Before Shohoku game even started, the stands erupted in cheers. Shouts of " Shohoku!" and " Shirasawa!" rose and fell. Even before Shohoku could be seen, the fans had already built up their enthusiasm.
Although the stadium was packed, there wasn't a single fan from the Chariot Country, not even a neutral one. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their home advantage was absolute.
Hikoichi Aida, carrying a camera, bounced around, his mouth practically stretched to his ears. "We have to film this today! This is absolutely a landmark moment for high school basketball!"
But no sooner had he said that than he was struck on the head, the pain causing him to clutch his head and crouch down.
While taking that punch wouldn't be undeserved normally—after all, cheering for your opponent is wrong—today is different. Shouldn't we all stand together against this common enemy?
Moichi Taoka squatted down beside him, scratching his head awkwardly. "Uh... I'm used to it..."
Hikoichi Aida was still rubbing his head, stubbornly insisting, " Hikoichi, I mean, today's game is absolutely epoch-making! If Shohoku wins, the whole basketball world will benefit!"
Although this sounds unrealistic, Moichi Taoka thinks it makes perfect sense. If Shohoku wins, it means they've reached the world's highest level, and the national basketball culture can take a leap forward.
As a coach, who doesn't hope to produce great players? It's something to brag about when you retire, and it's very prestigious.
He's now a well-established coach. Last year, Ryonan's performance surpassed that of Riki Takato, marking the first time he'd beaten his old rival. He was so thrilled he wanted to set off firecrackers in front of Riki Takato's house.
The two coaches are locked in a fierce battle, causing hardship for the Kainan players. Riki Takato's training intensity used to be A+, but now it's even more grueling. If they don't beat Ryonan in the new season, even qualifying for the national championship will be considered a failure.
Hikoichi Aida squatted down and leaned close to him. "So, what are your chances of Shohoku winning?"
Hikoichi Aida knew perfectly well that no matter how many chances Taoka predicted, Shohoku would definitely win. After all, they had Shirasawa and Sakuragi; hadn't those two created enough miracles?
He wanted expert Taoka to give him a definitive answer.
Moichi Taoka stared at him, and after a long pause, finally uttered, "Sixty percent."
Although he said it, he said it through gritted teeth. He had confidence in Shohoku, but reason told him that the Chariot Country was really strong, with an obvious height advantage. In basketball, length is everything, and Hoffmann was not Mikio Kawata.
Can Shohoku lock him down like Cheetah? Besides, does Sakuragi have the defensive ability of Robinson? He knows perfectly well that Shohoku's only strength is Shirasawa. If Shirasawa holds back today, the game might be lost. So he specifically called on Shirasawa to have a strong desire to win, because that's Shohoku's chance of winning.
As they were talking, ten men suddenly rushed in front of them, completely blocking their way. The camera that Hikoichi Aida was carrying was also blocking their path.
He quickly picked up the camera, smiling apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I was blocking your way, I'm so sorry..."
The man nodded, a polite smile on his face, walked past them, and plopped down in an empty seat not far away.
Hikoichi Aida tugged at Moichi Taoka's arm and leaned in to whisper, "Coach, that guy looks like he plays basketball, right?"
He wasn't just making things up; after all, this was his livelihood, and his judgment of people was always spot on. Top basketball players generally fall into three physique categories: either the slender type like Soichiro Jin and Kazunari Fukatsu, or the robust type like Shinichi Maki and Hiroshi Morishige, and the energetic type like Shirasawa, Rukawa, Sendoh, and Sawakita.
These people possess extraordinary static talents; every bone in their body seems to have a talent buff. Just like Shirasawa back then, they couldn't resist fighting; the coach was practically begging them to eat. It's a gift from heaven—how could you refuse?
Hikoichi Aida pointed at the man, his brows furrowed. "But I've never seen him before! He looks like a high school student or a recent college student. Even if he's a college student, he's just graduated from high school. How could I have no recollection of someone from the basketball world?"
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Coach? What are you thinking about?"
Moichi Taoka didn't respond, his eyes showing a hint of confusion.
Moichi Taoka frowned, rubbing his chin with his fingertips, trying to recall. After two seconds, he shook his head. "I just misread it, heh."
Hikoichi Aida, his face contorted in despair, was on the verge of tears. "Coach, please tell me! I'm so miserable!"
He hated people who only said half of what they meant, especially when it was something he was interested in. Now he was stuck here; Taoka's comment, "Looks familiar," had almost made his curiosity explode.
Moichi Taoka completely ignored his pain. Ever since that strange man appeared, he had been out of his mind, his attention completely elsewhere. He was lucky if he heard even Hikoichi Aida. His mind was in turmoil, filled entirely with thoughts of the man who had just brushed past him.
But he never expected that this one glance would bring up something from seven years ago.
Back then, basketball wasn't as influential as it is now. Sota Miyagi was just a middle school student. Although he was popular, his influence was far less than that of players like Shirasawa. However, in the high school coaching circle, he was someone that even Goro Domoto was personally keeping an eye on.
How could a coach like Moichi Taoka, whose goal is to scout for top talent, miss out? This is the first time since he took over as head coach of Ryonan that he hasn't been traveling around, because Ryonan's roster is strong enough, and there aren't many noteworthy rookies in the league this year. In the previous ten years, he wouldn't have been able to stay idle.
This is also one of the reasons why he values Hikoichi Aida; the two are similar in skill, relying on data analysis to gather information, making them practically colleagues.
Seven years ago, Sota Miyagi, far away in Okinawa, was just a kid in the elementary school league. Because the overall level was average, he didn't show any real talent until a chance match caught Taoka's attention. In that one match, Taoka's evaluation of him was "exceptionally talented, and will surely become a great person in the future."
But he never expected that time would come so quickly! A year later, Sota Miyagi made a splash in the basketball world! It turned out that it wasn't that he hadn't performed well, but that the elementary school league didn't match his abilities. On the day Sota Miyagi won the championship, Taoka was incredibly excited, feeling that he had the talent to be a mentor and might be the first person to discover him.
However, his smile vanished within days. Sannoh's Goro Domoto had initiated early recruitment, which infuriated Taoka, who slammed his fist on the table at home, berating Domoto for violating the rules and demanding that the association take action. But the association ignored him and even fueled the controversy, making the basketball scene a hot topic and boosting Domoto's fame.
Moichi Taoka, who was possibly the first discoverer, was just a junior coach at Ryonan. Who can understand the disparity in his career?
A few days later, Goro Domoto dropped another bombshell, saying that he had been rejected by Sota Miyagi, which sent shockwaves through the basketball world.
So you think you can recruit in advance? I'd like to try and copy you too!
However, coaches like Kainan's Riki Takato, Aiwa Academy's Hirakawa Mikami, and Hakata Shodai Affiliated School's Ichiro Ozawa didn't share Taoka's sour grapes attitude. They all flocked to Okinawa, intending to secure Sota Miyagi in advance. After all, Sota Miyagi was already the ceiling of the elementary school league at that time, and whoever grabbed this cash cow first would make a fortune.
At that time, Mitsuyoshi Anzai had not yet retired from Shohoku. He frequently attended various basketball events as a guest and award presenter due to his seniority. When he was in good health, he was even ready to join the basketball association. However, he couldn't handle the high-intensity work and eventually chose to return to Shohoku as the head coach, living a fixed salary and enjoying a comfortable retirement.
Anzai met with Sota Miyagi on the day of the junior high school finals. He personally presented Sota with the championship trophy and the MVP trophy. He knew that this kid's potential far exceeded that of Ryuji Yazawa, on whom he had placed high hopes. Unfortunately, he was no longer the official head coach at that time, and his body could not afford to push himself too hard. He could only exchange a few polite words and say that the road ahead would be difficult.
But Sota Miyagi, who had never lost, couldn't understand the deeper meaning behind those words at all. To him, it was nothing more than a meaningless and irrelevant statement.
The recruitment saga that caused such a stir seven years ago ended inconclusively because Sota Miyagi suddenly "disappeared." Moichi Taoka never got involved, because he knew that Ryonan's resources were no match for the powerful families like Kainan Aiwa, and they had no geographical advantage either.
However, he didn't give up, after all, Sota Miyagi was the first treasure he discovered. For those two years, he worked his way up to Ryonan's lineup, hoping that when Sota Miyagi graduated from middle school, he would be qualified to snatch him away. Therefore, his understanding of Sota Miyagi was deeper than any other coach; it was a familiarity ingrained in his very bones.
The arena suddenly erupted, with shouts of " Shohoku! Shohoku!" so loud they nearly shook the roof off. The players from Shohoku and Sannoh Industrial High School finally took to the court. This Shohoku team was now a truly strong team in the country. Faced with the overwhelming cheers, their initial nervousness turned into a sense of familiarity, and they even began to enjoy the motivation that the cheers brought.
Kiminobu Kogure sat on the sidelines, his eyes brimming with excitement. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "They are the strongest right now, and we will definitely win this match!" His teammates wholeheartedly agreed, nodding in agreement.
The power of these five players was evident from their very first joint appearance, when they utterly crushed Miuradai, securing Shohoku's first-ever 100-point victory. However, compared to now, that "Five Tigers" were not yet fully formed back then.
From his initial stunning performance to now displaying the aura of a king; Shirasawa Ryota Miyagi is fast, but his ability to score independently has always been criticized; Mitsui was originally an outside shooter; Hanamichi Sakuragi is still just a novice who can only run and jump; Takenori Akagi's skills are still being honed. Those were the Shohoku Five Tigers back then, but looking back, we realize that they still have so much room for growth.
After a tough winter, the five players have made continuous progress. The meaning of the game is no longer about winning, but about breaking through bottlenecks. Now, in the national finals, facing the unprecedentedly powerful high school league champion, Sannoh Industrial High School, the Shohoku Five Tigers are going to unleash all their potential.
Shirasawa unleashed his full kingly aura, single-handedly holding off Sannoh for fifteen minutes and completely defeating Eiji Sawakita, becoming the undisputed number one high school basketball player. Even in the university league, no one could rival him. His strength was all-encompassing, without any weaknesses, at least for now, no one could see any.
Ryota Miyagi has perfectly combined speed and touch. Standing at 168 cm, he has broken into the top 20 guards in the country. In the new season's national guard rankings, he will definitely be ranked in the top five.
Hisashi Mitsui has undergone a phoenix-like rebirth, finding the playing style that best suits him. Completely different from his junior high school days, he has transformed from a key player into a top-tier 3D player, the kind of player that any league would be scrambling to acquire.
Hanamichi Sakuragi has transformed from a complete novice into a member of the national All-Defensive Team. His performance against the Kawata brothers in the finals is a testament to his skill. Long-haired Sakuragi was a tireless fighter, while bald Sakuragi was a powerful power forward. He has now completed his metamorphosis.
Hanamichi Sakuragi is now the top power forward in the national high school league, and can even be ranked among the top centers. His dominance on both offense and defense is unmatched, let alone the old guard of Kanagawa's four great centers— Akagi, Uozumi, Hanagata, Takasago.