Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 399 National Competition Grouping Situation
Time flew by unnoticed, and soon the day for the national competition to begin arrived.

As the host, the Kanagawa National Gymnasium will host this year's Summer National Tournament.

After Kanagawa Prefecture became the host of the national tournament, the enthusiasm of the people of Kanagawa was reignited.

Even though there was still an hour before the rally was scheduled to begin, the seats in the stadium had already been occupied by enthusiastic spectators, creating a lively atmosphere.

Even the usually overlooked passageways were filled with people eagerly waiting.

The area outside the stadium was equally bustling.

Many Kanagawa residents who couldn't get tickets didn't leave; they gathered at the stadium entrance, their faces beaming with excitement and anticipation.

They hope that the Kanagawa team can win the championship on home soil again, just like last year.

The difference is that the last one was the winter tournament, while this one is the summer national tournament.

Given that many third-year players will not participate in the Winter Tournament, the Summer National Tournament is considered more prestigious.

As the rally drew near, the atmosphere inside the stadium grew increasingly enthusiastic.

Soon, teams left the players' tunnel and entered the stadium.

For a moment, the fans craned their necks and stood on tiptoe, trying to peek through the gaps in the crowd at the spectacle that was about to unfold.

This year's national tournament saw four teams from Kanagawa participate, undoubtedly breaking the national tournament participation record.

Neither the national tournament nor the winter tournament has ever seen four teams from the same region compete.

This is undoubtedly an innovation.

In the playoffs, Buri team displayed great determination and won every match by a large margin.

Mike Okita performed exceptionally well, delivering an MVP-level performance and being hailed as a strong contender for the National Tournament's Best Newcomer award.

Despite the addition of Buri team this time, the number of participating teams in this national tournament remains fixed at 59.

Because both the playoffs and the host country's spot are fixed.

The national competition consists of four groups, and the competition adopts a single-elimination system.

As is customary, the four teams that finished in the previous national tournament automatically received a bye: Shohoku, Sannoh, Hakata, and Shoyo.

Group 1, Shohoku

Group Two, Sannoh

Group 3, Hakata

Group 4, Xiangyang

Since there are 59 teams in total, one team will receive a bye.

Just like in the original story, Luo An from Kyoto is granted a bye.

According to the competition rules, Ryonan and Buri were placed in the second and third groups, respectively. If they want to make it to the semifinals, they must defeat two traditional powerhouses.

Given the strength of Ryonan and Buji, they might be able to advance to the national top four, but it would be very difficult!

Hua Hua Hua~
As the first Kanagawa team, Takezato, entered the stadium, the audience's faces beamed with excitement, and the entire stadium was instantly filled with loud cheers, creating an extremely enthusiastic atmosphere.

Soon after, Ryonan and Shoyo entered the arena, their momentum growing stronger with each wave.

As the reigning national champions, Shohoku naturally made their grand finale appearance.

When the Shohoku players walked out of the player tunnel, the fans' emotions reached a boiling point.

"Xiangbei, Xiangbei!"

"Mumu, Mumu!"

At that moment, the atmosphere in the stadium was astonishing, the sound so loud it vibrated everyone's eardrums and sent adrenaline soaring.

The fans were incredibly enthusiastic and couldn't contain themselves, turning the entire stadium into a sea of ​​joy and passion.

As always, Kogure's popularity is in a league of its own, clearly overshadowing the other stars.

In the high school league, Kogure's status was almost equivalent to that of Michael Jordan, who won two three-peats.

As for the Executive Vice President GOAT, it certainly can't be a gorilla.

The four controversial wandering championships won by relying on banding together and refereeing have no real value.

From a purely basketball perspective, whether it's pure technical skill in solo play or consistent performance, GOat is far inferior to Durant, let alone Jordan.

As for the commercial value of gOat, let's stop exaggerating it; the Lakers' attendance figures speak for themselves.

Before gOat joined the Lakers, the Lakers were the second most valuable team in the league and had a 98% attendance rate year-round.

After GOat arrived, the Lakers' market value dropped to third, and their average attendance rate in 22 plummeted to 97.6%, the lowest in nearly 25 years.

In short, Kobe's attendance during his tanking season was higher than his, and even when Kobe was out for the season, he still had a 98.5% attendance rate!
Finally, the Bass family sold the team... gOat deserves much credit for that.

"too crazy!"

In the Aiwa Academy line, Morishige Hiroshi watched this scene in shock.

He never imagined that a high school player would have such amazing popularity.

"Shohoku is even stronger this year!"

As he spoke, Dai Moroboshi's eyes were filled with worry.

Rukawa Kaede, the top junior high school student in the country, joined Shohoku High School, along with Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Thinking of this, Moroboshi Dai subconsciously looked at Morishige Hiroshi, who graduated from the second-highest junior high school in the country.

No matter how you look at it, Shohoku's growth rate is higher than Aiwa Academy's.

Amu looked very unhappy.

On one hand, there was the shadow cast by Kogure over the years, and on the other hand, there was the situation of Ai and the Academy.

"Damn it, why did we get to be in the first group?!"

Mikoshiba muttered a dissatisfied remark and couldn't help but glance at the coach who liked to spout nonsense.

Because this was a draw made by love and the coach!
He strongly suspected that his coach hadn't washed his hands before the draw, otherwise how could they have had such bad luck?

Aiwa Academy was drawn into Group 1, and the seeded team in Group 1 was Shohoku.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two teams will meet in the quarterfinals.

Besides Aiwa Academy, the first group also has a team that is among the top eight in the country – Jinbo University Affiliated High School!

However, Jinbo University Affiliated School is located in the upper half of the bracket, while Aiwa Academy is in the lower half.

If Jinbo University Affiliated High School wants to face Aiwa Academy, they must first get past Shohoku High School.

Love and College sincerely hopes that the affiliated university of Jinbo University can create a miracle.

Jinbo Dai Affiliated: Me?
Besides Shohoku, many people are also turning their attention to Sannoh Industrial.

To be precise, it's Mikio Kawata!
"That guy is so tall! He looks like he's half a head taller than Uozumi!"

"Is this really a high school student?"

"What did he eat to grow up like this?"

……

The audience was buzzing with discussion, all staring at Kawada with bewildered and uncertain eyes.

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Kawada felt a surge of tension; his body began to tremble slightly as he tried his best to suppress his inner unease.

Kawada noticed his younger brother's unease and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

His younger brother has a physique that many centers envy, but his personality is so cowardly.

"Mikami, pull yourself together. You are our Sannoh Industrial's secret weapon. Don't let anyone see your weakness."

Hearing his brother's words, Kawada's body stiffened. He tried to straighten his back and calm himself down. "I'm sorry, brother!"

Even when he apologized, his voice still trembled.

Kawada was clearly afraid of his older brother.

Seeing this, it would be a lie to say that Kawada wasn't disappointed.

Kawada possesses physical attributes that many professional players rarely have, but his technique is rough and he lacks systematic training.

Technical skills can be improved, but his personality is too timid and his behavior is not mature enough.

For a center, a weak personality is a major no-no.

However, Coach Domoto still has high hopes for Kawada, believing that he is the future pillar of Sannoh.

In short, Coach Domoto believes this is a rough gem.

At that moment, Coach Domoto looked at Coach Anzai, who was walking towards them.

"We must defeat Shohoku this year and take back the championship!"

Coach Domoto thought this in his mind, but his body honestly welcomed Coach Anzai.

By the time the two coaches began their conversation, the Shohoku team had already lined up.

They were standing next to Sannoh Industrial, with Hakata on the other side.

At this point, all participating teams had assembled.

In the latest issue of Basketball Weekly's rankings, Shohoku is still rated as an AAA team.

Sannoh, Hakata, Ryonan, Shoyo, and Aiwa were rated as AA-level teams.

The A-level teams are Da Rong, Chang Cheng, Luo An, and Jinbo Dai Affiliated Team.

Since the inception of the national competition, this year's competition has undoubtedly been the most intense.

As soon as he stood at the front of the line, Kogure vaguely sensed a gaze upon him.

He turned his head and saw that Zebei was staring at him with burning eyes.

"Ze Bei is a guy who never learns from his mistakes; he really needs to be taught a lesson!"

Kogure inwardly scoffed. He had already set his sights on the 'glamorous and cheap' women of America, so what was a mere Sawakita compared to that?

This is mainly related to his current strength.

Name: Mumu Gongyan
Age: 17
Height: 195cm
Wingspan: 213cm
Weight: 92kg
physical fitness
Strength: 99, Speed: 100, Stamina: 100, Flexibility: 100, Reaction: MAX, Injury Resistance: MAX, Explosiveness: 100, Jumping Power: 100
Offensive techniques

Ball handling: 100, Passing: 99, Layup: 100, Close shot: 100, Mid-range shot: 100, Three-point shot: 100, Free throw: 100, Positioning: 99, Playmaking: 99, Dunking: 100
Defensive skills

单防：100、协防98、抢断:99、盖帽：99、防守篮板：100、进攻篮板：98
Special nicknames: Glider, God's Left Hand, Mamba Mentality (crippled), Undying Runner (crippled), King of Cool, Little Elf
技能：交叉步LV10、急停跳投LV10、欧洲步LV10、转身跳投LV9、极限拉杆LV9、击地传球LV9、后撤步跳投LV9、后仰跳投LV9、背身单打LV9、指尖挑篮LV9、西克玛步LV9、内线脚步LV9、山姆高德过人LV9、死亡缠绕LV9、勾手LV9、不看人传球LV9、胯下变向LV9、骑马射箭LV8
Status: Excellent
Evaluation: College superstar/College player/NBA starting reserve
In the past two months, Kogure has made further progress.

In terms of personal attributes, most of Kogure's attributes have already reached their maximum value, leaving little room for improvement.

In terms of technique, Kogure's Euro step is also at LV10, which makes his breakthroughs more deceptive.

Despite the unchanged evaluation, Kogure believes that with his current strength, he could probably rank in the top 200 in the NBA.

This is almost a starting lineup!

While waiting idly, Kogure's primary focus was not Sannoh Industrial, but Aiwa Academy.

Jinbo University Affiliated High School poses no threat to Shohoku, but Aiwa Academy might pose a slight threat.

Jinbo University Affiliated School poses no threat to Shohoku, but Aiwa Academy might cause some trouble for Shohoku.

Of course, it's only a possibility!

As long as he's there, Shohoku won't count; that's how confident they are.

Not long after, amidst expectant gazes, the rally slowly began.

As rousing music played, the chairman of the National Basketball Association calmly walked onto the stage.

He began by reviewing the previous national tournament, detailing the outstanding performances of each team and those unforgettable moments.

Then, he changed his tone and began to emphasize the importance of team spirit, as well as the courage and determination shown in the game.

After a brief but inspiring speech, the organizing committee chairman quickly concluded his remarks.

His words were concise and powerful, without any lengthy elaboration, and he maintained his unique personal style.

This decisive and straightforward style naturally won cheers from everyone present.

The audience stood up and applauded enthusiastically. They had come to watch the game and naturally didn't want to hear a long speech.

After the rally concludes, the first round of the competition is about to begin.

Most teams scattered like birds and beasts, rushing to their own match venues.

For a moment, only the four seeded teams and Luo An, who had received a bye, remained on the field.

"Captain, I'd like to watch Aiwa's match!"

At the first opportunity, Aida Hikoichi volunteered.

He wanted to get firsthand information about Love and the Academy.

"Captain, I want to go too!"

Sakuragi raised his right hand, having become interested after learning that Morishige Hiroshi was the second-best junior high school student in the country.

Although I'm not a match for Rukawa Kaede yet, I should be able to beat Morishige Hiroshi.

"Senior, don't worry about me!"

Rukawa Kaede silently stepped forward; his target was Moroboshi Dai.

Of course, he also wanted to see if his old rival, Morishige Hiroshi, had made any progress.

If Morishige Hiroshi can effectively avoid foul trouble, then it will be very dangerous.

However, Shohoku is arguably the team least afraid of Morishige Hiroshi.

Shohoku not only has Akagi, one of the top centers in the country, but also Naito Tetsuya, whose physical attributes are even better than Morishige Hiroshi's.

Morishige Hiroshi is only three centimeters taller than Naito, so he is probably no match for Naito.

Facing Shohoku's abnormally strong twin towers in the paint, Morishige Hiroshi is unlikely to make any waves.

This doesn't even include Kogure; with Kogure's physical abilities, he can also limit Morishige Hiroshi's performance.

Morishige Hiroshi has obvious weaknesses: his offensive range is limited to the area under the basket, his scoring methods are limited, and he relies heavily on his physical attributes.

Although Morishige Hiroshi has the physical attributes of Shaquille O'Neal, he lacks O'Neal's inside skills.

This is also the main reason why Akagi and Naito did not go to watch the game.

"Go!"

Kogure waved his hand, agreeing to their request.

Led by Aida Hikoichi, the three quickly disappeared.

"Let's go back first!"

At Kogure's suggestion, the Shohoku team left the gymnasium and took a bus back to Shohoku.

As soon as they returned to Shohoku, Coach Anzai couldn't wait to start warming up and getting ready to run.

Coach Anzai's warm-up was quite comical due to his extreme obesity, with his belly jiggling dramatically, creating a rather vivid scene.

Besides his belly, the fat on his neck was also jiggling violently.

Compared to a few months ago, Coach Anzai has lost more than ten kilograms, and his complexion and mental state are much better than before.

(End of this chapter)