This time, Moichi Taoka had likewise helped him work through his hang-up, urging him to put in ten or a hundred times the effort and win back the ground he had lost. From that day on, the stubborn Uozumi had poured every waking moment into training, just so he could face Akagi again.
Judging by the opening jump ball, that effort had already paid off. Whether in leaping ability, strength, or even sheer presence, Uozumi had shown hints of gaining the upper hand over Akagi. Of course, it was only one jump ball; the game would reveal how things really stood. But at least one thing was certain: Uozumi would no longer be so easily handled.
On the court, Uekusa dribbled up to organize the offense. Kaede Rukawa had intended to match up directly with Shirasawa, but Shirasawa had unexpectedly gone to guard Uekusa himself. That positioning made Rukawa's brow furrow even more, because the player standing in front of him now was none other than Kiminobu Kogure.
Judging by appearances alone, Kogure was nowhere near his level. What was this supposed to mean? Was Shirasawa looking down on him, or deliberately avoiding him?
Naturally, Kogure had no idea what Rukawa was thinking. He simply concentrated on staying close to Rukawa, doing his best to fulfill his defensive assignment. Even so, the matchup looked utterly lopsided. The gap was absurd.
As absurd as... the other matchup.
The sight of Shirasawa facing Uekusa was even more exaggerated than the matchup on Rukawa's side. At 170 centimeters tall, Uekusa looked particularly tiny in front of Shirasawa.
This situation was completely outside Moichi Taoka's expectations. In his plan, Ryota Miyagi should have been standing there! With the matchups he had envisioned, wouldn't that effectively leave Rukawa open? Was Coach Anzai gambling? Did he still think Uekusa was as easy to deal with as last year?
The corners of Taoka's mouth lifted slightly. Shohoku had really underestimated Uekusa this time.
It was true that Uekusa had been very green when he joined the team last year, and Taoka initially hadn't planned to focus on developing him. He already had someone in mind-Ryota Miyagi. Back during the junior high tournament, Miyagi had caught Taoka's eye, and he had even prepared several different pitches to recruit him to Ryonan.
But after hearing him out, Miyagi had shaken his head without a second thought. His reason was simple: Shohoku had Coach Anzai, a former national team player. He said playing under Anzai would be far better than playing under Taoka.
Only after missing out on a gem like Miyagi had Taoka turned his attention to Uekusa. Tempered by the prefectural tournament and a whole winter of grueling practice, Uekusa had now become a dependable starting point guard. He was very steady, and Taoka had plenty of confidence in him.
But Taoka wasn't Uekusa himself. Standing on the court now, Uekusa felt his skin crawl. With Shirasawa blocking his path, it felt as though a wall was closing in from every direction, without a single gap. He had been dribbling in place for ages and still couldn't find an opening, while sweat had already begun to break out on his back.
Hiroaki Koshino, off to the side, couldn't stand watching any longer and hurried over to help.
"Uekusa! What are you spacing out for?"
At that shout, Uekusa reacted as though he had found a lifeline and raised his hand to pass.
But the moment the ball left his hand, Shirasawa's long arm shot across and snatched it away.
Once he had you sealed off, why would he give you a chance?
As he stole the ball, Shirasawa flicked his wrist, sent the ball past Uekusa on one side while slipping past him on the other, and charged toward the frontcourt with it.
Koshino hurried after him, grumbling inwardly. What was Uekusa panicking about? That was such a basic mistake.
Shirasawa drove upcourt. That move past Uekusa had made him keenly aware that his ball handling felt different. He hardly had to think about his movements; his body reacted on its own. The ball seemed glued to his hand, and he dribbled with both speed and control. Compared to before, it was on a completely different level.
A fast break!
Miyagi sprinted headlong up the other side, while Rukawa and the others chased from far behind. Only Hiroaki Koshino stood between Shirasawa and Miyagi.
After crossing the three-point line, Shirasawa suddenly slowed a step. His right hand pushed down, sending a bounce pass between Koshino's legs that rose straight into Miyagi's hands.
Miyagi caught it, took his steps, and scored an easy layup.
Shohoku drew first blood.
"Nice pass, Xiao Bai!"
Miyagi turned back and high-fived Shirasawa, wearing an "I knew it" expression.
But Koshino wasn't convinced. He thought that pass had probably been a fluke. A one-handed bounce pass while dribbling at full speed, through his legs, and on such a precise line-how was that possible? Besides, Shirasawa had the height advantage and could have simply attacked himself. Why risk a pass?
As he pondered it, Rukawa's icy voice drifted over.
"He's a good passer. Don't think that was luck."
Rukawa rarely spoke around the team, so his words made Koshino take notice. Besides, Rukawa was the only one on the team who had played against Shirasawa. If he said so, that pass probably really hadn't been a fluke.
In that case, this guy really did have a strange way of playing.
On the sideline, Taoka's brow knitted. They had conceded right at the start. Of course he knew Shirasawa could pass, but he hadn't expected him to put so much pressure on Uekusa defensively, too. He had underestimated him there.
Coach Anzai's arrangement had certainly caught him off guard.
But next time, it wouldn't be so easy.
Possession changed, and Ryonan organized another attack.
Once they crossed half court, the matchups remained the same. Shirasawa was still out in front.
Uekusa had learned his lesson and quickly called for a screen, switching Miyagi onto him. The pressure immediately eased considerably.
Rukawa came up to demand the ball and took Kogure one-on-one.
Thump, thump!
After several quick between-the-legs dribbles, Rukawa dipped his shoulder.
Kogure's gaze sharpened. He's going to drive!
The instant he made that judgment, Rukawa was already moving, blowing past him in a single step.
That was the gap between them. You knew exactly what he was going to do, yet you still couldn't stop him.
After driving into the paint, Rukawa put up a floater against Akagi's help defense.
The ball sailed over Akagi's fingertips and dropped through the net.
Akagi's expression darkened. He could faintly see a reflection of last year's Sendoh. Both were potent scorers, but Sendoh would usually choose a jump shot after shaking off Kogure. Rukawa, by contrast, had a fierce edge, refusing to settle until he had broken right through the defense.
"Another tough one," Akagi muttered.
Behind him, Uozumi grinned smugly.
"This is only the beginning, Akagi. We need to settle things between us soon, too. Shohoku doesn't have... much time left."
Uozumi's meaning was clear: they intended to build a big lead quickly, then move straight into garbage time, with the starters staying off the court.
Akagi flared with anger.
"Hmph. You're just as overconfident as our redhead." He glared at Uozumi. "A word of advice: stopping me alone won't be enough to beat this year's Shohoku."
Shohoku inbounded, and Shirasawa brought the ball up.
Only then did Ryonan truly confirm it-this guy really was playing point guard.
He was actually a point guard!
Shirasawa had barely dribbled across half court when he swept a quick glance around and immediately flung the ball out.
On the sideline, Taoka couldn't help shaking his head. This was far too reckless; they hadn't even gotten set yet. But a second later, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Not picking this kid back then really was... fuck!
The ball shot out as though skipping across water. One second he had been dribbling, and the next he had simply released it. Nothing about it made sense. He had only just crossed half court, his teammates weren't in position, he hadn't adjusted the ball, and he was passing into a crowd? Wasn't that sheer nonsense?
Yet Taoka was immediately dumbstruck.
The basketball skimmed low over the floor at tremendous speed, shooting through a gap between players. Just when it seemed about to go out of bounds, Ryota Miyagi suddenly appeared beneath the basket as though he had calculated it all. The height was just right!
He caught the ball without the slightest pause and flowed straight into a reverse layup.
By the time Uozumi reacted, it was already too late. He could only make a token reach and watch the ball bank into the hoop.
A seemingly reckless pass had turned into a brilliant assist. Taoka's mouth hung open, every word caught in his throat.
And he wasn't the only one. Aside from Shohoku's own people, everyone on and off the court stared in astonishment. The first pass through the legs could have been called luck, but what about this one?
That pass was practically as though the ball had eyes.
The vision, judgment, and accuracy were enough to make their scalps tingle. Even with a play practiced countless times, few people could deliver a pass like that, let alone in an actual game!
And that stone-skipping passing technique was simply uncanny.
For quite a few people, Shirasawa's assist made them realize for the first time that watching a pass could get their blood pumping, too.
Even Sanae Nakagawa, who knew him as well as anyone could, watched in fascination with her mouth slightly open.
Beside her, Yayoi Aida blinked in disbelief, too. She had never imagined Shohoku had someone like this hidden away. This was a major oversight for a professional reporter! At that thought, she instinctively glanced at Sanae. Seeing the same astonishment on her face, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If everyone missed it, then it didn't count as missing it...
On the court, Sendoh shook his head in admiration.
"Oh... what a beautiful pass." He smiled. "That guy's Shirasawa, right? No wonder he led his team to the junior high championship."
Hearing that, Rukawa gave him a look filled with conflicting feelings, then walked away in silence.
Sendoh shrugged helplessly.
"This Rukawa really held a grudge."
The game continued.
Shirasawa's two consecutive assists had helped Shohoku establish their momentum. Things clearly hadn't followed Taoka's script, but he couldn't spare any attention for that now. His mind was still full of that last pass.
The more he thought about it calmly, the more frightening it seemed.
At that height, Miyagi was the only player on the court who could receive the ball most comfortably. And with that speed... had he even anticipated Miyagi's movement in advance?
Whatever the case, this was definitely no coincidence. It seemed more as though everything had been within his calculations.
If so, Shirasawa was terrifying. He had to find a way to restrict his playmaking, or Shirasawa really would bring Shohoku's offense to life bit by bit.
Back on the court, Rukawa once again received the ball on the wing at a forty-five-degree angle.
Under the basket, Uozumi and Akagi battled for position with sparks practically flying, neither yielding an inch.
On the other side, Hanamichi Sakuragi looked a little lost.
He felt like an outsider-because Sendoh, the man he was supposed to guard, stood leisurely with his hands on his hips, looking less like he had come to play basketball than to watch the show.