At this point, the second half of the match between Ryonan and Takezato had already begun.
The Ryonan Twin Stars, who had a standout performance in the first half, are now both on the bench.
The lineup on the field was changed to Uozumi, Fukuda, Ikegami, Koshino, Uekusa.
This is also one of the lineups that Coach Moichi Taoka wants to work on.
Keep Fukuda at power forward so his defensive zone is closer to the basket.
This way, the Uozumi can fill in any gaps at any time.
At the same time, Fukuda naturally took up the mantle of attack.
Separate him from the Twin Stars so he can unleash his full firepower. Uozumi and Ikegami will focus on defense, Koshino and Uekusa will provide support.
This lineup ensures that the Twin Stars get enough rest while maintaining their fighting power on the field.
Fukuda's performance on the field did not disappoint Taoka.
After sitting on the bench for half the game, he clearly figured it out and vowed never to be the poster child for "eye-tracking defense" again...
They went completely unleashed on the offensive end.
He scored repeatedly with breakthroughs and shots; judging from the game alone, his individual offensive power was in no way inferior to the Twin Stars.
Their playing style, however, wasn't as flashy as the other two.
Fukuda's technical movements were more rigid and less entertaining, but his score steadily increased.
Coach Riki Takato, watching from the stands, grew increasingly angry...
Where on earth did that old bastard Taoka find so many promising young talents?!
They've been quietly working on big things these past two years!
This roster depth is almost on par with our Kainan.
Judging by its paper strength alone, it might even be stronger Kainan!
Riki Takato patted Shinichi Maki on the shoulder meaningfully.
" Maki, can you hold on...?"
Shinichi Maki nodded stubbornly. "No problem!"
The Ryonan pass is indeed difficult to get past.
On the defensive end, they need to cope with the alternating attacks from the Twin Stars.
On offense, they also have to face Uozumi and Ikegami, plus the defensive abilities of Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa, each of whom can match up against them.
Ryonan has produced another number 13 in their rotation lineup, who is clearly a scoring weapon.
Takato even felt that his side was a bit short-handed.
Kainan today really has to rely on Shinichi Maki's exceptional personal abilities.
However, Riki Takato still believed that Kainan couldn't lose.
Moichi Taoka, keep trying, I'll always find a way to deal with you!
The Shohoku team was also watching with great interest.
After Shota Sugiyama left, Akagi appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.
Those eyes were as bright as searchlights.
The teammates were all whispering about the fact that the nation's top center had come to see the captain.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was quite annoyed. He had initially thought it was some big, dumb guy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, followed by his father.
He looks like he has no future...
He figured they were probably here to learn how to play ball from the Gorilla...
Sakuragi scoffed at this, until his teammates told him that the big, clumsy guy was actually the best center in the country!
That old man behind him wasn't his father either; he was a famous coach!
What frustrated Sakuragi wasn't that he had guessed the wrong person, but that they only looked for the Gorilla and completely ignored him, the King Kong No. 2 in the paint!
He immediately became emotional...
It wasn't until Kogure patiently explained things to him that he calmed down.
Kogure spoke quite patiently, explaining that to get into university, you need to graduate high school first...
As for you, genius, you still have two years until graduation. Besides, with your grades, unless the Taiyo rises in the west, skipping a grade is out of the question.
So it's not that they don't want to contact you, it's just that the timing isn't right. Maybe in two years Akagi will become the captain of Fukazawa, and then they can just recruit you directly.
It has to be said, Kogure has improved a lot...
With that level of speaking ability alone, she could probably easily get a position in Fukazawa in the future...
Upon hearing this, Hanamichi Sakuragi burst into laughter, his inexplicable confidence surging up once again.
"Hmph, by then I'll already be the captain of Shohoku! Under my brilliant leadership, Shohoku will have won three consecutive national championships. If Gorilla wants to recruit a genius like me, he'll have to put in some effort."
Kogure's lips twitched. " Sakuragi, it's good to have confidence, but we also need to consider the actual situation... I think the word 'leader' might be more suitable for Xiao Bai, and besides, there's Miyagi..."
Hanamichi Sakuragi waved his hand dismissively, "We're all brothers, why be so formal!"
"Oh right, speaking of which, why hasn't Xiao Bai come back yet?"
He had barely finished speaking when
The Shirasawa people then appeared before them.
The moment he opened his mouth, everyone's heart skipped a beat, even Miyagi and Mitsui, who had been dozing off, instantly woke up.
"I just received news that Coach Anzai was in a car accident!"
This news came suddenly while Shirasawa and Sanae were playing their match.
Sanae's phone rang twice, but the competition on the field was intense, with Shirasawa launching wave after wave of attacks. She was completely immersed in the teamwork and had no time to answer the phone.
She only answered the phone when it rang for the third time, fearing it must be urgent.
On the other end of the phone was Miyagi's girlfriend, Rena.
Coach Anzai and his wife were in a car accident and have been taken to the county hospital.
Miyagi had mentioned his respect for Coach Anzai to her more than once, so Rena wanted to tell Miyagi as soon as possible.
Rena couldn't go see Miyagi in person because she was busy with work.
But she was quick-witted and immediately found Sanae's phone number in the newspaper.
She knew Shohoku's schedule for the day; Sanae should be with the basketball team.
And so, Sanae and Shirasawa quickly stopped the match...
He immediately ran to inform the basketball team.
According to Akagi's plan, not too many people should go to the hospital, since the substitute players don't have the same deep bond with Coach Anzai as some of the starters.
So Akagi kept the substitutes behind to watch the game, and then dismissed them.
Sakuragi and Miyagi followed Shirasawa and Sanae to the hospital in their car.
Akagi, Mitsui, and Kogure took a taxi there and met up at the hospital.
Rena gave a brief account over the phone: Mrs. Anzai was mostly fine, but Coach Anzai was still unconscious.
But he should be fine. There were no external injuries. It was probably due to insufficient blood supply to the heart during the car accident, causing a brief period of unconsciousness.
She's just a nurse, that's all she knows.
The group split into two groups and hurriedly set off.
Everyone was filled with worry, and no one spoke a word the entire way.
Hanamichi Sakuragi sat in the back row, his eyes unusually welling up with tears.
"Dad, please don't let anything happen to you..."
Let's turn back time a little.
Coach Anzai saw the minivan rushing towards him, but it was too late to avoid it.
The van driver also reacted by slamming on the brakes.
I don't know if he was distracted or sleepy at the time, but in any case, he was entirely responsible for the traffic accident.
A loud crash was heard.
Even if he slammed on the brakes, he still couldn't stop.
The front of the car crashed solidly into the body of the oncoming car.
Fortunately, Coach Anzai gave a timely warning, prompting his wife to accelerate slightly at that moment, preventing the van from directly hitting the passenger seat.
Otherwise, Coach Anzai would definitely have suffered a serious injury.
After the accident, due to the violent shaking of the car, Mrs. Anzai's forehead hit the side window and she immediately lost consciousness.
Coach Anzai didn't have any external injuries, but the tension he felt in that moment triggered his old heart condition, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Coach Anzai was panting heavily, but he still mustered his strength and reached out to grab his wife's hand, squeezing it hard. Only then did Mrs. Anzai slowly regain consciousness. Seeing that her husband was alright, Coach Anzai managed a weak smile, then his head lolled to the side, and he knew nothing more.
At this moment, the people in the van scrambled out. Apart from the driver, the other two were blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners. They were frantic, but they couldn't communicate because of the language barrier, and their gestures were ineffective. Fortunately, the local driver remained calm and quickly called the police and an ambulance, and together they rushed the elderly couple to the county hospital.
When Shirasawa and the others arrived, Coach Anzai had already woken up and was leaning against the hospital bed, gently comforting his wife who was wiping away tears. The driver who caused the accident stood in the ward, bowing repeatedly and saying "I'm sorry" over and over again. As for the two foreigners, they were standing in the corridor making phone calls.
"Dad!" Hanamichi Sakuragi was the first to rush into the ward. Seeing Coach Anzai sitting there unharmed, his heart finally settled. But the boy's face was still frighteningly pale, and his chest was heaving like a bellows. "It's Sakuragi," Coach Anzai said in surprise, "Why are you here?" Putting aside how the kids knew the news, their hasty arrival was enough to warm his heart. Especially Sakuragi; he had never seen this red-haired boy so anxious.
However, Sakuragi didn't reply. He just rubbed his eyes hard with his sleeve, turned around, and rushed out of the ward, brushing past Shirasawa and Akagi who were about to enter. Shirasawa sighed softly. He understood why Sakuragi was acting this way.
Back when Sakuragi was in middle school, he came home one day to find his father lying on the ground in pain. Sakuragi knew his father had a heart condition, but as a middle school student, he had never seen anything like this before, and he completely panicked. He didn't think to call an ambulance or look for his usual nitroglycerin medication. Instead, in a moment of impulsiveness, he turned around and ran to the hospital, intending to get help directly.
But by sheer coincidence, at that very moment, Sakuragi's gang of enemies showed up, seven or eight of them cornering him. Sakuragi had no mind to fight; he only wanted to beg them to let him pass so he could go to the hospital to save someone. But the gang wouldn't listen and proceeded to pin him to the ground and beat him up. By the time they left, Sakuragi's father was gone too.
This incident became a permanent thorn in Sakuragi's side. He always thought that if he had been calmer then, if he had made a phone call or found medicine first, or even if he had risked everything to fight those people... no matter what he had done, the outcome might have been different. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.
Since joining Shohoku, Sakuragi has unconsciously seen a father figure in Coach Anzai. He's also the only one on the team who dares to be disrespectful to Coach Anzai, constantly calling him "Dad." And this " White-Haired Devil " not only doesn't get angry, but also takes extra care of Sakuragi. The way the old man and the young man interact on a daily basis looks like a father and son who don't stand on ceremony, at least that's what Sakuragi thinks.
With Coach Anzai's life experience, how could he not sense it? So this accident suddenly reopened an old wound in Sakuragi's heart. However, Shirasawa didn't intend to bring it up; it was a feeling that belonged only between Sakuragi and Coach Anzai.