Hei Huang's elbow gently nudged him from behind, but Sakuragi didn't stumble like before—he was firmly planted in his position under the basket, knees bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, his back like an iron plate nailed to the ground, exactly the 'shoulder-sinking positioning method' Gu Jin had taught him.
Yesterday, when his calves were cramping from practice, Gu Jin had patted his back and said, 'This move looks clumsy, but it's the foundation for rebounding,' and it turned out he wasn't lying.
"Interesting," Hei Huang chuckled, then suddenly exerted force, pushing back.
Sakuragi's shoulders swayed, but his feet firmly gripped the floor's texture, refusing to give up even an inch—he remembered Taoka Moichi's earlier shout to "brace his lower body" and the afternoon he'd spent practicing the stance against a wall. The humiliation of being mocked suddenly transformed into a stubborn brute force.
Tsuchiya Jun's pass was delivered to the interior again. Just as Hei Huang was about to receive the ball, Sakuragi, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly turned sideways and lightly tapped the basketball with his fingertips—the force wasn't great, but it perfectly grazed the ball's rotation, instantly changing its direction and sending it flying towards the sideline.
"Good!" Uozumi's roar exploded beside him. He dove over, retrieving the ball before it went out of bounds, and then slammed it towards Sendo: "Fast break!"
Sendo had already activated the moment he received the ball, and Sakuragi almost instinctively charged forward with him.
This time, he didn't panic. His eyes were fixed on Sendo's back and Daiei's retreating players. Although his steps were still a bit messy, he accurately ran to the side-rear of the opponent's restricted area—the position Gu Jin had said was "easiest to grab defensive rebounds."
Daiei's guard retreated extremely quickly, reaching out to try and steal Sendo's ball.
But Sendo suddenly made a behind-the-back pass, and the basketball flew along the floor towards the basket—where not Uozumi, but the just-rushing-in Sakuragi was standing.
The entire court's laughter suddenly paused.
Sakuragi watched the basketball fly towards him, his mind clear of the pointing hands and the distracting thought of "will I make a mistake?"
He only remembered Gu Jin saying, "Don't panic when you get the ball, first look at your teammates' positions," remembered Taoka Moichi's shout to "brace your lower body," and remembered the stance he hadn't given up on yesterday, even when his muscles cramped.
He received the ball steadily, and the moment his fingertips touched the surface, Hei Huang had already come over to defend.
Sakuragi subconsciously hid the ball behind him, turning his body slightly—this 'fake move' was as clumsy as learning to walk, but it coincidentally avoided Hei Huang's steal.
"Pass it out!" Uekusa shouted from beyond the three-point line.
Sakuragi caught sight of him from the corner of his eye, raised his arm, and the basketball flew over with a slight arc.
Uekusa paused when he received the ball—the pass had just the right force and accurate angle, completely unlike the rookie who had just passed to the wrong teammate.
The moment he raised his hand to shoot, Sakuragi had already turned and rushed towards the basket.
"Bang!" The basketball hit the front rim and bounced up. Its height wasn't particularly high, but it was right above the restricted area.
The moment Hei Huang jumped, he suddenly felt a red shadow dart past him—at least half a step faster than him.
It was Sakuragi.
He didn't jump the highest, but he was like a precise cheetah, anticipating the ball's landing spot.
His right hand drew a clean arc in the air, his fingertips firmly pressing the side of the ball, then he sharply pressed down, embracing the basketball with both hands.
Then, he was even able to subconsciously pass it to Uozumi, and Uozumi didn't perform a flashy dunk, but the most solid tip-in, the basketball falling through the net with a soft 'swish'.
56:45.
The moment the scoreboard changed, the entire court was silent for half a second.
Sakuragi landed, his knees still trembling slightly, but his eyes were fixed on the basket, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. Hei Huang looked at him as he landed, his eyes no longer holding the previous disdain, but rather a hint of approval: "That was a good rebound."
"Sakuragi!" Uozumi's big hand slapped him on the back, with such force that it almost knocked him down, "Good job, kid! That's more like it!"
Sendo also ran over, giving him a thumbs-up: "Your positioning was very precise."
The voices of his teammates crashed into his ears, and Sakuragi suddenly felt as if the shouts of abuse were smoke blown away by the wind, so faint he could barely hear them.
He looked at his still trembling hands—these hands that had just barely been able to hold the ball, now had steadily assisted a score.
Daiei's offense quickly reorganized.
Tsuchiya Jun's jump shot missed again, the basketball bounced twice on the rim, suspended in mid-air.
This time, without waiting for anyone to remind him, Sakuragi had already shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
He didn't even look at Hei Huang's position, only staring at the spinning basketball, with only one thought left in his mind—grab it!
"Dream on!" Hei Huang also jumped, his long arms almost touching the ball.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch the basketball, Sakuragi suddenly twisted his body in mid-air, forcefully changing the trajectory of his jump, extending his left hand from a tricky angle, and just as the basketball was about to bounce out of bounds, he slammed it down!
He stumbled two steps upon landing but held the ball tightly in his arms, as if it were a rare treasure.
"Rebound!" Ikegami on the bench suddenly stood up, his voice filled with incredible excitement. Even the Ryonan fans who had just thrown their cheering sticks involuntarily let out a "wow."
Sakuragi held the ball, his chest heaving violently, sweat dripping from his temples into his eyes, stinging painfully, yet it allowed him to see even more clearly—his teammates were waving at him, Taoka Moichi was clenching his fists on the coach's bench, and even Gu Jin had a rare slight curve to his lips.
Daiei's players had already retreated to defend, and Sendo shouted to him from beyond the three-point line: "Pass it over!"
But Sakuragi suddenly looked up, and facing the noisy stands, he shouted with all his might: "I... am..."
His voice trembled a little, but it was like a stone hitting water, sending out ripples.
He paused, hugging the basketball in his arms even tighter, the panic and timidity in his eyes completely fading, leaving only a brightness that was almost burning—a sharp edge that had been suppressed for too long and finally broke through its shell.
"The Rebound King—Sakuragi Hanamichi!"
When he shouted the last few words, he practically roared them, his voice hitting the dome of the gymnasium, making people's ears tingle.
After shouting this, he suddenly passed the ball to Sendo and turned to run towards his own half of the court.
This time, his steps were both fast and steady, his red hair like a flickering flame under the lights.
Hei Huang watched his retreating figure and suddenly chuckled softly: "This kid, he's interesting."
The referee looked at the timer and blew the whistle for the end of the first half—56:47. The score difference remained, but the atmosphere on the court had completely changed.
Sakuragi stood in his own half of the court, watching his teammates run over to high-five him, and suddenly felt a warmth in his eyes.
When he had shouted those words just now, it was as if something had surged out of his body—all the self-doubt from being mocked, the panic from being questioned, all were crushed by the three words "Rebound King."
Gu Jin gave him a thumbs-up from the sidelines, mouthing "well done." Taoka Moichi stood with his hands on his hips, his face still stern, but the fire in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by what seemed like a hidden smile.
Sakuragi clenched his fists, his knuckles white from the effort. He knew he still had many shortcomings, his positioning would still be wrong, and his passes wouldn't always be accurate, but he suddenly wasn't afraid anymore.
Because he was the Rebound King, Sakuragi Hanamichi.
This name was one he had shouted himself, more powerful than any applause.
The urging voices of his teammates came from the direction of the locker room. Sakuragi took a deep breath and ran towards his teammates. His red hair swayed in the crowd, like a sudden burst of light, illuminating the Ryonan Team's hope for the second half.