It seemed there was more to Shirasawa than merely looking impressive.
Shirasawa smiled slightly. "Thank you, Coach. I'll fulfill my potential here and live up to your expectations and Coach Takizawa's."
Coach Anzai nodded in satisfaction.
But a mass of red soon blocked his view.
Hanamichi Sakuragi looked from side to side, then suddenly reached out and pinched Coach Anzai's double chin.
"Wow, that feels great!" he exclaimed in amazement. "So you're the coach, you chubby old man? Let me tell you, I'm the basketball genius who just beat the goril-"
Before he could finish, Takenori Akagi charged over and knocked him down with a punch!
"You disrespectful bastard!"
Akagi immediately turned to Coach Anzai and bowed properly. "I'm sorry, Coach. We've recruited a bad apple... I'll keep him strictly in line."
Coach Anzai simply chuckled, "Ho ho," without getting angry. "We have plenty of rookies this year. Nothing wrong with some energy. Akagi, get the entry fitness tests ready. Once we know each player's capabilities, we can tailor their training."
Akagi nodded. "Everything's ready. We can start anytime."
Although Shohoku's results had been mediocre in recent years, its training had always maintained a rigorous, professional tradition. Coach Anzai had personally designed this set of fitness tests, and they were still in use. However, his health rarely allowed him to attend in person, so Akagi handled most of the daily training. His presence today was a rarity.
Akagi gave everyone five minutes to prepare before the tests began.
The events were basic physical assessments like bench presses, sprints, and vertical jumps.
Once everyone gathered in the strength-training area in the corner, testing officially began.
The returning players wanted to see how much they had improved over the past year, while the newcomers rubbed their hands eagerly, impatient to find out where they stood.
The first event was the bench press.
The two captains, Akagi and Kogure, did not participate, instead organizing the tests and recording results.
The upperclassmen demonstrated first.
One after another, they grimaced as they lifted the seemingly heavy barbell.
But when Takenori Akagi saw the actual weights, he could not help shaking his head...
Forget improvement-a whole bunch of them had actually regressed.
Naturally, Takenori Akagi held Shohoku's bench press record-he had lifted 140 kilograms last year as a second-year.
That weight was certainly rare among high schoolers, but the others were nowhere near him. A 40-kilogram bench press counted as a pass on Shohoku's team, yet several players could not even clear that.
Next came the first-years.
Akagi expected little from the scrawny newcomers. The only two he really cared about were Shirasawa and Sakuragi.
"Hanamichi Sakuragi."
Kogure finally called that name.
Sakuragi grinned and laughed. "For a genius like me, this thing's no different from picking up a pen!"
With that, he effortlessly pressed 40 kilograms.
Given Sakuragi's build, that was hardly unexpected, and no one was particularly surprised.
Takenori Akagi waved his large hand, immediately doubling the barbell's weight to 80 kilograms.
Sakuragi gave it a casual push...
It did not budge.
Only then did he realize there was something to this test. He immediately took a deep breath and drove the bar upward.
He even remembered to boast. "What, that's it? Child's play."
The other players were already marveling at Sakuragi's monstrous strength.
Eighty kilograms was already excellent, but Akagi waved his hand again, taking the weight straight up to 120 kilograms.
Everyone held their breath-that weight was simply absurd for a high schooler.
Even for Sakuragi, they thought it would probably be too much.
Hanamichi Sakuragi steadied his breathing, arched his back, and let out a low roar, forcing the barbell through a full press with sheer brute strength.
This time, however, his entire face flushed red with exertion, and his arms trembled slightly. He had clearly reached his limit.
Still, it was the closest anyone had come to Akagi's record since Shohoku's team was founded.
Coach Anzai nodded with considerable satisfaction from the sidelines.
His teammates spontaneously applauded, and Hanamichi Sakuragi accepted it all with his head held high.
Finally, it was Shirasawa's turn.
Kogure stepped forward to reduce the weight, but Shirasawa raised a hand to stop him.
"No need to bother. I'll start with this weight."
Kogure paused, but Shirasawa seemed even more solidly built than Sakuragi. It should be fine, right?
Hanamichi Sakuragi sidled up to Shirasawa with a grin. "Don't push yourself, Xiao Bai. After all, this genius has no limits."
Shirasawa smiled faintly and kicked him aside.
He gripped the barbell and drew a breath. Lift, lower, press-
The movement flowed seamlessly, completely unlike Sakuragi's strained effort!
The difference was visible to the naked eye.
Everyone had already thought Sakuragi was outrageous, but the strength Shirasawa now displayed was simply staggering.
Takenori Akagi was startled too. Shirasawa's strength far exceeded his expectations.
Akagi wanted to test his limit and was just about to have more weight added when Shirasawa stood up and stopped him.
"No need. Let's move straight to the next event."
At that moment, Shirasawa and Hanamichi Sakuragi practically seemed to glow in everyone else's eyes...
Their strength was terrifying.
What was even more terrifying was that the team actually had three such monsters.
Never mind anything else-if it came down to bench presses alone, Shohoku might really sweep the nation...
In the sprint tests that followed, Shirasawa and Sakuragi once again crushed everyone else.
At 188 centimeters tall, they possessed such speed and explosive power that even the shorter players who specialized in speed could not come close.
These two were simply monsters.
No wonder they had made names for themselves in middle school.
Who the hell could beat them?
The best anyone could do was try not to get beaten too badly...
"Next, the vertical jump test."
Kogure raised his voice and led the players to the side of the court.
The jump-testing apparatus was brought over.
Once again, the upperclassmen went first.
After the bench presses and sprints, nobody expected much from the second-years anymore.
The results proved them right. Even calling them unremarkable would have been generous.
Some barely jumped higher than a matchbox...
The only consolation for this group, led by Yasuda, was that they were reasonably strong-willed...
At least a year of basketball had not demoralized them into quitting the team.
Nobody cared much about their results anymore. They were no good anyway...
Rather than their own performances, they wanted to see how high Shirasawa and Sakuragi could jump.
Hanamichi Sakuragi roared and sprang upward with all his strength.
His fingertips slapped the testing vanes.
Kogure read out the number in disbelief. "Hanamichi Sakuragi, standing vertical jump: 99 centimeters!"
That number was outrageous.
It was practically unheard of in high school basketball.
Even Shirasawa silently marveled.
Sakuragi's jumping ability really was like a cheat, and this was before any systematic training.
When it came to athletic ability, he had to admit that Sakuragi truly was a genius.
Meanwhile, Shirasawa's current overall athleticism stat was 85.
He could surpass Sakuragi in strength, but probably not in jumping ability just yet.
That was fine, though. After all, he still had plenty of room to improve.
It all came down to accelerating his growth through games.
Under everyone's gaze, Shirasawa leaped with all his might!
The height and speed of his jump were also astonishing. It was difficult to judge with the naked eye whether he or Sakuragi had jumped higher.
After Shirasawa landed, Kogure announced his result in amazement.
"Shirasawa, standing vertical jump: 96 centimeters."
Although slightly lower than Sakuragi's, it was still exceedingly rare.
Across all of Kanagawa, only Hanamichi Sakuragi had any right to laugh at him...
And the guy actually did.
Now he was begging for mercy with Shirasawa's arm locked around his neck.
Kiminobu Kogure pressed his dry lips together.
Shirasawa and Sakuragi's physical abilities truly were ridiculous. Just thinking about the team recruiting monsters like these felt unbelievable to Kogure. But with those two, plus Akagi and Miyagi, Shohoku's future looked incredibly bright.
The fitness tests finally ended. Shirasawa and Sakuragi's overall results were neck and neck, but both had left everyone else far behind. At Takenori Akagi's command, all the players assembled again, while Coach Anzai stood smiling in front of them.
After those tests, Anzai's expectations for Shirasawa had risen further, and he had also begun paying attention to Hanamichi Sakuragi, whose physical abilities rivaled Shirasawa's. Right now, he had just one feeling-this roster was positively rich with options.
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Coach Anzai adjusted his glasses. "Captain Akagi will arrange targeted training to help you improve. Now, next up, we'll play a practice game."
He paused before continuing, "First-years against the second- and third-years."
Those words stunned quite a few people. A practice game was nothing unusual, but first-years against second- and third-years? Wasn't that bullying the freshmen a little too much?
But the upperclassmen quickly realized-there were two mighty gods standing on the first-years' side! Could Yasuda and Shiozaki handle them? Probably not... After thinking it over, it seemed only Captain Akagi himself could do the job.
The moment he heard there would be a game, Hanamichi Sakuragi perked up. He bounded over to Coach Anzai and reached out to pat his round belly.
"Great idea, Pops! Watch this genius slaughter everyone on the court!"
Before Akagi could act this time, Ayako had already grabbed her white folding fan and smacked Sakuragi crisply on the head.
"Behave yourself, and don't underestimate your seniors."
Soon, the two teams took their places. Takenori Akagi did not go onto the court, instead sitting calmly beside Coach Anzai. He wanted to take this opportunity to observe the first-years' abilities and see how the upperclassmen performed.
Of course, more than anything, he wanted to see that legendary Shirasawa-the guy who had played for only 50 seconds, yet was held in such high regard by Coach Anzai.
It was not just Akagi. Ayako, Kogure, and the others were equally curious. With such outrageous physical abilities, what style of basketball did Shirasawa actually play? They had already experienced Sakuragi's abilities firsthand-a reckless rookie with off-the-charts athleticism... But Coach Anzai surely valued more than just Shirasawa's athletic gifts.
The players from both sides stepped onto the court. For the first-years, Shirasawa and Sakuragi led Kentaro Ishii, Toki Kuwata, and Satoru Sasaoka, all perennial benchwarmers. The upperclassmen were led by vice-captain Kiminobu Kogure-without Akagi, this lineup really was rather underwhelming.
Hanamichi Sakuragi and Satoru Kakuta stood in the center circle, ready for the jump ball.
The whistle blew!
Without any suspense, Sakuragi rose half a body higher and tipped the ball to the first-years. Judging by their positions, Sakuragi was playing inside, filling in at center for now, while Shirasawa was actually playing point guard.