In Japan, taxis are often considered an exclusive mode of transportation for the wealthy due to their high operating costs.
Sitting in the back seat of the smoothly moving taxi, Hisashi Mitsui looked at Kawamoto Kazuki was sitting next to him with some restraint.
Kawamoto's eyes kept darting quickly to the ticking meter in front of him, his face showing fear and pain.
A smug smile crept onto Mitsui's lips.
So it turns out this kid has something he's afraid of too.
This discovery secretly delighted Mitsui.
The two finally arrived at the county gymnasium before the meeting time.
The rest of the Shohoku team have arrived.
"Oh, you've come..."
Takenori Akagi saw the two of them, his gaze fell on Kawamoto's hand casually placed at his side, and he frowned.
" Kawamoto, are you injured?"
" Akagi -senpai, it's just a minor injury; it won't affect the match."
Akagi glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions.
The group entered the changing room, where the atmosphere was very relaxed.
Today's opponent is Takahata High School, a well-known weak team in the prefecture, even weaker than Miuradai.
Everyone chatted and laughed while changing clothes, thinking it would be an easy victory.
Anzai looked at Kawamoto Kazuki, who was tying his shoelaces, and asked gently, " Kawamoto, how did you get your hand injured? Judging from the location, were you in a fight?"
Kawamoto nodded. "Yes, Coach, there are some reasons why I had to intervene."
Anzai's smile widened, his eyes shining. "It's alright, young people should be full of vigor. How about you rest on the sidelines for today's game? That way you can avoid further injury to your wound."
The gap in strength between Takahata High School and Shohoku is quite obvious, and Kawamoto playing is a waste of time.
Kawamoto nodded. "I'll listen to you, Coach."
Hehehe...
Anzai smiled and said, "Then you can keep this old man company on the sidelines for the rest of the game, have some tea, and chat casually."
What kind of tea do you like? Green tea? Barley tea? Oolong?
"I'm fine with anything."
Akagi:???
Isn't Anzai the one who most opposes players fighting?
And the way he looked at Kawamoto was strange!
Could Kawamoto be his long-lost grandson?
Is this the difference between loving and not loving?
The match begins.
Facing the weak and demoralized Takahata High School, Shohoku's main lineup held an absolute advantage from the jump ball onwards.
Just three minutes into the game, Shohoku launched a 15-2 offensive surge.
Among the sparse spectators in the stands sat two figures wearing green team uniforms.
Kenji Fujima, the ace and coach of Shoyo High School, and Toru Hanagata, the team's starting center.
They came specifically to watch Shohoku's game.
" Shohoku looks much stronger this year than last year."
Fujima commented on the one-sided situation on the field.
"Yeah, after all, there are two more people, Kaede Rukawa and Hisashi Mitsui."
Hanagata continued, "We've always thought our only rival this year was Kainan, so we didn't specifically gather information about Shohoku beforehand."
Fujima nodded. "It doesn't matter. Just watching one or two games will give you a general idea of Shohoku's level."
"Our next match is against Tsukubu. Judging from Tsukubu's performance this year, they shouldn't be a match for Shohoku. So, our opponent in the quarterfinals will most likely be Shohoku."
"That's right."
Hanagata's tone was confident. "Although Shohoku has made significant progress compared to last year, in terms of lineup and playing style, our Shoyo perfectly counters them."
He began to comment on each player individually. "First is their defender, Ryota Miyagi. He's fast, but his height of 168 cm is his biggest weakness."
"Our starting lineup at Shoyo is all over 180cm tall. Ryota Miyagi won't be able to easily lob the ball to Akagi in the penalty area in front of us. His passing lanes will also be effectively limited by Ito due to his height and wingspan disadvantage."
"As for driving to the basket? It doesn't matter. Let him drive; all he's good at is layups."
"With me under the basket, Takano, Nagano, and Miyagi have no chance to score."
"Secondly, it's Takenori Akagi."
"He has great strength, but his offensive methods are extremely limited, and his defense is rather rigid. More importantly, his mentality is prone to fluctuation."
"I just need to score a few goals before him to widen the score gap, then effectively limit his scoring, and even provoke him with a few words. His mentality can easily decline, or even collapse."
"Once Akagi becomes ineffective, Shohoku's inside threat will be virtually zero."
" Hisashi Mitsui can be left to Hasegawa."
Hasegawa's rigorous training in perimeter defense was originally intended to counter Soichiro Jin of Kainan. Mitsui and Jin are both top shooters, so it was a lucky accident.
"Furthermore, Hasegawa has always targeted Mitsui, which will only fuel his fighting spirit and make his defense even more effective."
Fujima nodded after listening and continued, " Shohoku's strongest player right now is Kaede Rukawa. Nagano will probably have a hard time effectively containing him. This is where we are relatively weaker than Shohoku."
"However, with Takano and you available to help defend in the paint, we should be able to limit Kaede Rukawa's scoring to some extent."
Hanagata added, "As for that first-year student, Hanamichi Sakuragi, although he has some offensive ability, his main strengths are finishing at open spots under the basket and mid-range shots. If Takano closely guards him and doesn't give him any open looks, that can also limit him."
"I watched their match against Kakuno before, and their main players were still those five."
"This is enough to show that Shohoku's bench lacks depth; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent out a rookie like Hanamichi Sakuragi."
After finishing his analysis, Hanagata adjusted his glasses, his conclusion clear and confident.
"We have the advantage in height, experience, individual ability, and tactical execution."
"So we will win the game against Shohoku, and we will win by a lot of points!"
Fujima didn't refute, but his gaze remained focused on the positioning and habitual movements of the Shohoku players on the court.
This is the instinct of a good coach.
The Shohoku bench.
Anzai and Kawamoto Kazuki sat side by side, each holding a teacup, watching Akagi and the others easily widen the score gap on the court with great ease.
"Hehehe... Takabata's abilities are limited; it seems he can't stop Shohoku from winning."
Anzai took a sip of tea. "The next match against Tsukubu shouldn't be too difficult. We'll soon face the real challenge."
"Coach, are you referring to Shoyo High School?"
Anzai nodded. "As a team that participated in the national tournament last year, Shoyo's competition experience and overall strength are far superior to our previous opponents. Kawamoto, do you know anything about Shoyo?"
"What advice would you have if we were to face them?"
Kawamoto Kazuki turned his gaze away from the court. "I took some time to watch videos of all the strong teams in Kanagawa, and I think Shoyo's biggest advantage is the average height of their main players."
They should be higher this year than last year.
He turned to Ayako, who was recording data. " Ayako- senpai, do you have detailed information on the heights of Shoyo's main players this year?"
"Ah, yes, I did. I asked Yasuda to collect them before. Please wait a moment."
Ayako immediately rummaged through the folder and quickly pulled out a form, handing it over.
"Thank you, senior."
Kawamoto took the look and quickly scanned it.
#4 Kenji Fujima, point guard/shooting guard, 178cm tall, 66kg.
#5 Toru Hanagata, center, 197cm tall, 83kg.
#6 Kazushi Hasegawa, Small Forward/Shooting Guard, 190cm tall, 81kg.
#7 Mitsuru Nagano, power forward, 191cm tall, 84kg.
Number 8, Shoichi Takano, small forward/center, 193cm tall, 85kg.
Number 9, Taku Ito, point guard, 180cm tall, 71kg.
Kawamoto looked up. "As expected, Shoyo has four players over 190cm this year, which is a very respectable average height. However, in terms of height alone, Shohoku is not inferior to them."
"Captain Akagi is 197 cm tall, Sakuragi is 188 cm tall, Rukawa 187 cm tall, Mitsui is 184 cm tall, and I am 192 cm tall."
"The key lies in the specific tactics."
Kawamoto began his analysis. "The core of Shoyo really only consists of two people: Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata."
"As a technically skilled center, Hanagata may not be as strong as Captain Akagi, but his offensive arsenal is very comprehensive, with a longer shooting range and stronger playmaking ability."
"Although Captain Akagi's scoring ability may not be as good as Hanagata's."
"But conversely, on the defensive end, especially in rim protection and rebounding, Captain Akagi is stronger than Hanagata."
He looked at Anzai and offered his advice. "So, if we're going to face Shoyo, my suggestion is that Captain Akagi reduce his offensive attempts and focus more on defense and rebounding."
"This way, Captain Akagi won't get anxious about not scoring, and he can save more energy to focus on defense."
"After all, our Shohoku's scoring options aren't limited to the paint."
He continued his analysis, " Mitsui- senpai is currently highly motivated, his three-point shooting ability is rapidly recovering, and with the newly practiced shooting fakes, he should be able to score consistently against Shoyo's defense."
"Not to mention Kaede Rukawa, with his current one-on-one ability, there shouldn't be anyone in Shoyo who can completely contain him."
" Sakuragi has improved a lot; he can now score goals after creating space off the ball."
"Furthermore, Sakuragi has excellent stamina and can easily outrun the Shoyo players defending him."
"Our main problem with Shohoku is our point guard."
" Kenji Fujima can drive, shoot, and pass; compared to Miyagi- senpai, his abilities are very well-rounded."
"The substitute point guard, Taku Ito, is 180 cm tall, and he has a clear height and wingspan advantage over his senior, Miyagi."
" Miyagi- senpai's strength is speed. Although he can use his height difference to break through Shoyo's defense, what happens after he breaks through?"
He lacks the ability to shoot mid-range shots.
"This means that the opponent only needs to prevent him from getting layups, allow him to shoot, and focus on blocking his passing lanes to effectively limit Miyagi- senpai."
Kawamoto paused for a moment before stating his core suggestion. "Therefore, against Shoyo, my suggestion is that I start as the point guard."
This suggestion made Ayako, who was standing next to her, look up in surprise.
There has never been a 192cm tall point guard in major Kanagawa basketball games.
But considering Kawamoto's abilities, Ayako didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Kawamoto calmly offered his analysis. " Fujima is 178 cm tall and weighs only 66 kg, while Ito is 180 cm tall and weighs only 71 kg. I, on the other hand, am 192 cm tall and weigh 95 kg."
His tone was calm, yet it conveyed a powerful sense of confidence.
"They are at a disadvantage compared to me in terms of height and strength."
"Whether Shoyo sends Fujima or Ito to guard me, I can use my physical advantage to pass the ball over their heads, shoot a three-pointer, or simply overpower them with my body."
"I think the most direct way to defeat them is through direct confrontation."
"I'm confident that in the first two or three offensive rounds, I can directly shatter their defensive confidence through physical confrontation and completely destroy their desire to defend."