Seeing this, Takato Riki said no more. He checked his watch, then addressed the players solemnly. "All right. Since Coach Anzai has no objections either, it's settled."
"Tomorrow morning at eight, we'll meet here on the dot and officially begin training camp. Dismissed!"
Everyone answered in unison, their voices as loud as ever.
For this group of gifted players, training camp was both tedious and exhilarating.
Every morning, before the first rays of sunlight pierced the mist, the sound of basketballs striking the floor already echoed through the Kanagawa Comprehensive Gymnasium.
Shuttle runs, conditioning, shooting practice, tactical drills-every exercise was mind-numbingly dull, but every player trained with absolute seriousness and focus. They all knew that everyone standing here was among Kanagawa's finest, and no one wanted to show weakness now.
"One more set! Pick up the pace!"
"Liu Chuanfeng, you were too slow on that play!"
"Liu Mu, get to those rebounds faster!"
"Yun Zhu, watch your defense!"
"Shi Mo, be tougher when you box out!"
The gym was filled with sweat, panting, and competitive roars. They were all quietly testing themselves against one another, and none of them wanted to lose.
In this atmosphere of healthy competition, everyone's improvement was plain to see.
During this time, following the arrangements made by Takato Riki and Tiangang Maoyi, the players played all kinds of intrasquad games, with the entire roster thoroughly shuffled into new teams.
To assess the chemistry between different players, the coaches even drew lots to assign teams at random.
Then something astonishing happened. No matter how the players were grouped, no matter who their opponents were, the winning team was always the one Chi Tong played on. It stunned everyone.
"What's going on?"
"Chi Tong's team won again? That's ridiculous! His lineup wasn't even that good this time!"