Although Shohoku wasn't playing, the stands were still packed. After all, it's a rare treat to watch a top foreign team play in your own country, especially the championship team from the basketball powerhouse, the Lighthouse Country. Who wouldn't want to watch? Even though they didn't recognize any of the players, the audience's enthusiasm gradually grew as the starting lineup took to the court.
Yasuharu Yasuda stared at the field, his mouth agape in astonishment. "They're so tall!" Just looking at the numbers seemed exaggerated, but seeing them in person made it even more obvious. He muttered to himself, "Are they really just high school students?"
His surprise was shared by everyone. The shortest player on the entire Chariot Country team would be considered tall by other teams. Shoyo's pride and joy, their tall lineup, looked like a backcourt against Chariot Country. The oppressive feeling brought by their height was enough to make many teams lose heart before the game even started.
Kiminobu Kogure pointed at player number 14 on the field, then turned to his teammates and said, "The lineup of the Chariot Country is exaggerated enough, but what's even more exaggerated is their core player..." The teammates' eyes immediately focused on Hoffmann is 215 centimeters tall.
"The tallest player we've ever faced was Mikio Kawata of Sannoh, who's 210 centimeters tall," Kogure paused, then added, "This Hoffmann is 5 centimeters taller than him."
"He'll be our opponent in the next match."
As soon as Kiminobu Kogure finished speaking, his gaze swept towards Hanamichi Sakuragi on the sidelines.
Although Sakuragi single-handedly defeated the overweight Mikio Kawata in the national tournament and even fought Masashi Kawata to a standstill, Hoffmann is definitely a completely new challenge for Sakuragi. After all, there is a 26-centimeter height difference between the two.
Kiminobu Kogure shared the same idea as Takenori Akagi.
As the former soul of Shohoku, Shohoku has never held a place in his heart. Even after two years, when the championship core members, including Shirasawa and Sakuragi, left, Akagi still kept an eye on Shohoku. Moreover, his brothers who had won championships alongside him were still on the team for the next two years.
Starting next season, Shohoku's interior defense will no longer have the formidable " Gorilla," leaving only the so-called " King Kong's Little Brother " to carry the team.
Hanamichi Sakuragi's performance directly impacts both offense and defense for Shohoku. If he makes a mistake, there won't be an iron fist to remind him in time.
In this match against Hoffmann, Akagi hoped that Sakuragi could reach a higher level.
If Sakuragi could play at the same level as he did against Sannoh, he could be completely at ease. Although Akagi's performance in the national tournament was not as good as Sakuragi's, especially in the finals where he was almost invisible, it can't be said that he was useless—if Akagi hadn't been there at all, Sakuragi might not have been able to play at his peak.
He was afraid that once he left, Sakuragi would be like a wild horse, reverting to the way he was a year ago.
"In that case, I'll tear you apart with my own hands!"
Akagi had just blurted these words out when he himself was startled.
But at this moment, Hanamichi Sakuragi's gaze wasn't on Hoffmann at all; he was completely captivated by Robinson, the second-in-command of the Lighthouse Country.
" Xiao Bai, isn't it against the rules for this kind of guy to participate in a basketball game?"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Shirasawa nodded in agreement. Clearly, the two had reached a consensus on Hoffmann's evolutionary behavior—this guy looked too much like a chimpanzee, even his gait had a chimpanzee-like quality.
The starting lineups for both teams were already set up on the field. It wasn't surprising that Hoffmann, despite being the tallest player, didn't jump for the ball, given that he plays power forward.
You can't say that the tallest person must play center, right? Just like not everyone with tattoos is a bad person.
The Chariot Country's center Brad, is not short either, standing at 212 centimeters, making the height difference between him and Hoffmann negligible. However, he is facing Robinson, the center of the Lighthouse Country's Cheetah Team. Although Robinson is only 208 centimeters tall, when the two stand together, everyone feels that Robinson is bullying him—the size difference is too great. Brad looks like a frail bamboo pole next to him, and the audience is worried that he might be eaten alive.
The whistle blows, the basketball is tossed up, and the game officially begins.
Snap!
Sure enough, before Brad could even jump, Robinson was already soaring through the air, his speed was ridiculously fast, and you could see his muscles taut with the naked eye.
Just as the data in Shohoku's hands stated, the Cheetah Team are known for their fast pace. Robinson had just tipped the ball down when his teammate in the backcourt received it and passed it directly to their ace, Alex, who was running like crazy!
The opening rhythm was exactly the same as Shohoku's, and even Alex's breakthrough was exactly the same as Shirasawa's. No one could stop him. He directly relied on speed and explosiveness to break into the paint and made an explosive one-handed dunk, almost bending the rim.
"Wow! That person is amazing! Their athleticism is incredible!"
"This is the third high school student I've seen play like this, after Shirasawa and Eiji Sawakita! No one can stop their momentum!"
"Come on! That dunk isn't good enough!"
The stands erupted instantly. But the Cheetah Team players, on the other hand, remained incredibly composed, as if they had just completed a routine attack. They showed no excitement, and even seemed a bit listless—they had mastered the composure of a champion.
During the transition between offense and defense, the Chariot Country adjusted the tempo through their defenders, calming the atmosphere on the field. Their style is the exact opposite of the Cheetah; they prefer to grind out positions. After all, they have three players over two meters tall in their starting lineup, making a fast-paced game impossible; only positional play can give them an advantage.
The basketball was passed around a few times before it reached Hoffmann. He stood on the left side of the court, not heading towards the basket, but instead pulling out to the perimeter.
"How come this guy is so tall and so far from the basket? Is he not strong enough?" Tetsushi Shiozaki stared at the court, puzzled.
Normally, someone that tall should have been charging straight to the basket, catching the ball and letting it go. Why would they need to pull out to the perimeter? That's really absurd.
" Shiozaki, have you even bothered to study your opponent properly?" Kiminobu Kogure shook his head helplessly. "Who comes to mind when Hoffmann moved to this position?"
Shiozaki froze for a moment, then his eyes widened instantly. " Masashi Kawata!"
Kogure nodded. "That's right, Hoffmann's player report clearly states that he has accurate shooting ability!"
"I think his playing style is similar to Big Kawata's, right?"
"But this is truly unbelievable. Big Kawata's playing style is already outrageous enough, but Hoffmann is 215 centimeters tall!"
Kiminobu Kogure, watching the game intently, couldn't help but ask the person next to him, "If this guy makes a mid-range shot, is anyone able to stop him?"
But no sooner had he finished speaking than Hoffmann on the field gave his answer with his actions.
Hoffmann gently arched his backside, using the brief contact with the defender to create space, then turned and pulled up for a jump shot.
With that height and wingspan, plus the space gained from the previous confrontation, the defending player jumped up with all his might to block the shot, his face clearly saying "out of reach."
In fact, to quickly understand a player, a player report is enough—static and dynamic talents, areas of expertise, all clearly written down, similar to the five-star high school player rating system in " Slam Dunk ".
Hoffmann's report clearly states "possesses accurate shooting ability." The word "accurate" is a rating, which is completely different from simply saying "must have shooting ability." Converted into a rating, his shooting score must be at least around 90.
The entire audience watched as the turnaround jump shot swished through the net, exactly as described in the report. The accuracy was truly astonishing.
Kiminobu Kogure swallowed hard, speechless at the sight.
The last big man who could shoot like that was Hanagata Toru Hanagata of Shoyo. His jump shot caused a lot of trouble for Shohoku back then, but Hanagata was only 197 cm tall, while Hoffmann was a full 18 cm taller than him!
What does 18 centimeters mean? That's an advantage that people would kill for, and Hoffmann's physique is also much stronger than Hanagata's.
Takenori Akagi was able to defend against Hanagata back then by overwhelming his physical strength, but now that it's Hoffmann, that move is clearly not enough.
The aftershocks of Kiminobu Kogure's reaction hadn't subsided when he turned to look at Akagi and Sakuragi, thinking to himself, " Akagi, Sakuragi, this guy is definitely the biggest challenge you've ever faced."
Hoffmann is as unassuming as his playing style. After scoring a goal, he simply clenched his fist slightly in celebration, then turned and ran back to his own half without any hesitation.
The Cheetah Team were on offense. Alex dribbled the ball across half-court, raised his hand beyond the three-point line, and shot. Swish! The basketball swished through the net. Three points in the bag, clean and decisive.
This rendered the Chariot Country's defensive position completely useless—they had no intention of penetrating inside; they were just shooting from the outside.
Hisashi Mitsui frowned in the stands, staring at Alex, feeling that this guy was similar to Little Kawata.
Alex attacked twice in a row, one driving and one shooting, his playing style was very similar to his, his state of mind, feeling, and confidence were almost the same.
Mitsui pursed his lips. "It's alright, it's just that its elegance is a bit lacking compared to Little Kawata."
Ryota Miyagi's lips curled into a smile. As the captain, he couldn't help but be a little protective of his own. "That's different. Elegance comes from physique and appearance; it's more about comfort and a silky feel. Alex, on the other hand, seems a bit reckless. His process was a bit rough, but the result was the same—basketball is all about putting the ball in the hoop."
Shirasawa smiled faintly and nodded, " Miyagi is right."
As they were talking, someone on the sidelines brought up the background of the competition. "In the past few years, the Lighthouse Country has been the undisputed leader in world championships, sweeping all the titles. The Chariot Country is the closest to them."
"But those are all national team competitions. This kind of high school basketball league is probably a first, right?"
"I think they definitely value this Four Nations Invitational; the outcome might even influence the basketball landscape for the next few years."
As they were chatting, Hoffmann suddenly pulled up to the three-point line and took a shot in one step. This sudden attack immediately shut down the words that Kogure was about to say.
Kogure was puzzled. "The report only mentioned accurate shooting, it didn't say I could shoot threes!"
How terrifying would it be if this giant artillery turret could shoot three-pointers?
After all, top shooters like Mitsui and Soichiro Jin sometimes have to run around for ages to create good shooting opportunities, but with Hoffmann's height, he doesn't need to exert himself at all; he has space just by standing still.
Under the astonished gazes of the entire audience, the basketball swished through the net. Hoffmann, as before, clenched his fist slightly—his routine celebration, nothing more than a stroke of genius.
Hanamichi Sakuragi yelled from the stands, "Holy crap! This guy looks exactly like Sannoh's Masashi Kawata! An inside player daring to run to the three-point line and shoot a three!"
After saying that, he frowned, looking annoyed. "Damn it, I hate guys like that the most! He's clearly an inside player, running all that way to shoot threes, so boring!"
He turned and nudged Takenori Akagi: "Right, Gorilla?"