The championship would have been ours at Ryonan, and Shinichi Maki wouldn't have gotten the MVP either

That's all Takenori Akagi could say. If he were to defend against Sakuragi, the effect would probably be similar. He's experienced, but his agility and physical attributes aren't as good as Sakuragi's. Just like when he defended against Masashi Kawata, his defense was greatly reduced when he was away from the paint.

As for how Robinson defends Hoffmann, Sakuragi can only figure it out himself. Robinson is an excellent player who combines static and dynamic talents with defensive experience. What he can do, others may not be able to do. Just like how Sakuragi defends against Mikio Kawata, he just toughs it out. Uozumi can't tough it out, Akagi can't tough it out, only Sakuragi can tough it out.

How to leverage one's strengths and make the right judgment in the blink of an eye depends entirely on oneself.

"I understand, Gorilla!"

Hanamichi Sakuragi angrily smacked his head to snap out of it.

So far, he has indeed tried every possible way to limit Hoffmann, but with little effect.

"Damn it! How can we prevent that long-haired guy from scoring?!"

Hanamichi Sakuragi gritted his teeth in anger and ran to the frontcourt to join the attack.

"This can't go on!"

In the stands Hikoichi Aida glanced anxiously at the scoreboard. In the 12th minute of the first half, Shohoku was trailing by two points, 25 to Chariot Shohoku.

The score difference wasn't significant, but the situation on the court was different. The Chariot had found their rhythm, and apart from Hoffmann, the others were starting to perform well. Sakuragi was forced to the outside, and the Chariot's height advantage became more obvious. Their high-post, high-ball attacks left Shohoku struggling to defend.

On the other hand, Shohoku is currently relying mainly on Shirasawa's individual ability, as the others haven't found a good way to attack. Hisashi Mitsui is doing alright, moving his shooting point back and widening the defensive gap to sink a three-pointer.

The one who was in the most trouble was Ryota Miyagi. He could create space against Shoyo with his absolute speed, but the overall height of his Chariot was a level higher than Shoyo's. Even if he got out of position, it was difficult for him to get rid of their defense, and he had a hard time moving forward.

Although I hate to admit it, it seems unlikely that Miyagi- senpai will have a standout performance in this match.

The offense was alright, but the defense was a problem. The Chariot almost never passed the ball, relying entirely on their height advantage to pass it around, Miyagi- senpai with no chance to score.

When playing against Shoyo, Miyagi also had a height disadvantage, but he relied on speed and stealth to launch surprise attacks, almost catching Shoyo off guard. But now, the Chariot doesn't even pass the ball, just raises it high and attacks, and Miyagi can't even find a breakthrough.

Uozumi nodded. "Replacing Miyagi at this point wouldn't be appropriate, but Shohoku really doesn't have a better option."

As they were talking, the strange man that Moichi Taoka had been keeping an eye on bent down and walked over.

Hello everyone.

The man smiled and greeted him, "From what I've heard, you've been talking about the game. You must be basketball players too?"

Hikoichi Aida and Uozumi looked over together.

Uozumi nodded, then suddenly remembered that he was a cook and shook his head.

Hikoichi Aida blinked blankly. "Of these three, I'm the only one who seriously plays basketball."

The man paused for a moment, then laughed. "Um, well, I have a question. Are you guys familiar with Shohoku's number 7? What's his name?"

Hikoichi Aida blurted out, "Of course I have to be familiar with him! Miyagi -senpai is my target!"

He looked at the man with a puzzled expression, "Judging from your question, don't you play ball?"

Why would Aida ask that? It's because the high school basketball league is incredibly popular right now. Last season, Shohoku was a dark horse who won the championship. With the support of the Basketball Association and talent agencies, the hype exploded, and the national basketball atmosphere became incredibly heated. Shohoku, as the instigator, everyone knows that.

Shohoku's number 9, Shirasawa, is getting so many endorsement deals he's practically overflowing. If you love basketball, Shohoku is the top team. This guy not only came to the game alone, but also asked about Shohoku's number 7 – isn't that strange?

Furthermore, he looks and speaks with a Chinese accent, how could he not know Shohoku? How could he not know who the starting number 7 is?

Aida initially assumed this guy played basketball, but when he asked that question, he was completely stunned, his tone even carrying a hint of regret. "With such great potential, why doesn't he play basketball? What about all of us who love basketball?"

"Um, well, you could say that, right?"

Even the man himself wasn't sure, Aida even more curious. "So what? What does that mean?"

"I actually specialize in investigating players. I was curious about you as soon as I met you, and I thought you were a formidable person. I even thought I had missed something in my investigation."

Hikoichi Aida pressed further, "Aren't you a player on a league team? You play streetball?"

The only thing I can think of is streetball. Streetball isn't mainstream now. Kichijo Fukuda from Kanagawa went to the streets and quickly became a top player, but when he returned to the high school league, he could only make a breakthrough at certain times. He wasn't particularly outstanding. The most popular thing was the 100-point battle between Bai Ze and his team, but those were all regular teams.

So nowadays, people who play streetball aren't sure if they qualify. They're not really that good, but they play every day. Some people even make a little money from it, though it's pitifully little.

"Streetball?"

The man was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine, whatever. Oh, it's not important. Do you know who number 7 is at Shohoku? Tell me."

At this moment Moichi Taoka, who had been silent all along, frowned even more deeply. From the beginning, he felt that this guy looked like Sota Miyagi, and even had a gut feeling. But now these words dispelled his doubts. How could Sota Miyagi say that he doesn't play ball? But no matter how you look at him, he looks just like him!

" Shohoku. 7, Ryota Miyagi."

Moichi Taoka suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing the name, the man paused, as if he had been electrocuted.

That's right, he is Ryota Miyagi's older brother, Sota Miyagi.

No. 7, Shohoku, Ryota Miyagi.

Although Moichi Taoka was unaware of the brotherly relationship between Sota and Ryota Miyagi, he mentioned the surname to conduct a test.

After all, there aren't many people with the surname Miyagi. If this person really Sota, there might be a reaction.

He originally thought that at most he would be stunned to see someone with the surname Miyagi, but he didn't expect Sota's reaction to be so explosive.

"What a coincidence? I also have the surname Miyagi."

"Alright, I won't disturb your chatter anymore."

Upon hearing this, Moichi Taoka was so stunned that he jumped up from his chair as if struck by lightning.

" Sota Miyagi?"

Hikoichi Aida was still in a daze, completely unaware of what was wrong with Taoka, and even less understanding why he was suddenly so agitated.

Jun Uozumi's eyes widened suddenly, almost popping out of their sockets.

Of course he knew that name! Sota Miyagi was in the same year as him, and back then he was the most ruthless MVP in Kanagawa Shukuyo Junior High School, his name was as famous as thunder.

However, information was scarce back then, and everyone was young, so they had never seen the real person. At most, they had heard the coach mention them or glimpsed them in the newspaper.

Uozumi Ryonan the first year, Moichi Taoka even mentioned the name.

At that time, Shinichi Maki had just won the Kanagawa championship and the MVP as a first-year Riki Takato school student. Takato Riki was extremely proud of himself, waving his small folding fan like a rattle drum, which made Taoka's teeth itch.

Later, when the team members were talking about how strong Shinichi Maki, Taoka muttered, "If Sota Miyagi were still here, the championship would definitely be Ryonan's, and Shinichi Maki wouldn't be the MVP."

Uozumi talked to Taoka about this, he learned how much the coach wanted to recruit Sota Miyagi back then; his determination was astonishing.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, Sota Miyagi became a regret. The following year, the genius Akira Sendoh joined, and Taoka gradually came to terms with it. But he never expected that he would actually hear that name today, and almost meet him in person!

Looking at the middle-aged man who was visibly shocked and the tall man whose eyes were wide open, Sota Miyagi blinked in confusion.

"You know me??"

Although it was a question, the knowing tone clearly gave the answer—this was the Sota Miyagi Taoka had been searching for for so long!

Moichi Taoka stared at Sota in disbelief, his throat dry and tight, barely managing to utter a single sentence.

"Where... where have you been all these years?"

This was the first and only question he could think of. Someone else might have asked, "Aren't you dead?"—that shows a complete lack of emotional intelligence.

"All these years?" Sota Miyagi scratched his head. "I've been abroad the whole time. From what you're saying, you knew me before?"

His bewildered expression left Taoka somewhat puzzled—could it be a case of the same name? But the probability of that was too small.

"Are you Sota Miyagi from Okinawa, on the Shukuyo Junior High School Basketball Team?"

Taoka asked tentatively, but the answer he received surprised him even more.

Sota Miyagi frowned, then smiled helplessly, "To be honest, I don't remember."

I can barely remember anything from my past.

"Uncle, you seem to know me quite well. After the match, could we talk?"

That's right, he has amnesia.

Seven years ago, during the shipwreck, the police and rescue teams searched for many days, but they couldn't even find all the bodies of the victims. Some people said there was no coastline or island at all. The police expanded the search area, but it was to no avail. In the end, they could only sadly announce that there were probably no survivors.

But Sota Miyagi survived.

He grew up by the sea and was physically strong. After the accident, he persevered in the vast ocean with sheer willpower, but eventually he couldn't hold on any longer and gave up hope. In the end, he was rescued.

He was rescued by an old foreign man who was traveling around the world. The old man was very old but extremely wealthy, which perfectly met the two conditions for traveling around the world.

He felt that saving Sota was a stroke of luck. Seeing that Sota had lost his memory, he kept him on the trip, saying that he would send him home when Sota remembered his past.

Even today, Sota still doesn't remember who he is. He returned to China this time because the old man passed away and left him all his remaining assets, enough for him to live on until he dies.

As for basketball? That's something he was born with. Sota himself doesn't remember being a basketball player. It was just a chance encounter while passing through a certain country...

The moment Sota Miyagi gripped the basketball, he realized just how fiercely he was playing.

Although he had no memory of it, he knew exactly what it felt like as soon as he touched it.

From that day on, Sota Miyagi never put down his basketball. No matter which country they went to, he would stay on the court without moving. But traveling the world with his grandfather, he could never regularly join a team. Once his grandfather had had his fill of sightseeing and playing, the two of them would pack their bags and move on to another place.

For the past few years, Sota Miyagi has been like a global baseball tour player, making a lot of highlights on baseball courts around the world. Alex is just one of his many opponents, but he happens to be the most persistent one. Over the years, his skills have naturally improved rapidly.

At the same time, his body also grew rapidly. Through years of playing and training around the world, he has now grown to 189 centimeters. In terms of physical talent, he is truly blessed by God. Compared to his younger brother, Ryota Miyagi, he is far inferior.