Early morning of Monday, at the Shohoku Basketball Gymnasium.
The team members were surprised to find that Coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai, who usually only appeared during afternoon training sessions, had arrived at the sidelines early in the morning.
Anzai, dressed in loose-fitting sportswear, watched with a smile as the team members arrived and began warming up.
"Oh ho ho ho, everyone's here early! You all look great."
Takenori Akagi led the greetings, and everyone else immediately followed suit.
During the warm-up laps, Kawamoto Kazuki gradually slowed down and broke away from the group, heading straight for Anzai.
Good morning, Coach.
Kawamoto stopped and bowed slightly.
"Coach, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."
Kawamoto spoke earnestly.
"Oh?"
"Let's talk as we walk."
The two left the bustling gymnasium and strolled along the quiet campus paths in the early morning.
Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light.
"It's about the distribution of possession of the ball."
Kawamoto got straight to the point.
"Positioning the ball?"
Anzai didn't stop, gesturing for him to continue.
"Yes. I observed some issues in the last game against Shoyo."
Kawamoto wrote, "Our Shohoku players right now all have outstanding individual abilities."
"This is certainly a good thing, but it also brings a hidden problem: not enough possession of the ball."
" Miyagi- senpai's mid-range shot after his breakthrough, Kaede Rukawa's all-around offensive ability, and Sakuragi's mid-range shot with off-ball movement—"
"These all require more ball possession to practice and improve."
He paused, then continued, "I can sense that everyone, even if they don't say it, yearns for opportunities to attack in actual combat to hone their skills and prove themselves."
"Especially Kaede Rukawa, he's a super rookie with extremely high talent. But after several key matches, his opportunities to touch the ball and create his own attacks are actually relatively few compared to his ability and development needs."
"This may not be the most beneficial arrangement for his long-term progress."
Anzai listened quietly without interrupting.
After Kawamoto finished speaking, Anzai asked gently.
So what are your thoughts, Kawamoto- kun?
Kawamoto had clearly given this matter considerable thought, "I believe that Captain Akagi, Mitsui- senpai, and myself can appropriately reduce our playing time and give more offensive initiation and finishing opportunities to players who need more real-game experience."
"Captain Akagi and Senior Mitsui's technical frameworks are basically complete, and there's not much room for improvement in their individual skills from regular season games at the prefectural level. They can maintain and improve their form entirely through high-intensity intra-team scrimmages. As for me—"
Kawamoto did not continue speaking.
Anzai nodded knowingly. "I understand what you mean. Kawamoto, your level has indeed exceeded the current standard of high school basketball in Kanagawa Prefecture. Letting you fully utilize your abilities in games like this might sometimes limit the growth potential of your teammates."
Kawamoto nodded slightly.
His proposed approach was a strategic rotation and training strategy.
" Kawamoto- kun..."
Anzai's tone became earnest. "Your starting point is for the future of the team and the growth of your teammates, which is very good."
However, there is one more thing we cannot ignore.
He looked at Kawamoto and slowly said, "For Akagi, Mitsui, and even Kogure, this is their last summer of high school basketball."
"Basketball is not just about honing skills and fighting for victory; it's also a part of youth, sweat, and memories."
"We can't just focus on improving our skills; we also need to consider the feelings of these veterans who have fought for Shohoku for three years."
"Are we going to let them spend most of their last summer sitting on the sidelines watching the games?"
Anzai's voice was gentle yet firm. "Even if they ultimately lift the championship trophy, if the process lacks their full participation and hard work, such a championship may always leave them with a slight regret."
"Oh ho ho ho..."
He smiled.
"This old man hopes that their last summer will be without regrets, and that their time at Shohoku can end with a full-fledged commitment."
Although he said that, Anzai was secretly moved.
A month ago, he wouldn't have considered these things in such detail.
He continued, "Besides, the issue of ball possession that you're worried about might not be an issue next year."
Anzai's eyes gleamed with a scheming light. " Akagi is graduating, and the center position will be filled by Koichiro Nango."
Miyagi takes over as captain and controls the point guard position. Hanamichi Sakuragi, after this summer's training, is ready to play power forward. Kaede Rukawa will play small forward. You can return to your more comfortable shooting guard position.
"I've already envisioned this lineup in my mind."
"The ball possession will be more evenly distributed then, and everyone's strengths will be better utilized."
Kawamoto listened quietly, his mind racing.
When Anzai mentioned Sakuragi playing power forward, he immediately recalled his initial positioning of Sakuragi as a shooting guard.
After observation, it was found that Sakuragi's shooting touch beyond the three-point line was indeed poor.
His straightforward personality makes him seem to lack talent in breakthroughs and passes that require a lot of feints and changes in rhythm.
On the contrary, his amazing instinct and energy in positioning under the basket and grabbing rebounds, as well as his potential for mid-range shooting after receiving the ball and gradually emerging in training, are quite impressive.
My initial thoughts were indeed somewhat idealistic.
The power forward position truly maximizes his strengths.
Anzai's observations and arrangements were clearly more in line with reality.
Thinking this through, Kawamoto bowed slightly in sincere admiration. "Coach, you're right. I hadn't considered things properly. I only saw the technical and tactical aspects and neglected the players' emotions and the special stage of their basketball careers."
"Oh ho ho ho, don't worry about it."
Anzai waved his hand. "It's just some old men's experience. The fact that you can proactively think of these things and are willing to reduce your playing time and shot attempts for the sake of the team and your teammates' growth is itself very commendable."
He changed the subject, his tone carrying a promise, "But you can rest assured. During the gap between the end of the county tournament and the start of the national tournament, I will find a way to contact some truly strong teams to have scrimmage training matches against our Shohoku."
They are adept at identifying problems and are willing to sacrifice personal performance metrics for the overall benefit and long-term development of the team, and they discuss these issues privately with the coach.
This child not only possesses ball skills and intelligence beyond his peers, but also a hidden yet great team spirit and sense of responsibility.
He looked at Kawamoto with increasing satisfaction.
"The upcoming match against Kainan is crucial, and I hope you can still start."
Before Kawamoto could answer, a middle-aged man in a school security guard uniform walked towards them.
He was holding a copy of the latest Basketball Weekly.
Anzai, here are the books you ordered.