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

However, no one was surprised that Xiangyang passed the assessment. Given his performance on the field, it would have been strange if he had failed to advance.

Coach Sun glanced at Xiang Yang, and seeing that the latter's expression was normal, he didn't care and lowered his head to announce the second name.

"Second place, Wang Xiaolong."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing his name mentioned, Wang Xiaolong immediately clenched his fist and let out a low growl. This was none other than "Xiao Wang".

Throughout the game, Wang Xiaolong, who plays as a small forward, not only scored multiple times on offense after receiving passes from Xiang Yang, but also performed steadily on defense. Facing Li Wenyu, who has a superior physique, he successfully relied on his excellent defensive ability to limit him as much as possible.

Xiang Yang had anticipated that "Little Wang" would advance. Putting aside his performance in this match, Xiang Yang had faced him on his first day in China and highly regarded Little Wang's defensive abilities and talent.

The others also applauded and congratulated Xiao Wang. As teammates on the same team, they were happy that Xiao Wang had successfully advanced.

However... more importantly, it depends on whether they can advance.

After a brief moment of celebration, everyone quieted down and nervously looked at Coach Sun, hoping to hear their name called next.

Unfortunately, Coach Sun's next words were not good news.

"There's only one spot left to advance..."

Coach Sun stroked his chin and suddenly laughed. At this crucial moment, even this usually mature and experienced coach couldn't help but whet everyone's appetite.

"The third person to advance is—"

Coach Sun spoke in a drawn-out tone, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the eight players on the national youth team before finally settling on Xiao Gao's face.

At this moment, Xiao Gao was so nervous that he was sweating profusely. He unconsciously rubbed his hands together in front of his chest, and his eyes were fixed on Coach Sun's mouth.

Coach Sun's gaze lingered on Xiao Gao, which was obvious to everyone. In an instant, the faces of the other players who hadn't been called down fell, as they all felt that Coach Sun's hint was clear.

At the same time, with a height of 210 cm and a wingspan of 217 cm that is still growing, coupled with his status as "Ebi's protégé", it can be said that this last spot is almost a foregone conclusion.

However, Xiangyang had a different opinion.

Putting aside all off-field factors, if the standard for advancement is only based on this one match, Gao's performance was actually not outstanding, and could even be described as... terrible!

Despite facing a loose defense from the national team's interior, and despite Xiang Yang repeatedly feeding him the ball, Xiao Gao's finishing success rate was less than 40%!

Perhaps his mindset prevented him from fully demonstrating his abilities, but his poor performance in this trial is a fact.

If we follow the principles of human relationships and social customs

If I had to say, the third spot would undoubtedly go to Gao. Judging from Coach Sun's current performance, it seems like he's about to call out Gao's name.

but…

"Third place, Lin Chengshuai."

quiet--

Unlike the previous two times, which were accompanied by cheers, this time, when they heard that Xiao Gao was not the final qualifier, the expressions on the faces of the national youth team members were somewhat surprised.

[What? Did I hear that right? Wasn't the last name Gao Tianwei?]

At this moment, everyone present had the same thought, except for Xiangyang and Hai Lao.

Xiang Yang shook his head calmly, his gaze towards Coach Sun filled with surprise.

"Seriously...you really have no manners at all, showing no respect to Elder Hai?"

Even Xiangyang, who had only visited China twice, could tell that among the players on the national youth team, Hai Lao had the highest opinion of Xiao Gao.

As Hai Lao's personal disciple, Coach Sun was surprisingly ruthless and showed no favoritism towards his mentor's most favored player.

"He's really impartial... I have a feeling this coach will be a troublesome guy."

Xiang Yang muttered something to himself, then secretly glanced at Elder Hai and noticed that although the latter looked regretful, he didn't say anything to try and secure a chance for Xiao Gao.

Coach Sun and Elder Hai, the two men, one big and one small, seemed to be cut from the same mold. Until the very end of the competition, Elder Hai already knew who Coach Sun would choose in the end.

"Ugh…"

Hai Lao sighed, walked onto the field, and patted Xiao Gao on the shoulder.

"You really didn't play well today. If Xiao Sun gives you the spot, I believe you wouldn't feel comfortable taking it, would you?"

Old Hai walked up to Xiao Gao, wiping the sweat from his face as he spoke softly.

Xiao Gao kept his head down and didn't say a word, but Xiang Yang vaguely saw a glistening tear slide down his face and eventually drip onto the ground.

Hai sighed again. This time he didn't say anything more, but gave Coach Sun a look, which the latter understood immediately.

"Cough cough!"

Coach Sun cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to himself. Looking at the three players from Xiangyang who had successfully advanced, he slowly said, "Congratulations on successfully entering the national team. Starting tomorrow, we will undergo a month-long team integration training program. Our goal is to achieve a ranking in the Basketball World Cup at the end of next year."

"Players who did not advance should not be discouraged. They should continue to hone their skills in the national youth team. No one's success is accidental. It requires the tempering and hard work of day after day."

Coach Sun looked at Xiang Yang and said, "Xiang Yang, your situation is rather special. Coach Hai has already informed me that you will need to return to Japan to complete your final year of high school."

"This is your choice and I have no right to interfere, but conversely, you will be very tired in the next month, extremely tired! I hope you are mentally prepared."

Xiang Yang nodded in response, not surprised by what Coach Sun said.

As the point guard, you are the brain of the team. In the process of team cohesion, as the keeper of ball possession and the initiator of tactics, the challenges a point guard must face are naturally immense.

That's the most.

Xiang Yang estimates that in the next month, he will not only have to complete the national team's daily training schedule, but also figure out the characteristics of each teammate, and of course, he will also have to make tactical arrangements and memorize them.

Fortunately, these things were not difficult for Xiangyang, whose understanding of basketball far surpassed that of ordinary people. He believed that no matter how much tactics and understanding Coach Sun had, it would never surpass his own "professional basketball experience package".

However, to Xiangyang's surprise, he and Coach Sun soon had an argument...

Two weeks later, at the national team's dedicated training ground.

beep—

A piercing whistle blew, and Coach Sun frowned slightly, stopping the players who were playing a training match on the field.

"Xiangyang, why didn't you get back on defense during that last defensive rotation?"

Coach Sun's sharp eyes looked at Xiang Yang. This wasn't the first time he had noticed Xiang Yang's "basic mistakes" on the field.

Mingming believed that Xiangyang's basketball IQ was unparalleled in basketball history, but unfortunately, he often made mistakes he shouldn't have made, such as the offensive play just now.

When his team was intercepted and launched a counterattack, Xiang Yang, as an outside player, should have quickly returned to defense to buy time for the team to make up for their mistakes. However, he just stood there watching his teammates return to defense, still in the opponent's half of the court, seemingly lost in thought.

Faced with Coach Sun's questioning, Xiang Yang touched his nose and said what he was thinking: "I think that if the opponent successfully intercepts the ball and launches a counter-attack, if I stand alone in the opponent's half of the field while my teammates successfully defend against the attack, then I only need a long pass with decent accuracy to get an easy scoring opportunity."

Xiang Yang spoke these words in a very calm and organized tone, as if he had thought them through carefully.

Li Wenyu, who was closest to him, immediately gave Xiang Yang a "take care" look. Ever since Coach Sun started coaching the national team, or rather, ever since Coach Hai started coaching the national team, any player who raised objections to their words would be suppressed by a barrage of verbal attacks. Li Wenyu believed that this time would be no exception.

However… after hearing Xiang Yang’s words, Coach Sun opened his mouth as if to say something but then immediately closed it. He lowered his head slightly, his lips moving as if muttering something. After a while, he finally spoke: “What if, after the opponent completes the steal, they don’t choose to launch a fast break, but instead dribble the ball across half-court and wait for their teammates to arrive before setting up a positional play?”

"If that's the case, and you're still in the opponent's half, wouldn't it become a 4v5 situation in your own half?"

Coach Sun narrowed his eyes, waiting for Xiang Yang to give him an answer.

Li Wenyu was shocked. After looking at Coach Sun's expression and words and carefully considering what the latter said, Li Wenyu came to a conclusion that made him exclaim that it was impossible!

Faced with Xiangyang's rebuttal, Coach Sun not only did not argue back, but instead asked Xiangyang a question again in a tone of seeking advice.

Li Wenyu could swear that this was absolutely the first time since he joined the national team and met Coach Sun! He even had a vague premonition... that this wouldn't be the last!

Unlike Li Wenyu's surprise, Xiang Yang's reaction was much more normal.

“You’re right, Coach Sun. If the team that is defending and counter-attacking doesn’t choose to launch a fast break, but instead slows down the pace and plays a positional game, then my choice would be to create an opening for my teammates.”

Chapter 194 Probability in Basketball

"Um…"

Coach Sun narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Xiang Yang from head to toe, as if trying to see right through him.

Xiang Yang stood there with his hands behind his back, looking indifferent, as if nothing had happened, but he felt somewhat helpless inside.

Coach Sun was right. The team's mistake gave the opponent a counter-attack opportunity, and as a defender, he had to quickly get back on defense.

Because he is the shortest and relatively agile compared to the other players, this kind of job should be assigned to him.

So why didn't Xiangyang choose to retreat and defend in the last round? It wasn't because he was lazy, but because the situation on the field made him feel that there was no need to retreat and defend!

The player who successfully made the steal was Li Wenyu. This athletic guy can score in 90% of his fast breaks by going solo.

This is Li Wenyu's playing style, and it's also the conclusion Xiang Yang reached after observing him.

There is a 90% chance that Li Wenyu will choose to abandon the position and launch a fast break attack alone. His finishing percentage is around 50% to 70% per game. In other words, if Xiang Yang does not choose to return to defense but instead stands alone in the opponent's half to rest.

Not only will he get a chance to catch his breath, but there is also a 10% chance that he will cause his teammates to fall into a 4-on-5 situation and ultimately lose points due to laziness. There is also a 30% to 50% chance that, because Li Wenyu's fast break fails, Xiang Yang will have an easy scoring opportunity after his teammates' long pass.

Of course, there is no absolute probability in the world of basketball, and the above are just results that Xiang Yang obtained based on experience in a few seconds.

It's not true that the more you run on the court, the better your performance will be. Basketball is not something as trivial as WeChat steps.

"The captain likes to score in open play, but my defensive skills are not suited to that. Even when I get back on defense, the help I provide to the team is minimal."

Xiang Yang shrugged and looked at Coach Sun, continuing, "If the captain really does use open play as I suspect, and he happens to miss the goal, then I can easily score by standing in the opponent's half."

Upon hearing this, even Li Wenyu, who was standing by watching the show, lowered his head in deep thought.

Just as Xiang Yang said, if Coach Sun hadn't suddenly called a timeout during the previous offensive and defensive battle, he would most likely have launched a solo fast break.

Although he is quite confident in his finishing ability, Li Wenyu is not so arrogant as to think that he will never miss a single point.

[Hiss... Xiangyang's words seem to make a lot of sense!]

In a daze, Li Wenyu had already been persuaded by Xiang Yang, but Coach Sun was not so easily fooled.

"So, were you gambling on the field during that last offensive attack, Xiangyang?"

Coach Sun frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Xiang Yang, and at the same time, his unique aura of pressure suddenly pressed down on Xiang Yang.

Body.

"Hmm... I think the word 'decision' would be more appropriate than 'gambling'."

Xiang Yang stroked his chin, carefully considering his words, and said, "Coach, I came to the decision not to retreat after observation and consideration. Considering the situation on the court at the time, not retreating was a decision I made to deal with the team's mistakes."

Xiang Yang's tone was calm, showing no intention of confronting Coach Sun. However, he did not avoid eye contact with Coach Sun, but instead met his gaze openly, seemingly ignoring the pressure lingering on him.

Coach Sun remained silent, maintaining the same eye contact with Xiang Yang, except for his fingers, which he slowly rubbed behind his back, as if deep in thought.