Uozumi around, his gaze silencing any words of advice he might have wanted to offer.
"Don't try to persuade me, it's useless." He paused, then looked at the group of kids from Ryonan. "Although I'm not fighting anymore, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Anyone who slacks off, I'll grab my knife and have a chat with them."
He paused, then forced the lump in his throat down.
"You run the race for my dream."
A meal begins with the clinking of glasses and ends with the sniffling of a nose.
Shirasawa took a swig of wine, smacked his lips, and said, "A real man."
Two meters and three centimeters tall, with this personality, absolutely stunning.
Ryoji Ikegami the first to stand up, his voice booming. "I'll carry the Winter Tournament." These words were like a rope, pulling the Ryonan team back from the brink of despair.
On the Shohoku side, there was no time to think about these things. They still had a mountain in front of them that they couldn't overcome, so nothing they said would make a difference. Uozumi's matter was like a bucket of cold water, chilling them to the bone.
This final battle must not end like Uozumi's, leaving with regrets.
The Winter Selection Tournament is nothing; the next game is the real curtain call. Everyone is holding their breath, determined not to let Akagi and the others leave Shohoku with scars.
Only by winning can we give these brothers the best send-off.
After the meal, Shohoku's killing intent doubled. In the finals, it was for Akagi, for Kogure, for Mitsui, and even for Uozumi, the guy who got defeated by Sannoh.
We have to win, even if it means fighting until we bleed.
Coach Anzai, holding his wine glass, had no idea that Uozumi would do this for him. Looking at the group of kids, their eyes were full of fire. No matter how fierce Sannoh was, they couldn't scare a bunch of reckless fools.
On the other side, the lights at Sannoh Industrial High School were still on.
They were watching the video closely, dissecting Shohoku from starters to substitutes, even analyzing Kuwata's movements frame by frame. That's Sannoh for you—arrogant on the surface, but ruthless behind the scenes.
This was Big Kawata's last match against Sannoh, and also Sawakita's last match in Japan.
Both groups were risking their lives.
The loser has to swallow their pride and bear it.
Masashi Kawata tapped on Akagi's shooting hotspot on the screen and clicked his tongue.
"He's dominant in that small area under the basket, but outside the paint, he's no match."
Masahiro Nobe nodded in agreement, adding, "If we drive him out from under the basket, that guy's offensive power will immediately drop by half."
"The same goes for defense. Keep your distance and go one-on-one with him; he's helpless beyond the three-point line."
Kazunari Fukatsu stroked his chin, agreeing with the assessment. "That's why Takenori Akagi, after three years, never made a name for himself."
Eiji Sawakita suddenly frowned, and said thoughtfully, "Actually, it's because his face is too small."
" Kawata- senpai has a big face, so his shooting range is naturally long. Takenori Akagi is far inferior; he can't compare."
Sawakita spoke with utmost seriousness, but Masashi Kawata had no intention of indulging him.
The next second, Kawata immediately grabbed him and locked him in a tight armbar, pinning the nation's top high school student to the ground.
"You bastard! Someone praises you as the best in the country, and you get all cocky. You even get love letters from girls every day. I've put up with you for so long, and you still dare to talk back to me?"
Kawata's face was fierce, and he increased the force in his hands, causing Sawakita's bones to crack.
Sawakita, though grimacing from being locked up, stubbornly retorted, "How could you tolerate it? You're always the one who lays the first hand on me..."
Before she could finish speaking, a tear of grievance rolled down her cheek.
But he insisted on adding, "Besides, they forced those love letters on me; I didn't want them at all."
The smugness on his face was impossible to hide as he said that.
Click!
Kawata, unable to bear it any longer, unleashed a devastating attack.
You deserve to die.
Sannoh Industrial High School thoroughly investigated and exposed everyone Shohoku.
Hisashi Mitsui, a super striker, is best at off-the-ball movement to create open spaces and fire, but unfortunately, his stamina is his Achilles' heel.
Ryota Miyagi runs like the wind and loves to muddy the waters, but he's too short and his long-range shots are terrible.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, a powerful power forward with explosive athletic talent and incredible physical attributes, is flawed in every way except for his athleticism; he's doomed whenever he has a lapse in form.
Kiminobu Kogure can shoot a few times, but his defense is a sieve, and as the sixth man, he hardly gets any playing time.
Everyone's strengths and weaknesses are laid out on paper, and the roles, limitations, and solutions are all clearly explained.
That's true; things can change in an instant on the field.
But for Sannoh Industrial High School, once we understand your background, we can control you no matter how you change.
Finding out the details was simply out of respect for the integrity of the competition.
When it comes to making on-the-spot adjustments, they are in a class of their own nationwide; this is what Goro Domoto excels at most.
Finally, Shirasawa's name was brought up.
He has no weaknesses.
Kazunari Fukatsu helpless twitch of his lips.
Sannoh didn't just sit here watching videos; they also watched Shohoku's live matches in the National Tournament.
Shirasawa's strength is the most obvious asset of Shohoku.
Offense, defense, playmaking – none of these are considered weaknesses; he's scored 50+ or even 60+ points in games.
In one-on-one defense, he can quickly figure out his opponent and then completely shut them down.
Most established offensive players can only score against Shirasawa by setting screens and getting around him.
On the other hand, Shirasawa never calls for pick-and-rolls on offense; he simply uses his superior individual skills to crush the defender's confidence.
And that unpredictable passing technique—he has a hundred ways to tear apart a defense.
This is the impression that Shirasawa left on Sannoh Industrial High School.
Kazunari Fukatsu summed it up in one sentence. "To us, he's the real villain."
No one in the Sannoh disagreed with this assessment.
Shirasawa is the only player who has put pressure on them in recent years, including Eiji Sawakita, who has long regarded Shirasawa as his only rival.
" Sawakita, he's in your hands now. We can switch places if necessary."
Kazunari Fukatsu spoke earnestly.
He didn't think he could restrain Shirasawa. Although the Sannoh was strong, he was never arrogant; otherwise, there would have been no need to hold this kind of war meeting.
Kazunari Fukatsu plays point guard, and his normal opponent would be Shirasawa. Given the playing styles of Shohoku and Shirasawa, Shirasawa definitely wouldn't switch positions.
Therefore, Kazunari Fukatsu's mention of "a necessary moment" is worth pondering.
when?
Of course, it's when he can't hold on any longer.
As for whether Eiji Sawakita can pass the ball or play point guard, Sannoh Industrial High School has its own explanation for this question.
Eiji Sawakita became the absolute ace of the national champion Sannoh Industrial High School in his first year of high school, and was undisputed as the number one high school student in the country.
This is the glory he achieved in just one year.
What is the basis for this?
Superb offensive and defensive capabilities!
So far, no one in the entire country has been able to stop Sawakita, and similarly, no one has been able to dominate him on offense.
The remarks made by Rhythm Master Dai Moroboshi are the best proof of this.
So, is Sawakita actually capable of playing for the organization?
The answer is no.
Kazunari Fukatsu and Masashi Kawata have said that Eiji Sawakita is a player who only likes to play alone.
But this doesn't mean that Sawakita can't pass the ball; as a top player, he has strict requirements for himself.
During the match against Ryonan, Sawakita briefly showcased his passing skills.
However, Sawakita was taught from a young age that the arena belongs to him.
Sawakita's basketball philosophy is simple and brutal: if you can solve something with your individual offense, it's not a problem at all. If you can't solve it, it just means you're incredibly bad. That's why he developed a scoring ability that makes people's scalps tingle.
Fukatsu and the others might complain, but they never uttered a single word of complaint about Sawakita. The reason was obvious: he really did have that ability.
If Sannoh were to move Sawakita to the point guard position, it would essentially redefine that position. They weren't expecting Sawakita to connect with his teammates or orchestrate the offense. On the contrary, the moment the ball got to Sawakita, the entire team would simply retreat! They would quickly get back on defense and clear the stage.
They didn't even need to bother with offensive rebounds. There was no need; they knew better than anyone that Sawakita could easily sink two or three points. Their job was to shut down the defense, providing solid support for Sawakita and letting him run rampant.
Kazunari Fukatsu. Once he couldn't hold off Shirasawa, he would immediately have Sawakita step in, and the two would go head-to-head to see who could win. The rest of the players would then retreat to a defensive turret, turning their own half of the court into an impenetrable wall.
This tactic looks crude, but it's incredibly powerful. If Sannoh were to focus solely on defense, they wouldn't be able to get in, not even a fly could get in. However, they won't reveal this trump card unless absolutely necessary; this absurd style of play has yet to be seen in an official match.
The reason is simple: no team in the country has ever pushed Sannoh, or rather, Sawakita, to that point. The only time they used this tactic was in an away game against a foreign team, and Sannoh managed to win. This is what is called returning to simplicity; the highest level of tactics is having no tactics.
However, this approach has a fatal flaw: the team must have a player like Eiji Sawakita. The fact that Kazunari Fukatsu brought this up also shows how much Sannoh values Shohoku and Hakutaku.
Just then, the door was pulled open from the outside.
"That's right, Shohoku is no pushover."
Goro Domoto strode in with a smile. This tactical analysis meeting was only just beginning; before that, the players had put together their own plans. This was Sannoh Industrial High School's attitude towards the game—from teamwork to discipline, everything was as neat and orderly as their hairstyles, not a single stray hair.
Early the next morning, an old acquaintance arrived at the guesthouse where Shohoku was staying. Sanae Nakagawa, who had taken the earliest high-speed train to Hiroshima. Besides being anxious about Shirasawa, she also carried some important news.
As soon as she arrived, she informed Shirasawa. The night before, Sanae had already informed Shirasawa of her arrival time, so the two met up early in the morning and headed straight to the hotel's sports field.
As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and one-on-one basketball is an unavoidable part of the game. Shirasawa's offense today was like a powder keg, wide open and aggressive, with all sorts of breakthroughs and easy points, completely unreasonable. Sanae was getting hammered, and her one-on-one defense was almost too much for her.