Half an hour before the warm-up game began, students started pouring into Yokohama International’s basketball club.
They wore matching school uniforms, and at a glance, the stands were a vivid sea of red.
Honestly, it looked rather intimidating.
Several hundred people shouted the team’s slogan at the same time, something along the lines of “Let’s go, G2.” “Everyone, get your heads in the game.
This is our first match of the year.
Although it’s only a warm-up game, we still need to take it seriously!” Before the game began, Hayato Takahashi called the players together.
This opponent had been chosen by him by name, so the young players on the team could experience what it felt like to play in front of a crowd.
It was mainly prepared for Hibari.
In Chiba Middle School’s starting lineup this year, Hibari was the only first-year.
Everyone else was a second- or third-year.
Most school basketball teams were like this.
Unless someone possessed exceptional talent, they needed to wait for their opportunity on the bench.
In the first year, players trained hard and integrated into the team.
In the second year, they began receiving playing time and accumulated game experience on the court.
In the third year, which was also the final year, they would have successfully integrated into the team, and their technique and experience would be nearly accumulated.
At that point, they could represent the team as starters.
Eikichi Nebuya was a genius, so he had firmly held a starting spot last year.
This year, that genius was Hibari.
He needed to prove to Hayato Takahashi that he was ready.
“The starting lineup remains unchanged.
But I’ll say this again: don’t be discouraged.
I can’t guarantee that the next game will be the same as today.” “Chiba Middle School doesn’t care about seniority.
We only look at ability.
This series of warm-up games is your chance to prove yourselves!” This was Chiba Middle School’s style, and it was also Hayato Takahashi’s style.
Fight, fight, and keep damn fighting!
Today, Hibari wore jersey number 5.
There was no special meaning behind it.
Under FIBA rules, team numbers were fixed.
From number 4 to number 15, there were only twelve numbers to choose from.
Number 4 was fixed as the captain’s number, and it belonged to Eikichi Nebuya.
Hayato Takahashi let Hibari choose, so he casually picked number 5.
“Go make a mess out there.
Our goal today is to turn Yokohama International’s gym into a library!” Hayato Takahashi was full of passion as he sent his players onto the court to warm up.
“So this is our opponent today?” “Mm.
Chiba Middle School.
They reached the national top sixteen last year.” “I heard their center is very strong.” “I think his name is Eikichi Nebuya.
He was a strong contender for the title of strongest number five last year.” “He looks pretty good.” In the stands, students assessed Hibari and the others.
Although Chiba Middle School had reached the national top sixteen, they weren’t particularly worried.
In the end, it was a team from the countryside.
In terms of competitiveness, it couldn’t compare with Kanagawa.
In truth, every year’s national tournament had plenty of teams whose reputations exceeded their actual strength.
They rose out of regions with little competition, and with a decent draw, they could achieve fairly good results.
In contrast, in major regions like Tokyo and Kanagawa, the teams that successfully broke through were elite among elites.
Yokohama International had failed to fight its way out last year, but its overall strength was considered national-level.
Naturally, they had reason to look down on Chiba Middle School.
“Who’s number 5?
He’s so handsome!” A sharp-eyed girl suddenly noticed Hibari, attracted by a face whose handsomeness was second only to the honored readers.
It was a standard handsome face.
The key was his temperament.
He carried the calm confidence of someone who had been reborn.
Even Yukino had no choice but to admit that if Hibari hadn’t been born with that mouth, and if he weren’t so infuriating…
He really would be very charming.
In just that instant, Hibari was already targeted by many girls who planned to ask for his number after the game ended.
“As expected.
Hibari-kun’s face is lethal to girls.” Momoi had also come to the venue today.
Although the coach had told her to focus on the Tokyo region, she had continued paying attention to Chiba Middle School.
She believed this team would cause trouble for Teiko.
This was a woman’s intuition!
Before long, the referee signaled for both teams’ players to step into the center circle, and the venue erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Hibari took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Although warm-up games did not provide lottery chances, this game would determine his position in the team’s hierarchy.
The game began.
During the jump ball, Eikichi Nebuya won the right to the first possession for the team.
The team’s point guard, Kai Ito, dribbled to the three-point line and lobbed the ball into the restricted area.
Eikichi Nebuya used his body to knock the opponent aside, then turned and threw down a two-handed dunk to open the scoring.
This was the food chain of the Kuroko’s Basketball world.
Including the movie, Nash was first, Jason Silver and the Generation of Miracles were second, Shogo Haizaki, Tatsuya Himuro, and Shuzo Nijimura were third, followed closely by the five Uncrowned Kings, including Eikichi Nebuya.
When watching the anime, Hibari hadn’t felt that Nebuya was particularly impressive, but on the court, Eikichi Nebuya’s destructive power was considerable.
On the next possession, Yokohama International’s shooting guard ran a pick-and-roll with the center, pulling Eikichi Nebuya out of the restricted area, then accelerated to the basket for a layup.
Yokohama International really did have something to them.
At the very least, that pick-and-roll was executed with considerable quality.
According to the information Yukino had collected, pick-and-roll offense was Yokohama International’s main offensive method, accounting for 30% of their average scoring.
The opponent’s starting shooting guard was a third-year player who had averaged 18.5 points per game last year.
That number was not low.
In this kind of forty-minute middle school game, a team scoring more than 80 points in a game was already considered quite excellent.
Of course.
If they thought they could score so easily, they were being a little too wishful.
Hibari had noticed the opponent the moment Eikichi Nebuya was pulled out, and he stayed alert for the pick-and-roll.
After all, pick-and-roll offense was known as the starting point of all basketball tactics.
Of the tactics Hibari knew, most began with a pick-and-roll.
Middle school basketball could not compare with professional leagues.
After a pick-and-roll, there were basically only a few options.
Either the ball handler used the screen to drive, passed to the rolling teammate after the screen, or drew the defense before passing.
The opponent chose the first option.
This wasn’t because Hibari’s basketball IQ was especially brilliant, but because Yukino’s materials clearly recorded that the opponent’s number two had a strong desire to score.
Hibari accelerated and rushed over, delivering a block the instant the opponent released the ball.
“Smack!” The basketball was swatted out of bounds by him.
…
Please add this book to your library!