The most distinctive thing about the Sannoh Industrial High School players was that they all wore buzz cuts, because Sannoh demanded a very high level of discipline.
The Sannoh basketball club's philosophy was to have its players abandon distracting thoughts and devote themselves entirely to basketball.
From the five starters to the reserves, everyone had very short buzz cuts.
Walking at the front of the team was a well-proportioned young man. He was Sannoh's captain and point guard, Kazunari Fukatsu.
Although he was a point guard, Kazunari Fukatsu stood 180 centimeters tall and was a typical traditional guard.
Behind Kazunari Fukatsu stood Eiji Sawakita, his expression brimming with confidence. He was Sannoh's small forward and the team's ace.
Now in his second year of high school, Eiji Sawakita had already become Japan's number one high school player, a title he had earned through sheer ability the previous year.
However, Eiji Sawakita had not let up at all, because the reason he had been able to claim that title was that his good friend Ryota Kudo had not yet officially entered high school last year.
The real competition had only just begun.
The most eye-catching members of Sannoh were the two tall, heavy inside players, the brothers Masashi Kawata and Mikio Kawata.
Starting center Masashi Kawata stood 194 centimeters tall and weighed around 95 kilograms. He was a center as agile as a guard, with frightening ability.
Reserve center Mikio Kawata stood 210 centimeters tall and weighed 130 kilograms. His physique was monstrous.
Mikio Kawata was the younger brother. He was a first-year student who had only been playing basketball for a year. If he developed, he would definitely dominate the high school center position.
The members of Kainan, Shoyo, and Ryonan who had been sitting in the stands all rose to their feet, their eyes burning with fighting spirit as they looked at Sannoh's players.
Everyone knew that to reign supreme at the National Tournament, they would have to overcome the towering wall that was Sannoh Industrial High School.
However, Sannoh's players had no interest whatsoever in these teams.
Sannoh had already won three consecutive championships, displaying absolute dominance.
Moreover, even Sannoh's own players believed that their current team was unquestionably their strongest in the past ten years.
That was why Sannoh took no opponent seriously. They had only come to Kanagawa this time because Eiji Sawakita had insisted on it.
Kazunari Fukatsu watched the players preparing to take the court with a cold gaze. Pointing at the blond-haired Ryota Kudo, he asked,
"Sawakita, that's the Ryota Kudo you mentioned, right? Is he really that good? Good enough to take the title of best middle school player from you?"
No one knew Eiji Sawakita's ability better than Sannoh's players. He was practically an all-around warrior without a single weakness.
They were all very curious about this Ryota Kudo, who had consistently kept Eiji Sawakita under his thumb throughout middle school.
"Captain, you'll see in a moment."
Standing on the basketball court, Ryota Kudo also noticed Eiji Sawakita sitting in the stands.
Ryota Kudo was rather surprised that Eiji Sawakita had come to watch his game.
Still, he was naturally happy that his good friend had come. He waved at Eiji Sawakita and called out loudly,
"I'll come find you in a bit, Sawakita. Just wait for me."
No one in the gym understood what Ryota Kudo meant by that. Only Eiji Sawakita guessed what he was thinking.
Tsukubu High School inbounded the ball. A slightly distracted Hiroshi Natsume received the baseline pass, and he was just about to dribble when he heard his captain's voice.
"Natsume, watch out!"
Before he could even figure out what he needed to watch out for, a hand appeared above the basketball.
Smack! Ryota Kudo completed the steal in an instant.
With the steal secured and the ball in his hands, Ryota Kudo needed no adjustment at all. He scored two points with a midrange jumper that took the least effort.
But Hiroshi Natsume did not need to feel guilty over that mistake, because his teammates would soon be crushed as well.
Tsukubu High School soon learned what torment meant.
They could not stop a single one of Ryota Kudo's attacks. In just over ten minutes, he went 25 for 26 from the field and scored 64 points all by himself.
Tsukubu High School also ran into major problems on offense, which relied mainly on off-ball movement and teamwork.
However, high school players only had so many off-ball plays, and Shohoku High School soon adapted to their movement.
Even Tomokazu Godai, whom they had initially been unable to stop, was locked down by Hisashi Mitsui. Apart from Koichiro Nango, who had yet to be clearly overpowered inside, every other position collapsed completely.
Tweet! The whistle sounded for halftime.
84-21. Shohoku High School led by 63 points at the half. By then, everyone understood what Ryota Kudo had meant when he said he would come over soon.
What Ryota Kudo meant was that he would put the game away quickly, then go find Eiji Sawakita.
During halftime, Ryota Kudo asked Coach Anzai in the locker room if he could sit out the second half.
Coach Anzai had long since noticed Ryota Kudo's intentions, and he agreed with a chuckle.
After wiping off his sweat and changing into casual clothes, Ryota Kudo appeared in the stands.
"Sorry for the wait, Sawakita. You're not mad I kept you waiting so long, are you?"
Faced with his longtime friend Ryota Kudo, Eiji Sawakita could no longer maintain his aloof manner. He stood up and ribbed him with a smile.
"Kudo, you're getting more and more shameless. Who brags about himself like that?
"Still, you've gotten even better than before!"
After exchanging a hug with Eiji Sawakita, Ryota Kudo went over to meet the rest of Sannoh's players.
In the anime, these Sannoh players had an overwhelming presence that made them seem far above everyone else.
In reality, off the basketball court, they were just ordinary high school students and were not that difficult to get along with.
With Ryota Kudo's naturally outgoing personality, he soon hit it off with Sannoh's players.
Sitting beside Eiji Sawakita, Ryota Kudo even helped himself to a bag of Mikio Kawata's potato chips.
It had been so long since Ryota Kudo had eaten potato chips that, after finishing them, he had the urge to lick his fingers.
However, not only were many fans around them watching, but plenty of sports reporters were there too.
In the stands opposite them, Ryota Kudo even spotted the beautiful reporter Yayoi Aida, who was taking pictures of him and Sannoh's players.
The reason he normally avoided potato chips was that they contained a great deal of hidden calories and oil. Eating them regularly made it very easy to gain weight.
The reason Mikio Kawata was so fat was that he could not kick his potato chip habit.
The second half had already begun. Ryota Miyagi replaced Ryota Kudo, making the lineup on the court Shohoku's five stars from the original story.
Sitting in the stands watching Shohoku play, Ryota Kudo felt a sense of unreality.
Still, the experience was truly exhilarating. It felt as though he were watching a state-of-the-art 3D movie.
Ryota Miyagi moved like lightning, Hanamichi Sakuragi raced all over the court, Kaede Rukawa looked cool, Hisashi Mitsui sank threes with a flick of his hands, and Takenori Akagi guarded the rim with authority.
While Ryota Kudo was enjoying the game, Mikio Kawata suddenly leaned over and said,
"Kudo, your teammates are so weak. I could easily crush those two inside players."
Ryota Kudo looked at Mikio Kawata with a peculiar expression. Had his older brother Masashi Kawata said that, it would have been one thing. That monster really was terrifying.
But Mikio Kawata, with all that flab on him, was not as strong as Hanamichi Sakuragi or Takenori Akagi yet, and he did not have Jokic's skills.
With Mikio Kawata's talent, he might surpass Hanamichi Sakuragi and Takenori Akagi if he trained seriously for two years.
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