This year, the old man who had traveled around the world passed away quietly. Sota Miyagi accompanied him for seven years. The old man was very kind and left him all his inheritance. He also told him that he should return to Japan and slowly try to find his memories. If he couldn't find them, it was okay, just consider it like returning to his roots.
Sota Miyagi took the huge sum of money and returned to Japan, just in time for the Shohoku vs. Chariot Country match. From the moment Ryota Miyagi entered the game, he felt that he looked familiar, until he heard the name " Ryota Miyagi ". He was struck dumb as if by lightning - this was his most beloved younger brother, but unfortunately, he still couldn't recall a single fragment of memory.
However, now that he's met Uncle Moichi Taoka, Sota feels he can dig out a lot of his past stories from him.
Upon hearing Sota's words, Moichi Taoka immediately understood the whole story. Although he had never encountered anyone with amnesia, it was indeed a real phenomenon. He never expected that the genius boy from back then was still alive, and only suffering from amnesia—this was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!
Seven or eight years ago, Moichi Taoka boasted that he was the first person to discover Sota Miyagi's talent. But now, he's the first to recognize Sota again. What a coincidence!
Moichi Taoka grinned. "Alright, let's have a good chat after the match."
His surprise had long been suppressed by excitement.
The genius who disappeared for seven years has actually returned!
Is that basketball storm that was supposed to sweep through finally about to arrive?
Moichi Taoka's eyes were so bright they could shine.
After listening to the conversation between Moichi Taoka and Sota Miyagi, Hikoichi Aida couldn't contain himself any longer and kept glancing over here.
It was Uozumi told him about Sota Miyagi, from his time as the MVP of junior high school to his seven-year disappearance and his return. Hikoichi Aida was speechless with amazement.
He had a lot of stories about players in his mind, some ordinary and some legendary, but the story of Sota Miyagi was definitely number one in his mind right now.
Uozumi sighed, "To be honest, I was quite shocked too. It makes me want to touch a basketball again."
Basketball will always be an indelible part of his life, but unfortunately, he can only be a "big cook who can't play basketball well" now.
Uozumi muttered, "I just wonder how much of his strength he has left after all these years."
"He was strong back then, but now that he's older, will he be less outstanding?"
"Hopefully he hasn't neglected basketball all these years."
Upon Moichi Taoka shook his head.
You haven't watched his matches.
Moichi Taoka began, "If he hadn't lost his original skills over the years, coupled with his current physique, he would definitely be among the top ten, or even top five, in the national high school league. I'm certain of that."
Moichi Taoka's words stunned both Uozumi and Hikoichi Aida.
Sota Miyagi was only a first-year junior high school student back then!
Even if a first-year middle school player is the MVP, can his skills really stand out in a highly competitive high school league?
Seeing the two people's shocked expressions, Moichi Taoka smiled.
"Why do you think a coach of Goro Domoto's caliber would have targeted him two years in advance?"
"To put it bluntly, Goro Domoto felt that Sota Miyagi's level at that time was already good enough to play in the high school league; all he lacked was the physical attributes that a high school student should have."
"If his skill level hadn't declined, his current strength would at least be at the level of Kaede Rukawa."
Hikoichi Aida's eyes widened. "Ryu... Kaede Rukawa??"
If we rank players based on this season's National High School League, Shirasawa is definitely in a league of his own. Eiji Sawakita and Masashi Kawata are in the first tier, while Sendoh, Shinichi Maki, Dai Moroboshi, Kazunari Tsutsu, Hiroshi Morishige, Kaede Rukawa, and Chiba are all in the second tier.
Moichi Taoka's evaluation is quite high.
This is assuming that Sota Miyagi neither improved nor regressed.
But if he hadn't lost his basketball skills in the past few years and had continued to improve, how much would his abilities have increased?
The Hikoichi Aida thought about it, the more unbelievable it became. He now wanted to give Sota Miyagi a basketball so he could show off his skills and see for himself.
No sooner said than done, Hikoichi Aida second longer. Even without a basketball, he had his mouth.
He jumped up and strode towards Sota Miyagi.
A minute later, Hikoichi Aida returned, his face beaming with excitement.
Uozumi casually asked, "How did it go? Hikoichi, did you go ask him about basketball?"
Hikoichi Aida took two deep breaths to suppress his excitement, then looked up and met the unsettling gazes of Moichi Taoka and Jun Uozumi, and began to speak.
Sota Miyagi said he doesn't seem to have forgotten how to play basketball. He doesn't know how good he was at basketball before, but he is definitely stronger now than before!
This wasn't just something Sota Miyagi said offhand; after all, he had only recently picked up basketball again and hadn't stopped practicing. Even though he was just a first-year middle school student, all those years of hard work hadn't been wasted. Beating his former self would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
Upon hearing this, Moichi Taoka's smile stretched almost to his ears, and he let out a heavy sigh of relief. First, there was Eiji Sawakita, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and now Sota Miyagi has also emerged. Isn't this the peak moment for our basketball world?
However, only a few of them noticed the little commotion in the stands, while the game on the field was still in full swing.
The game has just reached the 17th minute of the first half, and the score is very close, with Shohoku temporarily leading by one point at 51-50.
In those few minutes, it was only thanks to Shirasawa that Shohoku was able to slowly catch up with the rhythm and intensity of the Chariot Team. Although adapting in just over ten minutes wasn't fast, Shohoku was already at a disadvantage due to their height, and the Chariot was a powerhouse that hadn't been rotated yet. Without Shirasawa, they wouldn't have lasted this long at all.
Alex, sitting in the audience, was already rubbing his hands together, spurred on by Shirasawa's strength. His desire to win was even stronger than that of Sota Miyagi, whom he had been searching for.
Hisashi Mitsui suddenly roared, "Rebound!!"
The Chariot Team's shot hit the rim. The game had been going on for a while now, and Shohoku had been losing the rebounding battle. But after Hanamichi Sakuragi's outburst, they were slowly catching up. Although Sakuragi hadn't found a way to limit Hoffmann yet, he didn't get stuck on the details. He just focused on what he could do, which was to grab rebounds!
By this time, Sakuragi was already capable of handling things on his own. Coach Anzai looked at him with immense pride. In the past, Sakuragi would either be confused or lose his temper, but now he was much more composed.
"Mine!"
Sakuragi battled Hoffmann under the basket, earning himself the best position. Despite the significant height difference, his innate rebounding instincts helped him solve many problems.
Every time Sakuragi positioned himself, Hoffmann was speechless. How did the ball end up there? Holy crap, he actually got it?
When it comes to rebounding, you can't avoid mentioning strength, jumping ability, and positioning. It seems like having these three qualities is all it takes to be a good rebounder. Takenori Akagi from Kanagawa was such a player, dominating the rebounding battle.
Unfortunately, Akagi couldn't win any awards in the previous two years because of Shohoku's poor performance, no matter how impressive his stats were. In his second year of high school, Akagi averaged eighteen rebounds per game, which is pretty amazing, right? But he was eliminated and sent home after only one game. That year, the Kanagawa Rebound King was Jun Uozumi, who averaged thirteen rebounds per game. Uozumi to the semifinals, playing several more games than Akagi, so it's normal for his stats to fluctuate.
Although Akagi never won the Rebound King, in terms of rebounding ability, before Hanamichi Sakuragi appeared, he was definitely the best in Kanagawa, relying on his outstanding strength, as well as his good jumping ability and explosiveness in the paint. But Sakuragi's arrival completely overturned all of that.
Last season, Shohoku won the championship, and Sakuragi became the Kanagawa Rebound King. At that time, his strength and positioning experience were not as good as Akagi's. It was only after a month of special training before the national tournament that Sakuragi's body reached its peak. Even so, no one in Kanagawa could match Sakuragi's rebounding, including Akagi.
Why? Because he has a natural instinct for rebounding. His positioning is perfect for where the ball will land, whether it's a short or long rebound. This is something that players like Akagi and Uozumi, who rely on positioning to grab rebounds, can't match. Many times, even if Sakuragi isn't in a good position, he can still get the ball.
Later, Akagi willingly stepped back, partly to pave the way for Sakuragi, and partly because he realized that he was inferior to Sakuragi in rebounding ability. This became even more apparent during the national tournament as Sakuragi improved.
Of course, nothing is absolute. Sakuragi ultimately ranked second in the national tournament rebounding list, with the first place going to the dominant Hiroshi Morishige. Hiroshi Morishige didn't have Sakuragi's instincts, but he was incredibly fierce. In their first head-to-head encounter, Sakuragi was indeed at a disadvantage. For the next two years, the paint would likely be dominated by these two.
At this moment, Sakuragi was making the most of his rebounding ability, which surprised the players from the Chariot Country!
Players from the Chariot Country are known for their height. Through long-term training and natural talent, their movement speed has reached its limit. However, their jumping ability and explosiveness have a ceiling. Therefore, despite their height and strength, they rarely dunk. They rely on their height and strength to get rebounds. For example, Hoffmann can almost touch the rim when he stands on tiptoe.
But Hanamichi Sakuragi is determined to teach this group a lesson today.
His innate rebounding instincts, coupled with his extraordinary jumping ability, allowed him to grab rebound after rebound among this group of tall and strong inside players.
Although his opponents were all towering figures over two meters tall, Sakuragi's explosive power allowed him to take flight instantly, completely negating the height difference.
The scene looked so familiar to the audience; wasn't it just like when Miyagi was grabbing rebounds against Shoyo's four tall players back in the day?
Just as Takenori Akagi once told him, "If you get the rebounds, you can dominate the whole court."
But Sakuragi changed it to "conquer the world." At the time, everyone thought he was just bragging, but now it seems he's really going to do it.
"Ah!!"
Sakuragi suddenly roared, twisted his body in mid-air, and snatched the backboard that was about to hit the ground.
The commotion and the atmosphere were so intense that the fans on the sidelines couldn't help but jump up and down, their shouts almost lifting the roof off.
Before we knew it, the first half was almost over. The most outstanding player on Shohoku's side was naturally Shirasawa, followed by Sakuragi, who had begun to dominate the rebounds, and Hisashi Mitsui, whose outside shooting accuracy suddenly emerged.
Takenori Akagi was as steady as a rock, with no major ups and downs on either offense or defense, somewhat like Kazuma Takasago. But while Kazuma Takasago was only a mid-level player, Akagi was a pillar of strength in high-level games. In this level of competition, he could maintain his output and his role was no less important than anyone else's.