In the summer evening, the setting sun shines obliquely, light and shadows interweave, and the breeze blows gently.
In the park's court, Sakuragi Hanamichi bent his knees slightly, stared straight ahead, and slapped the basketball with his right hand. Jinguji Takeshi stood at the intersection, looking into the court from a distance, and could also see Sakuragi Hanamichi's shirt, which was completely wet with sweat.
Next to the basketball hoop, Mito Yohei and others were sitting or standing, watching Sakuragi Hanamichi practicing on the court without saying a word.
"This guy... is beyond my expectations!"
Jinguji Takeshi murmured softly when he saw this scene. Sakuragi Hanamichi sweats a lot, even if it is summer now, it will take a while to reach the level of sweating that Sakuragi Hanamichi can achieve.
It can be seen that Sakuragi Hanamichi had been training for a long time before Jinguji Budou came to the court. Today, there was no Akagi Haruko on the court, nor was there Jinguji Budou.
"You! Brother Wudao is here."
Mito Yohei turned his head inadvertently and saw Jinguji Takeshi at the intersection, and then smiled and greeted Takeshi. His voice attracted the attention of others, and Takamiya and others also smiled and waved at Takeshi.
When Sakuragi Hanamichi saw Wudao, he stopped training, casually put the basketball between his waist, and happily waved at Wudao and shouted: "Brother! I have learned how to dribble!"
Wudao approached and greeted everyone with a smile. Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately ran in front of Jinguji Wudao, dribbled the ball twice, and said, "Brother, I have learned how to dribble. Now, teach me other things."
"You just dribbled the ball twice and you're so ashamed to say you've learned how to dribble. You're really... "
Sakuragi Hanamichi's words made Wudao speechless. How long has this kid been in contact with basketball? He dared to say that he has learned to dribble. However, Wudao knew Sakuragi Hanamichi's character and didn't want to discourage Sakuragi Hanamichi's enthusiasm, so he didn't say such words out loud, but just thought about it in his heart.
However, Sakuragi still needs to correct this mentality. If he takes basketball so lightly, it will not be a good thing for Sakuragi's future.
"Haha, Hanamichi, you really work very hard."
"Very good. If you keep training like this, I'm afraid it won't be long before you surpass me."
"Then I'll really be able to make Haruko look at me with more respect."
Wudao patted Sakuragi Hanamichi's shoulder and complimented him with a smile, then he grabbed the basketball from Sakuragi Hanamichi's waist and said, "I'm going to win this game."
"Hanamichi, your dribbling skills have indeed improved a lot, but what you just did is just the basics of the basics. Even if you complete it, it won't mean much."
"I'll teach you advanced moves, so pay attention."
As he spoke, Wudao opened his legs, slightly bent his knees and began to dribble the ball in a figure-8 position. While dribbling, he said, "Look, look forward when you dribble."
"The purpose is to be able to see the opponent's movements clearly."
"Keep your back straight to facilitate the breakthrough movement."
"Dribble around your legs, it will be easier for you to control the basketball."
Jinguji Takeshi was demonstrating to Sakuragi Hanamichi as he spoke. He didn't worry about whether Sakuragi Hanamichi's basics were solid enough or whether he could complete such a dribbling move at this stage. He was only teaching Sakuragi Hanamichi such a move to make him enthusiastic about training.
Budou knew Hanamichi's personality well. If he was asked to do boring exercises without anyone watching, he probably wouldn't last long. Give him some slightly difficult dribbling moves. Even if he couldn't complete them right away, it didn't matter. Sakuragi would think about completing them.
"Oh! It looks a little difficult, but things like this won't be difficult for me!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi was indeed very interested in the new things that Wudao had taught him. After all, he was a teenager and was always curious about new things. After being curious, he wanted to try them himself.
Wudao gave the basketball to Sakuragi Hanamichi and let Sakuragi Hanamichi practice by himself, while he walked to the sidelines and sat with Yohei and others.
"I saw him playing with a ball today when I went to school. Sakuragi seems to be more passionate about becoming an athlete than ever before!"
"Brother Budao, what happened?"
"I can see that Sakuragi seems to be different this time than before. He doesn't seem to be a flash in the pan."
Mito Yohei asked Jinguji Budou who was sitting next to him. After hearing his words, Takamiya and others all looked at Jinguji Budou. The state that Sakuragi Hanamichi showed now made his friends very curious.
"It's normal for adolescent children to have aspirations for sports."
"If you spend a few more days with this guy Sakuragi, you will soon find out why."
Wu Dao smiled when he heard this, but did not directly tell Yang Ping and others the reason.
"Really? Then I want to see what kind of magic it is." Yohei, Takamiya and others looked at each other, and then looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi in the field. The exploration and curiosity in their eyes became more and more intense.
The Sakuragi Army's muddled junior high school life finally had something interesting waiting for them to explore.
...
The high-intensity training of Xiangbei High School lasted for two days. After a short period of high-intensity training, Xiangbei's practice volume began to decrease significantly, and the round-robin competition of the top four was getting closer and closer.
There have been some changes in Jinguji Budou's life. He often finishes the team's training half an hour early and takes time to go to the park to teach Sakuragi Hanamichi.
And Budo's training arrangement for Sakuragi Hanamichi is also very simple, which is just dribbling and ball exercises.
Jinguji Budou currently positions Sakuragi Hanamichi as a power forward with both offensive and defensive capabilities. At this stage, Budou does not attach much importance to defensive training because Sakuragi Hanamichi has a very good defensive instinct and terrifying physical fitness. Once he joins Shohoku in the future, his defense can be greatly improved in a short period of time.
In this regard, Sakuragi Hanamichi in the original world has already proved his defensive talent. In terms of inside skills, such as positioning, rebounding, and basic knowledge of basketball games, these things are not taught by Budo, so these things can be handed over to the Akagi Takenori brother and sister. Their teaching effect is definitely better than Budo's.
As for physical training, Sakuragi really doesn't need it for the time being. First, Sakuragi Hanamichi's physical fitness is very terrifying, and he can be considered to be gifted. Another reason is that Sakuragi Hanamichi has not yet entered the developmental period, so a normal amount of exercise is enough.
The main reason why Jinguji Budou focused on improving his physical fitness when he was in junior high school was because his body was weak. Without improving his physical fitness, he would not be able to beat others on the court. Another reason was that Budou had medicines provided by the system, so he was not afraid of strain.
But Sakuragi Hanamichi and martial arts are completely different.
Therefore, when training Sakuragi, Budou focused on dribbling. Dribbling is the lifeblood of all basketball players. In the future, Budou also plans to let Sakuragi learn the footsteps of Dream like him. All of this requires strong dribbling skills as the cornerstone.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was also very particular about methods when teaching martial arts. He knew that Sakuragi was a person with little patience, so whenever Sakuragi showed signs of complaining, he would change his method to train Sakuragi's dribbling.
Before I knew it, a week had passed quickly.
Sakuragi also went to Akagi's house twice on Saturday and Sunday. Although Wudao didn't know what Akagi Takenori taught Sakuragi Hanamichi, what Wudao knew was that the enthusiasm that Sakuragi Hanamichi showed when he trained with Wudao on Monday was even higher than when he first came into contact with basketball last week.
"Sakuragi, you have been practicing basketball for more than a week, but you still don't seem to have a clear understanding of basketball."
"This Saturday, the county gymnasium will hold a high school county tournament round-robin tournament. We at Xiangbei will be playing there. Come to the gymnasium and watch our game."
"By the way, Haruko should be going too. You can try to ask her to go with you."
"In this game, I will open the door to a new world for you!"
That evening, Jinguji Takeshi was coaching Sakuragi Hanamichi at the park court as usual. After the training, Takeshi told Sakuragi Hanamichi this message before leaving.
"It's a basketball game!"
"What is the gate to the new world?!"
"Let's go take a look. Besides, Haruko is here~~"
Sakuragi Hanamichi remained committed to playing basketball, and when he heard that Haruko was going, he immediately agreed.
...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is the day of the county competition round-robin.
It was only eight o'clock, but the Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium was already packed with people. The basketball atmosphere in Kanagawa Prefecture is quite good, and the schedule has reached the semi-finals, so almost all spectators who are interested in high school basketball will come to watch the game.
There were even teams from other counties that had staggered their game times and rushed to Kanagawa Prefecture to watch the game. These people were all here to watch the Hainan game. The Hainan University Affiliated High School in Kanagawa Prefecture was a veteran strong team that had entered the national competition for more than ten consecutive years.
It is also quite famous across the country. Many teams come from hundreds of miles away to watch the game just to observe the strength of this national powerhouse in advance.
Outside the stadium, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Akagi Haruko walked up the stairs side by side, and Mito Yohei and others followed behind Sakuragi Hanamichi and Haruko, with a distance of four or five meters between them. Sakuragi Hanamichi was talking to Akagi Haruko with a silly smile on his face, and Haruko was also excited. It seemed that these two people had a lot in common.
The "happiness" on Sakuragi Hanamichi's face could not be concealed at all, and it had already overflowed. Even from a distance, Yohei and others could feel it.
"Sakuragi actually succeeded in asking Haruko out?! How is it possible for a guy who has been dumped more than 20 times?!" Noma fell behind Sakuragi and Haruko, a look of disbelief on his face.
"This idiot not only got to know such a beautiful girl, but he was also talking and laughing with her. How did he do it?!" Oonusu Kumaji couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. He grabbed his collar and started biting it, looking very angry.
"Hey, you guys tell me, how long will it take for Sakuragi to be dumped this time?"
"Let's make a bet. I'll bet two weeks!"
Gao Gongwang crossed his arms across his chest, and a lewd smile suddenly appeared on his fat face. It wasn't that Gao Gongwang wanted to smile lewdly, but his face looked lewd no matter how he smiled.
"Hey, you guys, how can you say that about Hanamichi?!" Mito Yohei stopped his companions seriously. As he spoke, Yohei took out a banknote from his trouser pocket and said with a grin, "I bet for half a month!"
His seriousness only lasted for a few seconds.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was walking in front of Haruko Akagi, had no idea that he had become a gambling target for his friends. At this moment, he was surrounded by a strong sense of happiness. This was his first time to be "alone" with a girl.
"Hurry up, Sakuragi, the game is about to start!" While chatting with Sakuragi, Haruko Akagi subconsciously glanced at the watch on the inside of her wrist, checked the time, and immediately anxiously grabbed Sakuragi Hanamichi's arm and ran towards the venue.
Sakuragi obviously didn't expect Haruko to suddenly hold his hand, and subconsciously followed Haruko to run into the field, his face already red. Mito and others who followed Sakuragi Hanamichi and Akagi Haruko looked at each other in amazement, and then hurriedly followed.
Inside the stadium, the two teams were warming up. At the call of Coach Anxi, the Xiangbei players returned to the rest area, while the Wuyuan High School players also returned to the leisure area to make final preparations.
In the audience seats on the south side of the stadium, all you can see are girls in school uniforms. The entire stadium is filled with the cheers of these girls. These are Wuyuan's cheerleading team.
"Huh, we finally caught up!" Haruko Akagi pulled Sakuragi Hanamichi to the intersection of the audience passage. Haruko breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the venue with excitement.
The moment Sakuragi Hanamichi walked out of the passage, he was startled by the tsunami-like cheers. Looking at the densely packed venue, Sakuragi Hanamichi couldn't help but be a little dazed.
The metal halide lamps on the top of the court illuminated the entire court. The brightness was slightly dim on the audience side, but standing on this side, the view of the court was clearer, a scene that Sakuragi Hanamichi had never experienced before. The cheers of the audience entered Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears, making his blood boil unconsciously.
Feeling the atmosphere of the stadium, Sakuragi Hanamichi seemed to understand what Wudao meant by the "gate to the new world" he talked about.
"This... is a basketball game!" Sakuragi Hanamichi was thinking this in his heart, but was suddenly grabbed by Haruko's hand and ran down the stairs. He did not stop until he reached the fence at the front of the audience seats.
"Brother, come on!" Haruko Akagi shouted towards the stadium, but her voice was instantly drowned out by the cheers of the audience.
Sakuragi Hanamichi looked in the direction Haruko was going and saw five players from Xiangbei walking out towards the court. The leader was very familiar to Sakuragi Hanamichi, it was Haruko Akagi's brother, Takenori Akagi.
"Hey, Brother Budo is sitting on the bench and not on the court. Isn't he an athlete?!"
Behind Sakuragi, Mito Yohei's voice suddenly sounded. At this time, Yohei and his group were standing beside Sakuragi, looking curiously towards the field.
"Hahaha, Brother Budou is just bragging. He said he is an athlete, but it turns out he is not~" Takamiya Nozomi saw Jinguji Budou sitting on the bench of the Shohoku team and laughed.
At this time, the players on the Xiangbei side were the starting team headed by Akagi Takenori. Apart from Akagi, the rest of the players were first-year students. Miyagi Ryouta, Kakuda Satoru, Shiozaki Tetsushi, Yasuda Yasuharu. The whole team looked like it had no momentum at all.
"You... Why are you guys here?!" When Sakuragi Hanamichi saw Yohei and his group, his face suddenly changed. He subconsciously protected Haruko and shouted at them.
Sakuragi is also an experienced person. He was dumped so many times before, and it was not entirely his own fault. These bad friends also played a big role! Anyone who sees Sakuragi Hanamichi hanging out with this group of people who seem difficult to get along with will feel suspicious.
"Hmm? Sakuragi, is this your friend?"
"Hello, my name is Akagi Haruko, nice to meet you."
Obviously, Akagi Haruko was different from all the girls that Sakuragi Hanamichi had confessed to. When she saw Yohei and others, she was not afraid at all, but greeted them enthusiastically. This behavior surprised Yohei and others, and then they restrained their tempers and politely introduced themselves to Haruko.
"Haruko, have you watched Shohoku's games before? Brother... is he really not a basketball player?"
"He's just... a bench?!"
After Sakuragi and others briefly got to know Yohei and Haruko, they picked up what Yohei and others had just said and asked Haruko who was beside them.
To be honest, Sakuragi Hanamichi was a little disappointed. He trusted Jinguji Takeshi very much and always regarded Takeshi as his goal. At this time, seeing Jinguji Takeshi sitting on the bench, there was a big gap between the current image of Takeshi and the image of Takeshi in Hanamichi's mind!
This made Sakuragi feel like he was being cheated, and he felt uncomfortable.
"ah?!"
"How is that possible? Jinguji-senpai is the ace of Shohoku High School."
"The current lineup is just a test, just watch and see."
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