well then, I won't beat around the bush..."

"There's an exhibition game this weekend. Interested in... playing point guard?"

……

……

Name: Xiang Yang

height:

Wingspan:

body weight:

Standing reach:

Approaching jump vertical reach:

The basketball court dedicated to the Chinese national youth team

Coach Sun frowned as he examined the freshly released physical test data in his hand.

Standing on either side of him were two people: Hai Lao and Li Wenyu, the current captain of the Chinese men's basketball team.

"Hiss, Coach Sun, this promising young man's physical talent... seems rather average."

Li Wenyu smacked his lips and spoke first.

Admittedly, Xiang Yang's physical abilities are already outstanding in high school level competitions, but they are quite mediocre in the professional realm.

Especially in the running jump vertical jump hurdle, the result of 308 points shows that in a game with a relatively good pace of competition, Xiang Yang even struggles to complete a dunk.

(Basketball trivia: The standard basketball hoop height is 305cm. To complete a dunk, your running jump reach needs to consistently be above 315cm, which is more than a hand's width above the hoop.)

Coach Sun turned to look at Li Wenyu, but didn't say anything. However, the expression on his face said it all.

Even with Hai Lao vouching for Xiang Yang, Coach Sun finds it hard to believe, based solely on these results, that Xiang Yang can become the savior of China's basketball industry.

As for Hai Lao, he wasn't in a hurry to see the physical test report. After all, he had been in contact with Xiang Yang a few months ago and naturally knew where his real strength lay.

"We'll find out what he's made of once we put him to the test. Look, he's right there. Why don't you challenge him to a one-on-one duel?"

Hai Lao patted Li Wenyu on the shoulder and gestured towards Xiang Yang, who was warming up with a basketball shot on the court.

The latter was somewhat tempted upon hearing this, but he did not immediately go up to challenge him. Instead, he looked at Coach Sun, clearly indicating that he wanted to get permission before going up.

Coach Sun nodded. Not only Li Wenyu, but he also wanted to see just how good this player, who was so highly regarded by his mentor, really was.

With the coach's permission, Li Wenyu immediately beamed with joy. He took off his shirt, revealing a Chinese men's basketball jersey with his name printed on it, and said excitedly, "Let me personally test how strong my future biggest helper is!"

After saying that, Li Wenyu walked towards Xiangyang.

Watching Li Wenyu's departing figure, Hai Lao stroked his beard and sighed, "I'm really getting old. That kid even had to ask for your opinion before daring to challenge you. Tsk tsk tsk, is my word no longer valid?"

You should know that a few years ago, when Heyverein was still the head coach of the men's basketball team, his words were like imperial edicts to his own players!

Coach Sun shook his head helplessly. He realized that his mentor was joking with him, so he didn't say anything more.

A smile appeared on Hai Lao's face. He was overjoyed that his disciple had completely taken control of the men's national basketball team. He wouldn't even get angry, let alone turn around and compete with his disciple for power.

"That's how a coach should be. If a coach can't even have complete control over his own team, then he's a complete failure."

Looking at Xiang Yang, who was talking to Li Wenyu on the field, Hai Lao spoke in a meaningful tone: "Little Sun... many times, choices are two-way. You are evaluating others, but aren't they also testing you?"

"Consider this a snack. I heard that Xiangyang, that kid, has a lot of influence on a team in Japan..."

Upon hearing this, Coach Sun's pupils contracted slightly, and he turned to look at Xiang Yang again, his eyes showing a hint of consideration.

……

……

"Then shall we give it eleven points? Yes?"

"It's okay to have fun, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Li Wenyu patted Xiang Yang on the shoulder in a familiar manner, encouraging him like an older brother.

Xiangyang licked his lips and nodded in agreement.

"Huh? You understand the language of flowers?"

Li Wenyu was somewhat surprised. He remembered that Coach Sun had clearly told him that Xiangyang was from Japan and often didn't know the rules of China, and that he should help Xiangyang out on a regular basis.

Xiangyang nodded again and said in the language of flowers, "A little bit."

"You can not only understand, but you can also speak?"

"A little bit."

"That makes things easier, haha. My name is Li Wenyu, and I'm the current captain of the men's basketball team. What's your name, buddy?"

Li Wenyu was quite happy. This younger brother from abroad could understand the language of flowers, which would make many things much easier in the future.

"Facing the sun".

To justify his answer, Xiangyang gave a very concise response, even deliberately adding a stiff tone to his speech.

"Okay, okay, shall we start now? We agreed on 11 points, you go first."

Li Wenyu tossed the ball to Xiang Yang and casually waved to him.

As the captain of the men's basketball team, Li Wenyu, who plays as a small forward, has excellent physical qualities. He is 192 cm tall and has a wingspan of 195 cm. His physical and dynamic talents are both outstanding. On the court, he usually contributes five or six spectacular dunks per game.

In a one-on-one fight where physical attributes play a significant role, Li Wenyu felt he had a huge advantage just from a visual perspective.

Let's give this new foreigner a hard time; that way, it'll be easier to train him later!

Li Wenyu bent down slightly and stretched his legs, his expression full of confidence, as if he had already won the one-on-one match.

When Xiang Yang received the pass, he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he turned his head and glanced at Hai Lao and Coach Sun, as if he was weighing something.

However, Xiang Yang quickly turned his attention back to Li Wenyu. Surprisingly, at that moment, his thoughts coincided with Li Wenyu's.

Let's give them a little warning first; it'll make training them easier later.

Xiang Yang stretched out his right hand and pulled up his trouser leg, showing no intention of holding back.

Opposite him, Li Wenyu, unaware of what he was about to face, was waving provocatively at Xiang Yang, his face still bearing that confident smile.

But soon, as Xiang Yang finished pulling up his trousers, a white flash of lightning appeared, and the smile on Li Wenyu's face froze.

……

……

Five minutes later, Li Wenyu sat on the ground looking like he was questioning his existence. Behind him, the basketball, still full of momentum, bounced on the floor, making a series of slapping sounds.

Off the court, Coach Sun's mouth was agape as if he could fit several watermelons in it. He stared in disbelief at Xiang Yang, who was gently helping Li Wenyu up on the court, his shock barely concealed.

11-0, Xiangyang shut out Li Wenyu!

"I told you! This kid is a player I have high hopes for, how could he be bad?"

Hai Lao said to Coach Sun with a smug look on his face, but a bead of cold sweat also rolled down his face.

[A few months have passed, and this guy's skill level has improved again? That shouldn't be the case; judging from his physical talent... his potential shouldn't be that great, right?]

Old Hai tapped his cane lightly on the ground, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at Xiang Yang, who stood on the field with his hands on his hips, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Could it be... that basketball really isn't a game for giants?"

"Forget it, no matter how prodigy this kid is, he's still one of our own. But judging from this trend, saying he'll become the cornerstone of the team... seems a bit conservative, doesn't it?"

"Hmm... I'll think about it some more."

Chapter 187 Xiangyang's Defensive Abilities

"Are you alright, Captain? Uh... can I call you Captain?"

Xiang Yang helped Li Wenyu up from the ground while asking him questions.

It wasn't that Xiangyang was deliberately teasing him, but given their current positions, it was actually inappropriate for Xiangyang to directly call Li Wenyu "Captain."

Although the national youth team and the national team seem to be two closely related teams, the differences between them are considerable.

If Xiang Yang, a member of the national youth team, directly calls Li Wenyu "Captain," it would seem to outsiders that he is trying to get close to him. In this case, it would be more appropriate for him to call Li Wenyu "Captain Li."