The special training over this period had been extremely effective, and Ryota Kudo was very satisfied.
At first, facing the double-team of Ryoji Ikegami and Kazushi Hasegawa, Ryota Kudo had struggled even to keep control of the ball, let alone break through.
But after more than a thousand repetitions, Ryota Kudo gradually became more composed.
He could keep steady control of the ball while the two of them double-teamed him.
His core strength had improved, and his body no longer lost its balance easily after colliding with a defender.
The most important thing when facing a double-team was not to pick up the dribble, but to keep moving.
As he moved at high speed, Ryota Kudo kept looking for opportunities to break through.
Gradually, toward the end of the training, Ryota Kudo could break through Ryoji Ikegami and Kazushi Hasegawa's trap on five out of ten possessions.
On four others, he could maintain control of the ball, and in a full-court situation, he could easily pass to a teammate.
Only occasionally did Ryota Kudo turn the ball over.
The training results were already excellent, and Ryota Kudo had built up his confidence through practice.
The next time he faced Sannoh Industrial High School's Full-Court Press, Ryota Kudo was confident he could handle it.
No matter how strong Sannoh Industrial High School's defense was, it could not be much stronger than Ryoji Ikegami and Kazushi Hasegawa's.
Sitting on the train, Ryota Kudo gazed at the passing scenery in boredom.
Ryota Kudo had only one impression of the venue for this tournament.
That was the Little Boy bombing; he had no other impressions.
Hiroshima had supposedly been rebuilding for many years, and it was now developing very well.
It was 1993, the slump after Japan's economic bubble had burst, and every industry