When Gu Jin's diagnosis results came out, Taoka Moichi almost held the film to his eyes and looked at it three times, until the doctor repeatedly confirmed, "It's just a minor contusion, the ligaments and bones are fine, and he'll recover in a week of rest."
Only then did his tense nerves finally relax, and his steps were lighter when he turned, muttering, "Thank goodness, thank goodness."
As the first four rounds of the elimination tournament concluded, the list of the top sixteen in Kanagawa Prefecture was finalized.
Two days later, the drums of war for the quarterfinals officially sounded, and the match schedule had already been posted on the bulletin board outside the gymnasium, attracting many fans to stop and watch:
First Match: May 19th, 9:30 AM - Hainan University Affiliated High School vs. Buyo High School
Second Match: May 19th, 2:10 PM - Tsukubu High School vs. Shohoku High School
Third Match: May 20th, 9:30 AM - Ryokufu High School vs. Buri High School
Fourth Match: May 20th, 1:20 PM - Shoyo High School vs. Jyonan High School
Fifth Match: May 20th, 3:30 PM - Ryonan High School vs. Takao High School
Sixth Match: May 22nd, 8:40 AM - Seirin High School vs. Aisai Vocational High School
Seventh Match: May 22nd, 3:20 PM - Lehao High School vs. Ritakano High School
Eighth Match: May 23rd, 10:00 AM - Shonan Commercial Affiliated High School vs. Nanhe Vocational High School.
On May 19th, in the first match, Hainan University Affiliated High School showcased its kingly heritage.
They only sent two main players, Muto Tadashi and Jin Soichiro, throughout the game, with the rest of the team being substitutes, yet they still won by a large margin of 150:78 against Buyo High School, easily advancing to the quarterfinals.
However, the second match saw a significant change—Tsukubu High School narrowly defeated Shohoku High School by 3 points, a clear deviation from the original plot.
With Tsukubu's strength, it would be no surprise if they couldn't defeat Shoyo, which means Shoyo's spot in the semifinals is essentially guaranteed.
May 20th, 9 AM.
The Ryonan team was already seated in the front row of the audience seats at the Kanagawa Prefecture Gymnasium.
Their match against Takao wasn't until 3:30 PM, but they came early to scout Ryokufu.
Currently, Ryokufu has shown impressive strength, and Aida Hikoichi borrowed all the game footage from Ryokufu High School's previous matches from his sister, Aida Yayoi.
After watching their game footage, even Taoka Moichi felt that Ryokufu might become a strong obstacle on their path to the National Tournament.
At this moment, Uozumi looked at Gu Jin, who was leaning on crutches beside him, his brows furrowed into a knot.
"Gu Jin, can't you just stay home and rest your injury?"
Gu Jin smiled: "The doctor said it's nothing serious."
"Then why are you still using crutches?" Uozumi's thick brows furrowed even tighter, his gaze fixed on the knee brace, his tone revealing unconcealed worry.
Gu Jin was amused by his anxious look and patted his crutches, "The doctor specifically instructed me to use them to reduce stress on my knee and speed up recovery.
I'm really fine!" He wiggled his ankle, "See how flexible I am.
I can still cheer for you guys when you take on Takao this afternoon."
Although Uozumi was slightly relieved, he was still a bit worried.
Just then, Aida Hikoichi came over with a notebook, his fingers quickly sliding across the pages, his voice tinged with excitement: "Coach, I've compiled all the player data for both teams."
With that, he handed over a black notebook.
Taoka Moichi nodded in satisfaction; he was very fond of this child who had average talent but was exceptionally diligent.
"Hikoichi, why don't you tell us about it," Taoka Moichi said in a gentle tone.
"Yes, Coach!"
"Let me start with Ryokufu.
Ryokufu's number 4 player is their starting center, named Na Takamitsu, 195 cm tall, weighing 88 kg.
He is a very agile center, but according to data analysis, his core strength is a level below Uozumi-senpai."
Then, Hikoichi raised his hand and pointed to the court, "That's the one under the basket."
Everyone looked over; Na Takamitsu was practicing shooting under the basket, his skilled movements immediately revealing him to be a center with diverse offensive techniques.
"Ryokufu's number 5 is the shooting guard, named Kurami Ichiro, 185 cm tall, weighing 72 kg." With that, Hikoichi turned another page, "He was already a starter last year, and his three-point shooting percentage last year was as high as 58%."
The Ryonan players nodded instinctively, an expression of understanding on their faces.
"And here comes the important part I want to talk about!" Hikoichi emphasized, "That black number 10, he's Ryokufu High School's newly recruited point guard.
He has completely replaced Ebina Ka.
His name is John Gedd, and although he's a point guard, he's a full 192 cm tall and weighs 94 kg.
His build is even stronger than their center's."
"192 cm, 94 kg for a guard? Is that suitable?" Koshino Hiroaki looked at these physical stats and felt that they were somewhat mismatched for a guard position.
Taoka Moichi, however, said, "I've looked into this person.
He played high school basketball in America.
In the United States, it's very common for people of his height to play guard; there's nothing strange about it."
Aida Hikoichi nodded thoughtfully, then continued, "Number 13 is small forward Mike Okita, I believe everyone is quite familiar with him.
He's 195 cm, 85 kg."
Here, Mike Okita was a full 3 cm taller than in the original plot, making him appear even more imposing overall.
Mike Okita on the court seemed to sense their gaze, and as he stretched his ankle, he deliberately looked towards Ryonan, a smile playing on his lips.
"Finally, number 11 is power forward James Wallace, 191 cm tall, weighing 95 kg, also American." Hikoichi pointed to the blond player on the court, "This person's rebounding ability is very strong and should not be underestimated."
"Three Americans who all played in American high school leagues, this Ryokufu really spared no expense in recruiting," Uekusa muttered, stroking his chin.
Gu Jin looked expectantly towards the Ryokufu bench, and following his gaze—in the middle of the Ryokufu bench, Mitsui Hisashi, wearing jersey number 14, was talking head-to-head with the coach, holding a pen and writing and drawing on a tactics board.
His demeanor was less like a substitute and more like an assistant coach.
Clearly, Mitsui Hisashi was no ordinary substitute; it was evident from this situation that he was being kept as a secret weapon.
After all, his three-point shooting percentage at his peak was as high as 74%.
"Now for Buri," Hikoichi quickly flipped to the next page, "Number 4 power forward Kima, 186cm; Number 5 small forward Kitakumo Takayama, 180cm; Number 6 center Tokugawa Jōshiki, 190cm; Number 7 point guard Usokura Ioka, 172cm; Number 8 shooting guard Matsui, 178cm—he is Buri's core ace."
Everyone looked at the Buri players; the tallest center, Tokugawa Jōshiki, was not even as strong as the opposing guard.
And Gu Jin was very clear about Buri's strength; perhaps this time they would stop at the top 16.