Jinpei felt a chill run down his spine. If Nan Lie pulled a similar stunt during the national Tsuyoshi Minami, he might lose his job as a coach.
But then Jinpei thought again that Tsuyoshi Minami wouldn't joke about the national competition.
After all, this is his last year of high school, and how well he plays directly affects his future.
The second half of the game continues.
Minori Kishimoto changed her defensive position and took the initiative to mark Atsushi Tsuchiya.
Kishimoto is a notorious master of trash talk.
His mouth never stops chattering, often making his opponents furious and causing them to make wrong judgments.
But Atsushi Tsuchiya's mindset completely exceeded his expectations.
No matter how fierce the wind and waves, I remain unmoved; Kishimoto practically cursing at thin air.
Atsushi Tsuchiya wasn't in a hurry to attack him, but instead used realistic feints to keep Kishimoto guessing, making him increasingly angry.
"All you can do is pass the ball, you piece of trash! You softie! Try and score on me if you dare!"
Kishimoto had barely finished speaking.
Atsushi Tsuchiya executed several quick crossovers, followed by a step back, and then pulled up for a shot!
The basketball arced through the air and swished cleanly into the net.
He's a man of few words but ruthless actions; with a decisive shot, he slapped Kishimoto.
Toyotama never found a chance to turn the tide until the end of the match, or rather, they were never able to contain Atsushi Tsuchiya.
76 to 62.
The score wasn't particularly high, but Toyotama's signature run-and-gun offense was completely shut down from start to finish.
This outcome was probably within Tsuyoshi Minami's expectations, so he didn't even bother to watch the scene.
After the match.
Daiei Academy achieved their goal, lifting their first-ever county championship trophy.
Atsushi Tsuchiya was unsurprisingly elected as the MVP of Osaka Prefecture.
Now, the landscape of Osaka Prefecture has changed.
Although Tsuyoshi Minami didn't fight, Atsushi Tsuchiya's displayed strength was clearly superior to Tsuyoshi Minami's.
"Why is this new type of player popping up again? Is it becoming a trend for tall guys to play point guard?"
Nobunaga Kiyota felt a little uneasy. His height was indeed a weakness he couldn't avoid. After Shinichi Maki graduated, he would most likely have to fill the point guard position, responsible for orchestrating the team's offense. He was decent at passing, but looking at Shinichi Maki, Shirasawa, Sendoh, and Atsushi Tsuchiya, their height and wingspan were natural barriers. This made Kiyota feel like he was already a head shorter before he even started.
"Take a look at how Kenji Fujima played," Shinichi Maki chimed in. Toyotama had lost, and he felt a strange sense of relief for his old rival from Kanagawa. "He's not very tall, but as a point guard, he's just as good as any of us big guys."
Daiei Academy defeated Toyotama High School.
Atsushi Tsuchiya Minori Kishimoto won the Osaka Prefecture MVP award, while Tsuyoshi Minami and Minori Kishimoto also made it into the prefecture's best lineup. With that, all 59 teams advancing to the national tournament were finally decided. The specific match schedule will be announced by each prefecture a week before the start of the tournament.
Shinichi Maki and Nobunaga Kiyota's "inspection trip" has come to an end. However, they did not intend to part ways. After returning to Kanagawa, Shinichi Maki prepared to start his personal grueling training. Undoubtedly, Kiyota could not escape this time and had to come along to experience what an extremely high-intensity training plan was like.
From this point on, the high school basketball world entered a month-long, somewhat dull preparation period. All the teams closed their doors and buried themselves in training, and news was scarce. For the media that made a living from basketball news, this month was tough to endure. It was estimated that old topics such as " Nobunaga Kiyota chasing a dog" or " Shinichi Maki's skin color mystery" would be dug up and reheated.
Or, there are all sorts of prediction lists flying around. They insist on ranking the 59 teams first, second, and third, but no matter how they rank them, Sannoh Industrial High School always stays at the top without fail. This kind of drama, year after year, has long been seen by everyone and is really nothing new.
However, just five days after all the qualifying rounds ended, the situation suddenly changed. A magazine called " Slam Dunk " appeared out of nowhere! The words on its cover were particularly eye-catching—[National Five-Star High School Players].
This topic is so fresh. Especially in these uneventful days, when those old predictions have long since lost their appeal, this idea of rating high school students has suddenly popped up and piqued everyone's curiosity.
Five-Star High School Students – just from the name, you know it represents the strongest, and it seems it's not just one person, but a group. Because below the title is a small string of names, such as " Eiji Sawakita, Dai Moroboshi..." This is a brilliant move; it immediately makes every fan wonder if their favorite player has actually been selected. Want to know? You'll have to buy a copy and read it.
"Holy crap! He gets a five-star rating? That's ridiculous!"
"Hehe, I knew it! It was definitely him!"
"No way... He's not on the list? This selection is unfair!"
"..."
A thousand people will have a thousand different opinions on who the best candidate is, and that's how the controversy and discussion started. Controversy generates buzz, and as for authority, in these situations, whoever comes up with it first gains the upper hand.
This new magazine has truly caused a huge stir! Relying solely on the gimmick of "Five-Star High School Students," it made a splash nationwide, instantly becoming the most talked-about topic of the day. This buzz quickly spread from the fan community to the players themselves.
Before this, Eiji Sawakita was practically the only one to receive such a nationwide recognition, being hailed as the nation's number one high school player. This "five-star" designation has expanded from a single individual to a small group. This holds significant meaning for players eager to prove themselves. If the magazine's popularity continues, it might even become a benchmark for selecting new talent for university basketball teams in the future.
The " Slam Dunk " magazine's approach was a masterstroke, leaving a deep impression on everyone. Even when other publications followed suit, people felt they were merely imitating without authentic merit. This is because it wasn't just about randomly listing a few names; they provided specific selection criteria.
Take Eiji Sawakita as an example. Under the five stars, his height, weight, position, and age are clearly listed. Following that are four assessments, each with a maximum score of ten points.
Talent Values (Static and Dynamic Combined Talents): 10.
On-field ability (contributions on the field, etc.): 10.
Team performance (county level): 10.
Individual Honors: 10.
Eiji Sawakita unsurprisingly scored all his points.
This magazine selected 15 top-performing high school students nationwide, specifically noting that the rankings are in no particular order. This means that these 15 individuals belong to the top tier nationwide.
Players who weren't selected are naturally considered below five stars. As for whether you're four or three stars, you can compare yourself to those four criteria and weigh the options yourself...
Top-tier players like Sawakita, Masashi Kawata, Kazunari Fukatsu, Shinichi Maki, and Dai Moroboshi, who are already well-known, are a sure thing to be selected. Super rookies who have shone in the prefectural selection trials, such as Shirasawa, Hiroshi Morishige, and Atsushi Tsuchiya, have also been selected.
Their selection will certainly be met with dissatisfaction from some, since they haven't yet undergone the true test of the national competition. However, the magazine's criteria clearly state that the team's performance is based on county-level results. Those who disagree can easily check the statistics and achievements these players submitted during the selection trials and compare them to see that they have accomplished what many predecessors couldn't.
However, the player who sparked the most controversy among these 15 was undoubtedly Toyotama's ace, the " Ace Killer " Tsuyoshi Minami! Tsuyoshi Minami has successfully turned himself into a universally disliked figure in just three years. Apart from local Osaka fans, almost no one has a good impression of him. His selection this time is like a huge magnet, instantly drawing away the doubts about those super rookies and making him the focus of the biggest controversy.
Even Shirasawa couldn't help but sigh in admiration; Yayoi Aida's "shifting the blame" tactic was truly brilliant...
That's right.
Even Shirasawa couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Yayoi Aida's "shifting the blame" was truly ingenious... That's right, the idea of the five-star high school student was originally Shirasawa's idea.
Yayoi Aida's eyes lit up when she heard this. Having been in the basketball media circle for so long, she immediately sensed that this topic was going to be explosive. After a little editing and polishing, a complete selection system was created.
The " Slam Dunk " magazine just hit the market today, and sales have skyrocketed, with its popularity soaring. Of course, thanks to Yayoi Aida's involvement, Sendoh is definitely on the list; his skill level speaks for itself.
Kanagawa Prefecture is doing quite well this time, with four players making the list: Shirasawa, Shinichi Maki, Sendoh, and Kenji Fujima. These four are the Kanagawa's Twin Pillars" and "Twin Aces" that fans often talk about.
However, it's a bit of a pity that Kaede Rukawa didn't make it in. Although it was a poll organized by his own people, he still didn't manage to squeeze in. The reason is simple: he didn't even make the Kanagawa All-Star team, so he's lacking in individual accolades. If they had forced him in, the poll would have lost its meaning, and it wouldn't have been so popular.
In addition, " Slam Dunk " magazine included a postcard at the end of the magazine, allowing fans to pick 20 four-star high school players. If your picks match 19 of the magazine's 20, congratulations, you'll receive a pair of Jordan basketball shoes! That's quite a generous offer!
Now the fans are really excited, all the boredom of the preseason has vanished. Everyone's sifting through data, checking player statistics from various teams, and weighing them against four criteria to pick their top 20. Winning sneakers is certainly a temptation, but for die-hard fans, proving their knowledge is more important! Just kidding, if they guessed them all right, they could brag about it for a year!
" Slam Dunk " became a nationwide sensation that day, even better than Shirasawa and his team had anticipated. Shohoku was naturally quite pleased, after all, they had produced a five-star high school student. The school leaders cut out the page featuring Shirasawa that very day and posted it on the honor roll.