The lights in the player tunnel cast long shadows on the floor. Aida Hikoichi hurried by Gu Jin's side, the curve of his mouth never flattening, his voice full of irrepressible excitement: "Gu Jin, we are just too strong! That was Shoyo, and we beat them by a huge margin!"
In front of the Ryonan locker room, Gu Jin paused, turning his head to look at the light at the end of the tunnel. He said calmly: "The current Shoyo hasn't truly woken up yet. When we meet them again in the Winter Selection Tournament, it won't be this easy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aida Hikoichi looked a bit puzzled, but then Taoka Moichi's slow, steady voice came from behind them: "Gu Jin is not wrong."
Inside the locker room, Taoka Moichi stood with his arms crossed, his brow slightly furrowed as if replaying every detail of the game. After a long moment, he spoke: "Shoyo's biggest problem right now is 'dependence.'"
He looked up at the Ryonan players, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "Fujima Kenji is a good player; his ball-handling, passing, and scoring are all top-notch. But when he was on the court, did you see it? Shoyo's entire offense was like a puppet show.
It's not that the other players lack ability; it's that they've long been accustomed to following Fujima's rhythm—when he's there, everyone knows what tactics to run.
But they've completely given up on self-thinking. If Fujima's command isn't precise, they'll make many low-level mistakes.
No matter how strong a person's leadership ability is, it takes time to direct others, and the timing for offense is often instantaneous.
Furthermore, while the general direction can follow instructions, the details can only be controlled by oneself!"
Aida Hikoichi nodded as if enlightened, but Gu Jin's heart stirred.
He, of course, knew Shoyo's problem, details he had seen countless times on screen in his previous life. But hearing it from Taoka Moichi's mouth, it carried a precision that penetrated beyond the surface of the game.
"Coach, are you saying..." Uozumi couldn't help but press for more.
He hadn't seen these things; on the court, he just played!
"They treat Fujima as a 'master key,' but they forget that basketball is a five-person sport."
Taoka Moichi snorted lightly, a hint of regret in his tone, "Toru Hanagata's assisting ability is underestimated, and Hasegawa's defense could clearly be more decisive. But they are always waiting for Fujima's instructions. This 'waiting' is a fatal flaw."
He paused, as if already seeing the winter court: "If Shoyo can understand this, and let every player dare to 'make their own decisions' on details—if Hanagata dares to actively call for position to assist, if Hasegawa dares to fight for the ball, if Takano and Eino dare to initiate attacks themselves when they have the ball... only then, perhaps, will they be a truly top-tier team. Right now, a 'half-beat slow' Shoyo hovers between the second and first tiers.
However, they now have a team coach, and this blind reliance might be discarded in the Winter Selection Tournament, but the current Shoyo is not ready; this time, they are destined to miss the National Tournament."
Gu Jin stood still, looking at Taoka Moichi's slightly serious profile, and suddenly felt genuine admiration.
He knew the answers because he stood from the perspective of the 'future'; but Taoka Moichi could see through all of this purely based on decades of experience in the game and his fundamental understanding of basketball.
"So that's it, everyone is waiting for Fujima's instructions, and by the time Fujima gives the instructions, the opportunity has already passed!" Aida Hikoichi suddenly understood!
Taoka Moichi's mouth curved into a rare smile when he heard this, and he patted Aida Hikoichi's shoulder: "Kid, play with your heart, and watch the game even more so. Let's go, we'll go watch the Hainan and Ryokufu game later. I hope their match will be a tough one."
When the Ryonan players changed into their jerseys and arrived at another stadium, the game between Hainan and Ryokufu had already been underway for 7 minutes.
Everyone paused, all stunned, even Gu Jin raised an eyebrow—the scoreboard clearly showed 22:13, Hainan University High School, surprisingly, was trailing by 9 points!
On the court, Ryokufu's lineup had a subtle adjustment. Number 4 center Na Takamitsu, Number 11 power forward James Wallace, Number 13 small forward Mike Okita, Number 14 shooting guard Mitsui Hisashi... Only the Number 7 player had been swapped out for that 192-centimeter black guard.
Taoka Moichi suddenly clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing: "That person is...!"
"Coach, is Ryokufu's Number 7 guard very good?" Aida Hikoichi eagerly asked.
"I could never be mistaken!" Taoka Moichi's voice held disbelief, "He was the starting guard for the last U16 National Youth Team—Sato Tatsuya!"
"Sato Tatsuya?" Aida Hikoichi's eyes widened, "Stronger than that black guard from before?"
"Personal ability aside, in terms of ball-handling and organization alone, he absolutely dominates Ryokufu's original Number 10 point guard," Taoka Moichi said in a deep voice, "Sato Tatsuya, 183 centimeters tall, 77 kilograms, a first-year student from the former Hakata Shodai High School. The starting point guard for the last National Youth Team selection... How did he end up at Ryokufu?"
"Money power," Gu Jin interjected lightly from the side.
"Money power?" Aida Hikoichi was stunned, not understanding the meaning.
Gu Jin didn't explain further, his gaze returning to the court.
Ryokufu had possession, Sato Tatsuya controlled the ball steadily, directly matched against Maki Shinichi.
"Maki, you Hainan are still the same," he sneered, "How long can you last by relying on just one person?"
"Damn it!" Kiyota Nobunaga clenched his fists, his eyes spitting fire as he stared intently at Sato.
But everyone knew that in the first 6 minutes, Hainan simply couldn't stop Ryokufu's offense. Yet in the previous game, Ryokufu had struggled even against Lehao. How could the whole team be transformed just by replacing a player with Sato?
The direction of the game seemed to have completely changed the moment this Number 7 point guard stepped onto the court.
Sato Tatsuya's taunt was like a needle, piercing the already taut nerves of the Hainan Team.
But he didn't press for a strong attack. Instead, he flicked his wrist, and the basketball traced a low, flat arc along the floor, precisely delivered into the hands of Mike Okita on the wing.
The timing of the pass was tricky, perfectly catching Hainan's defense during a rotation gap.
Muto Tadashi instinctively shifted sideways to help defend. As soon as his feet moved, he saw Mike Okita, upon receiving the ball, suddenly change direction, his left shoulder slightly dipping as if to drive. Then he lowered his center of gravity and shot past Muto Tadashi like an arrow from a bow—his footwork was astonishingly fast, carrying a hint of American player explosiveness, completely unlike the sluggishness he showed against Lehao earlier.
(P.S.: The previous Number 10 point guard was chosen by Fujisawa Eri out of whim to imitate Ryonan's style, and was completely unsuited for Ryokufu High School!!!)
"Not good!" Kosha Kazuma saw this and immediately abandoned his matchup with Na Takamitsu, striding quickly to cover the paint.
He knew how terrifying Mike Okita's jumping ability was and couldn't let him easily penetrate the key.
But Mike Okita's speed far exceeded his expectations.
Just as he stepped into the free-throw line, Takasago's figure was already close, his broad chest almost blocking all shooting angles.
Just when the Ryonan players thought he would pull up for a jump shot, Mike Okita suddenly gathered the ball, bent his knees, and leaped—his whole body like a compressed spring suddenly released, charging straight for the basket against Takasago's block!
"Too impulsive!" Taoka Moichi couldn't help but exclaim.
Kosha Kazuma also gritted his teeth and jumped, raising his arms high, trying to build the last barrier with his height and weight.
However, the next second, Mike Okita performed a subtle hang-time move in the air, dodging Takasago's arms, and then exerted force forcefully—
"Bang!"
A deafening thud exploded in the air above the stadium.
Mike Okita slammed the ball into the basket with his right hand, his entire body hanging from the rim due to inertia, looking down from above at Kosha Kazuma, who he had dunked over and was now on the ground, the sharpness in his eyes completely different from before.
The sidelines instantly erupted.
"Great shot!" The entire Ryokufu bench stood up and roared.
On the Ryonan side, Aida Hikoichi gasped: "This... this explosiveness! Did he not show his true ability before?"
Gu Jin's gaze narrowed slightly.
Sato Tatsuya's pass seemed simple, but it completely revitalized Ryokufu's offense—he didn't insist on one-on-one against Maki Shinichi,
Instead, he found the most threatening spot with the fastest speed, allowing Mike Okita's speed and jumping advantage to be fully unleashed in the instant there was no help defense.
On the court, Sato Tatsuya raised his chin at Mike Okita, who had landed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, the Hainan Team players' faces were ashen, especially Kosha Kazuma, who climbed up from the floor with clenched fists, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
The scoreboard flickered, 24:13. Ryokufu's lead was still expanding.