Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 373 Mike Okita's Challenge

Three days later, the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament proceeded as scheduled.

At the rally, Xiangbei, the champion of last year's county tournament, stood at the very center.

On one side are Shoyo, Ryonan, and Takezato.

As the basketball manager, Ayako stood at the front of the team with her badge, one meter away from the Shohoku players.

In the Shohoku team, Kogure stood at the front as usual, followed closely by Mitsui, Akagi, and Naito.

Compared to last year, Mitsui has moved up the rankings and is finally ahead of Akagi.

Of course, this is also related to Mitsui becoming the team's vice-captain.

In Mitsui's words, he is now the team's undisputed second-in-command.

During the rally, Kogure and Mitsui began whispering to each other.

The two mainly discussed the Buri team.

"The changes in Buri this year are quite significant!"

"Yes, not only did they change coaches, but they also changed the players. This year's Buri team can be described as having a strong and well-equipped squad."

After Kazumi Kawasaki became the coach of Takezato, he not only poached several key players from Tsukubu, but also recruited high-quality newcomers such as Mike Okita and Katsumi Ichiro.

Among them, Mike Okita is a five-star high school player in the United States, and it is said that he has even received attention from the NBA.

However, compared to Ronnie Fields and Kevin Garnett, Mike Okita is definitely far inferior.

Five-star high school players are rated by American media based on various abilities of high school players. Five stars represent the highest level and belong to the top group of high school players.

Each year, there are approximately 15-25 students admitted to five-star high schools, while there are approximately 100-120 students admitted to four-star high schools.

This graduating class of five high school stars can be described as exceptionally talented. In addition to Ronnie Fields, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant, there are also many members of the legendary 96 draft class.

Judging from Mike Okita's demonstrated abilities, he is likely to rank low among the five-star high school students.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few players in Slam Dunk whose skills are no less than Mike Okita's.

"The competition in Kanagawa this year is even fiercer. I wonder which strong team will be eliminated?"

With the strength of these four teams, they would have been contenders for the national championship in the past.

Unfortunately, Kanagawa has a limited number of spots, and it's even possible that they might not qualify.

"It wasn't us anyway!"

Mitsui shrugged, a gloating expression on his face.

"Mitsui, underestimating your opponent is a grave mistake!"

Kogure offered a reminder.

When this comes up, he thinks of the Heat's Big Three at their peak.

Classics never go out of style!

The Heat's Big Three at their peak were strong enough, right? In Game 4 of the Finals, Nowitzki had a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius and symptoms of sinusitis, but he still played despite his illness and hit the crucial game-winning shot.

Then, the iconic scene unfolded.

Before Game 5, gOat and Wade imitated Nowitzki's coughing and covering his mouth with his jersey during the game in front of reporters, which is the origin of the "coughing incident".

This behavior was seen as disrespectful to the opponent and angered the entire Mavericks team. In the end, the Mavericks reversed the Heat 4-2 to win the championship. This series is also known as one of the most prestigious championships!

During the casual conversation, the rally finally came to a close.

As a seeded team in the county tournament, Shohoku was granted the privilege of receiving a bye in three games, which was equivalent to being guaranteed a spot in the top eight.

At Coach Anzai's command, the Shohoku team immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

The main reason they didn't watch the game was that the teams outside the top four posed no threat to them. This included Hainan High School, which was on a downward trend.

This Hainan Affiliated High School team lost Maki and failed to recruit Jin and Kiyota. Their strongest players are actually Kazuma Takasago and Masashi Muto. Can you believe it?
Aside from these two, the only other players whose names we can recall are Kosuke and Yoshinori Miyamasu; the rest are just background characters.

No, there's one more!
Kogure stared at Oda Ryusei with surprise, because this guy was in the Hainan Affiliated High School's queue.

To everyone's surprise, Oda Ryusei did not join Takeen High School, but instead joined Hainan High School.

How is this any different from joining the National Revolutionary Army in 49?
Although I don't like Oda, I have to admit that he has a lot of talent. Even if he were on a top national team, he would have a chance to become a starter.

Unfortunately, for some reason, this guy ended up joining the declining Hainan High School.

Given the current situation in Kanagawa, Hainan High School has absolutely no chance of qualifying.

In addition, Coach Gao Tou's time at Hainan Affiliated High School is also not easy, and this meritorious coach is very likely to be nearing the end.

Without Coach Gao, Hainan High School's competitiveness will further decline.

In Slam Dunk, Coach Takato's coaching ability is commendable, second only to Coach Anzai.

Kogure shook his head, showing no pity for Oda Ryusei.

The path you choose, you must walk it to the end, even with tears in your eyes.

Like Shohoku High School, Hainan High School also left the gymnasium.

As one of the top eight teams in last year's county competition, Hainan Affiliated High School also enjoys the privilege of a bye in the first round.

As soon as he left the stadium, a blond-haired guy casually walked towards Kogure.

Then, scenes reminiscent of Sakuragi and Morishige Hiroshi's clashes were created.

bang~
The two men's shoulders collided, and the "yellow-haired" man's expression changed drastically. He staggered and was knocked to the ground.

He was none other than Mike Okita.

Unlike the disheveled Mike Okita, Kogure was almost unaffected.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Mike Okita was shocked and began to question the meaning of life.

As an American player, he was always very confident in his physical strength, but he was defeated by Kogure.

Why did Mike Okita approach Kogure?

Just like Sakuragi sought out Morishige Hiroshi for the same reason: he wanted to challenge a stronger opponent.

Since joining the Takezato team, Mike Okita has frequently heard news about Kogure.

So, in a moment of impulsiveness, he made this attempt.

Unfortunately, it seems he chose the wrong target.

"Are you OK?"

Kogure stopped and looked down at Mike Okita, who was sitting on the ground.

In fact, Kogure had already discovered this before Mike Okita even contacted him.

However, he didn't take it to heart.

Mike Okita's strength is at best comparable to Rukawa Kaede in the original work.

"No...it's okay!"

Mike Okita stood up from the ground. He was not entirely American, but of Japanese and American descent.

This is also why Mike Okita is able to understand Japanese.

However, he seemed very unwilling.

"Kogure, I've heard you're the number one high school student in the country, so I'm challenging you!"

Mike Okita was very direct and immediately challenged Kogure.

"Many people challenge me, who do you think you are?"

Kogure stood still, smiled slightly, and remained noncommittal.

His meaning was clear: Mike Okita was not qualified.

Mike Okita felt humiliated after being rejected by Kogure.

His fist hardened instantly!

However, after hearing Kogure's next words, Mike Okita loosened his fist again.

"How about this, if you can beat Rukawa Kaede, I'll give you that chance. By the way, he's a year below you!"

Mike Okita is set as a second-year high school student, but as a Japanese-American, he studied in the United States for a year.

Judging from his performance in the anime, his strength is comparable to Rukawa Kaede's. Of course, this refers to Rukawa Kaede before the National Tournament.

Under Kogure's tutelage, Rukawa's strength clearly surpassed that of his contemporaries.

Kogure has reason to believe that Mike Okita is no longer a match for Rukawa.

"Okay, I promise you!"

Mike Okita readily agreed.

At this point, Sakuragi protested.

"Senior Kogure, why did you hand him over to that arrogant fox?"

"Sakuragi, you are our Shohoku's secret weapon, how can we show it to others so easily!"

When he said this, Kogure deliberately lowered his voice.

Upon hearing Kogure's words, Sakuragi's anger instantly turned to joy.

"Haha, so I was the secret weapon!"

Sakuragi, that silly kid, was so easily fooled by Kogure.

Mitsui and the others couldn't bear to watch and instinctively moved away from Sakuragi.

It was at this moment that Coach Kazumi Kawasaki led his team toward them.

He had just discovered that Mike Okita had fallen behind, so he immediately turned back to look for him, only to encounter this situation.

"teacher!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki immediately extended his warm greetings to Coach Anzai.

Kazumi Kawasaki became the coach of Takezato not only because of his outstanding coaching ability, but also because of Coach Anzai's recommendation.

“Teacher, Mike Okita did not mean to offend you. I apologize on his behalf.”

Upon learning the cause of the conflict, Kazumi Kawasaki immediately bowed and apologized to Coach Anzai.

"Kawasaki, he's not wrong. Didn't we all go through the same thing when we were young?"

Coach Anzai patted Kawasaki Kazumi on the shoulder and helped him up.

While the two coaches were talking, Rukawa said to Mike Okita, "There's a basketball court nearby, let's have our match there."

Rukawa was filled with excitement after learning that Mike Okita was a five-star high school student in America.

Soon, Rukawa Kaede led everyone to an open-air basketball court with practiced ease.

At first glance, Kogure felt that this place looked somewhat familiar.

Isn't this the place where he first met Rukawa Kaede?

Soon, Kogure explained the basic rules.

The game uses a set score, and the first player to reach 11 points wins. Players may not dribble more than 3 times in a single offensive possession.

After each point or change of possession, the ball must be returned to the three-point line to start again.

Finally, an offensive and defensive rotation mechanism is adopted.

Regardless of whether the attacking team scores or not, possession of the ball must be returned to the defending team.

After the rules were announced, the two sides decided to go first by flipping a coin.

Rukawa Kaede was lucky and got the first strike.

"Kid, I'll end this pointless duel as soon as possible!"

Mike Okita passed the ball to Rukawa, seemingly not taking Rukawa seriously.

In fact, this guy is quite arrogant and rather cocky.

From beginning to end, he did not believe that Rukawa Kaede, who was a year younger than him, could defeat him.

Rukawa remained silent, his gaze focused and calm.

Without the slightest hesitation, he started moving instantly upon receiving the ball.

His movements were incredibly fluid, a natural reaction honed through countless hours of practice.

This caught Mike Okita completely off guard!
So fast!

Despite Mike Okita's extensive experience, he was caught off guard by Rukawa's sudden breakthrough and could only watch helplessly as Rukawa's figure swept past him.

Mike Okita quickly turned and gave chase; he was very fast, and the distance between them rapidly closed.

snort~
Just as Mike Okita was about to catch up, Rukawa suddenly stopped, and Mike Okita, unable to stop in time, rushed past him.

By the time Mike Okita reacted, there were already two steps between them.

shuh~
Rukawa Kaede pulled up for a jump shot, the basketball arcing gracefully through the air before piercing the rim with perfect accuracy.

The net shook violently and made a crisp sound as the basketball hit it.

"Your strength is not bad. It seems I underestimated you!"

After Rukawa scored a goal, Mike Okita awkwardly touched his nose.

He no longer underestimated Rukawa Kaede and became noticeably serious.

Possession changed!

Rukawa Kaede casually passed the basketball to Mike Okita.

After receiving the ball, Mike Okita chose to dribble and break through.

Mike Okita's breakthrough style was completely different from the opponents Rukawa had encountered before. His breakthrough moves were concise, powerful, and without any hesitation.

This made it difficult for Rukawa to adapt, and Mike Okita successfully broke through his defenses.

Mike Okita quickly rushed to the basket, jumped high, and slammed the ball into the hoop.

Bang~
With a loud bang, the basketball hoop shook violently, making a creaking sound as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Mike quickly released the basket, fearing it would tip over and crush him.

The outdoor basketball court has old facilities and is rarely maintained, so its quality is questionable.

Therefore, do not attempt to dunk on an outdoor basketball court.

Because trying it could actually lead to death, after all, that's how Ikegami time-traveled!

"It's one to one!"

Mike Okita beamed with confidence and then passed the ball back to Rukawa.

Mike Okita knew that Rukawa's ability to break through defenses was not to be underestimated, so he significantly increased his defensive efforts.

In this attack, Rukawa Kaede attempted to break through again and cleverly used a crossover step.

Mike Okita tried his best to defend and keep up with Rukawa's pace, but his center of gravity was still affected and Rukawa easily broke through.

After completing the breakthrough, Rukawa Kaede charged straight to the basket like a wild horse.

shuh~
Mike Okita couldn't catch up and could only watch helplessly as Rukawa scored a layup.

2:1
Mike Okita shook his head helplessly, his expression becoming much more serious.

After these two rounds, he realized that Rukawa Kaede was definitely a formidable opponent.

He secretly vowed to himself that he must stop Rukawa Kaede and prevent him from scoring easily again.

Unfortunately, this is destined to be a pipe dream!
When it was Mike Okita's turn to attack, his breakthrough move was almost identical to the previous one.

He quickly started his run, using his strong physique and explosiveness to break through with the ball.

Rukawa Kaede has an extremely strong defensive awareness and successfully anticipated his opponent's intentions.

He quickly adjusted his pace and used his body to block Mike Okita's path.

Despite Rukawa's tight defense, Mike Okita managed to force a breakthrough using his strength.

Rukawa Kaede did not give up and quickly turned around to chase after Mike Okita.

In the midst of the struggle, Mike Okita suddenly stopped, trying to shake off Rukawa Kaede.

However, Rukawa was not fooled by Mike Okita's sudden stop. He maintained his center of gravity well and remained firmly in Mike Okita's path.

This, on the contrary, made Mike Okita feel very uncomfortable.

(End of this chapter)