Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 400 Morishige Hiroshi's Fame Reached the Whole Country

Kogure didn't rest; he jogged and trained with Coach Anzai.

It was more like walking than jogging.

Due to his extreme obesity and advanced age, Coach Anzai's steps were heavy, making running extremely difficult and slow, almost at the pace of a normal person walking.

Nevertheless, he persevered.

After just two and a half minutes, Coach Anzai stopped, panting heavily.

His breathing was rapid and heavy, sweat dripped down his forehead, and his back was soaked with sweat.

Kogure immediately handed over the towel he had prepared in advance.

Coach Anzai took the towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead while panting.

He gazed at Kogure, his eyes revealing satisfaction and anticipation.

"Kogure-kun, are you really sure about your decision?"

Coach Anzai's tone was concerned as he asked about Kogure's trip to America.

"Coach, I've made up my mind. I'm going to America after the National Tournament!"

Regardless of whether Coach Anzai supports or opposes it, he will still stick to his own ideas.

Because he's a cheater!
Moreover, he also has his own network of connections in America, such as Bird, Drexler, Mullin, Archibald, Garnett, Kobe, and Ronnie Fields.

These connections are enough to play a huge role, not to mention that the Farragut Academy coaches value him highly.

His next stop was Farragut Academy, where he formed the "Three-Headed Monster" with Ronnie Fields and Garnett, thus beginning to make a name for himself.

Then, he will use Farragut Academy as a springboard to go directly into NCAA Division I, or join the NBA as a high school player.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone else, but you’re different!”

Coach Anzai sighed softly, his gaze seemingly traversing time and space, recalling the past.

He thought again of Ryuji Tanizawa, the basketball prodigy he had once placed his hopes on.

Tani's departure left Coach Anzai with deep regret, turning him from a white-haired demon into a white-haired Buddha.

However, Kogure's performance gave him hope.

Compared to Kogure, Ryuji Tanizawa is not even worthy of carrying his shoes.

Coach Anzai knew very well that with Kogure's current level, he was capable of competing for the best player in the country.

The "best in the country" mentioned here does not refer to the top high school player in the country, but rather the best player in the entire age group.

"Kogure-kun, I have some connections in America. If you encounter any difficulties there, be sure to contact me."

Free America, gunfights every day.

Happy Afghanistan, let's just grab our guns and get to work.

It is therefore evident that the security situation in these two countries is quite poor.

As a player with a long and distinguished career, Coach Anzai's extensive network of connections accumulated over decades should not be underestimated.

"Coach, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Kogure gazed at Coach Anzai, a warm feeling welling up inside him.

Around noon, Rukawa and the others who had gone to watch the game finally returned.

At the dinner table, Mitsui asked curiously, "How did the match go?"

"It's completely boring!"

Sakuragi crossed his arms and couldn't help but mutter a complaint.

Rukawa Kaede didn't say anything, and silently picked up his rice bowl and ate.

Aida Hiko carefully put the camera away and said disappointedly, "In the match between Aiwa Academy and Ebihara, none of the four giants of Aiwa played, and they easily won the match."

He originally wanted to gather firsthand information about Love and the Four Giants, but things didn't go as planned.

Besides the four giants, Aihe Academy also has many players who are starters for strong teams or even core players of pseudo-strong teams.

This is the foundation of a long-established powerhouse team in the country!
In contrast, Ebihara is merely a weak team nationwide. Even if Aiwa Academy didn't send its four top players, they would still be no match for them.

"However, Aiwa Academy's next opponent is Urayasu Commercial, and they will likely field their core players in this match."

Unlike Ebihara, Urayasu Commercial is a top team in the country, having achieved a top-four finish in the nation multiple times.

Of course, that was the glory of the past!

Puan Commercial has declined, but even a weakened giant is still a giant, and it still possesses considerable strength.

This is evident from Basketball Weekly's rating of Uraya Commercial as a B+ team.

In short, Puan Commercial is a team that is close to the quarterfinals.

"I must pay close attention to this match!"

Aida Hikoichi showed an excited expression; his greatest hobby was observation.

"Oh, right, I also got the videotape of the Aichi Prefecture tournament joint finals from my sister."

Aida Hikoichi seemed to have thought of something and took out several videotapes.

As a fan, this was a gift that Yayoi Aida specially prepared for Kogure.

"Yanyi, thank you for your hard work. Oh, and please give my regards to your sister!"

Kogure was well aware of Aida Yayoi's thoughts and made a timely remark.

"It's not hard at all, it's not hard at all. This is the only thing I can do for the team."

Hikoichi Aida scratched the back of his head. His abilities were limited, and he could only help the team by gathering intelligence.

For the team, Hikoichi Aida is just as important as the starting substitute.

When Kogure goes to America, Aida Hikoichi's importance will become even more apparent.

On this day, the top 32 teams in the national competition were successfully selected!
As expected, all A-level teams advanced, and there were no upsets.

……

The following morning, the audience had already poured into the venue, eagerly anticipating the exciting match that was about to begin.

The upcoming match is between Aiwa Academy and Urayasu Business.

Soon, the players from both sides stepped onto the field with their heads held high.

The fans' enthusiasm was instantly ignited as the players entered the field.

"Love will prevail! Love will prevail!"

Among them, there were significantly more viewers supporting Love and the Academy, and their voices were unified and full of power.

In addition, many viewers chanted Moroboshi Dai's nickname in unison.

They weren't chanting for the Star of Aichi, but rather... the God of Stretchers!
This is a perverse sense of humor belonging to the people of Kanagawa who enjoy themselves; for example, Mitsui and the Sakuragi Army have joined this group.

"asshole!"

Moroboshi Dai's expression wasn't very pleasant; he would rather not receive this treatment.

However, the one who looked the worst wasn't Moroboshi Dai, but Maki.

Don't forget, this is Kanagawa Prefecture, and many die-hard supporters of Hainan High School came here specifically to watch this match.

They came here mainly for Amu!
Of course, this isn't to cheer on Amu.

"traitor!"

"Coward!"

"A traitorous shepherd!"

"Team basketball!"

"Go back to Aichi Prefecture!"

...The die-hard supporters of Hainan Affiliated High School made a great show of force, which was also accompanied by even stronger boos.

Some fans even brought professional loudspeakers, playing greetings for Amu on a loop; they were practically ready to burn his jersey on the spot.

Soon, more and more people from Kanagawa's Rakuko district joined this movement.

In an instant, the boos were deafening and echoed through the sky.

Amu's face turned ashen, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

However, he could only rage helplessly, since he couldn't very well beat up the fans.

"When I win the national championship and take the MVP title, that will be the best way to get back at them!"

Amu thought to himself, anyone who didn't know better would think he was the boss of Love and Academy.

In reality, he's only the third oldest player, but don't forget he's the ball-handling mastermind; who gets the pass or who gets blamed is entirely up to him.

It was precisely because of this kind of shrewd maneuver that Maki was able to surpass Moroboshi Dai and become the MVP of the prefectural tournament.

Amu wants to do it again!
Even though Moroboshi Dai was an honest man, he could only silently endure it for the sake of the team.

The current Dai Moroboshi is just like the future Dwyane Wade.

Sometimes, taking a step back doesn't mean you'll find a vast expanse of sky, but rather a precipice!

Poor Wade, he won the championship, but his historical status has actually decreased.

The players from both sides began warming up in their respective preparation areas, and an indescribable tension filled the air.

In the stands, fans eagerly anticipated the intense match that was about to unfold.

Beep~
Suddenly, a sharp whistle blew, signaling the official start of the competition.

Both teams' players began to take to the field. Puan Commercial fielded their strongest lineup, showing no signs of giving up and fighting for victory with all their might.

On the other side, Aiwa Academy sent out Morishige Hiroshi and four substitute players.

"Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? With Ah-Kuan around, that's enough!"

Ai and Coach sat confidently on the bench.

He has always been this confident; you can ask Moroboshi Dai if you don't believe me.

Coach Ai's original words: Moroboshi, only you can do it (defeat Sawakita)!

Moroboshi's inner thoughts: To be honest, I have no confidence!
During the jump ball, Morishige Hiroshi easily passed the ball to his own point guard.

"To be able to jump so high with such a large body, judging from the visual estimate, it's close to 90 centimeters from a standing jump. We must observe it carefully."

In the audience, Aida Hiko was excitedly taking notes on Morishige Hiroshi's information.

In this match, Morishige Hiroshi undoubtedly became the core of Aiwa Academy's offense and defense.

What left the Shohoku players speechless was that Aiwa Academy used a one-star-four-shooter tactic.

All four of these players and substitutes possess a good mid-range or long-range shot.

They immediately took away their opposing players, giving Morishige Hiroshi a one-on-one opportunity.

Standing next to Morishige Hiroshi, Urayasu Commercial's center forward gives off a petite and delicate vibe.

There is a clear difference between the two in both height and weight.

On the basketball court, such a large gap often means a huge disparity in the intensity of the competition.

bang~
Sure enough, with just one impact, Morishige Hiroshi easily knocked Urayasu Commercial's center back.

Imagine the scene where Sakuragi collided with Morishige. Facing the unprepared Morishige, Sakuragi, with his intentions, took advantage of Morishige's lack of awareness, and ended up being knocked to the ground.

Urayasu Commercial's center is not as strong as Sakuragi, so he naturally cannot stop Morishige Hiroshi and is completely powerless against Morishige Hiroshi's attacks.

Bang~
With a loud thud, Morishige Hiroshi drove into the basket and dunked for a score.

The entire basketball hoop seemed to tremble, and the rim groaned in pain under Morishige Hiroshi's powerful dunk, even bending considerably.

For a moment, a gasp of surprise erupted in the stadium, but that was all.

Most of the outsiders who gasped in astonishment were deeply moved by this breathtaking scene.

In contrast, the Kanagawa fans appeared very calm.

The reason is simple: the people of Kanagawa have seen it many times, and have even witnessed scenes of shattering backboards.

On the field, the center forward of Uraya Commercial rubbed his chest, which was sore from the impact, looking somewhat helpless and frustrated.

Despite lowering his center of gravity and trying to maintain his position in front of Morishige Hiroshi, he was still overwhelmed by that irresistible force.

On the basketball court, Puan Commercial's offensive moment has finally arrived.

Because Urayasu Commercial's center cannot shoot from mid-range or long range, his offensive threat is greatly reduced.

At the same time, he couldn't take Morishige Hiroshi away, so he could only let Morishige Hiroshi sit under the basket.

Through a series of passes, Puan Commercial successfully found a breakthrough.

After a pass, Urayasu Commercial's shooting guard created an opportunity.

The next moment, the basketball was passed to him.

Without hesitation, the shooting guard from Puan Commercial jumped and shot.

Just as he was about to make his move, Morishige Hiroshi, like a beast that had been lying in wait for a long time, suddenly burst out with astonishing speed.

Although his body was enormous, he was exceptionally agile.

In the blink of an eye, he rushed to the guard.

Amid gasps from the audience, Morishige Hiroshi leaped high into the air and swatted the ball away with a powerful swish.

This block not only brought Puan Commercial's attack to an abrupt halt, but also completely ignited the atmosphere at the scene.

Bang~
Soon after, Morishige Hiroshi hooked the ball again and knocked the Urayasu Commercial center to the ground.

Urayasu Commercial's center forward looked up at Morishige Hiroshi, his eyes filled with terror.

The game continued, and the situation on the field was completely one-sided.

Love and the Academy performed exceptionally well, consistently putting the ball into the basket with ease.

In contrast, Urayasu Commercial, under the intimidation of Morishige Hiroshi, could only shoot from a distance from the basket and had little chance to fight back.

Not only that, Morishige also grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds and converted them all into points.

In the first half alone, Morishige Hiroshi scored 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Thanks to Morishige Hiroshi's outstanding performance, Aiwa Academy led by more than twenty points.

In the second half, Morishige Hiroshi remained on the field, and his stamina was better than expected.

Coach Ai decided to keep Morishige Hiroshi on the field so that he could gain more experience and boost the team's morale through his performance.

The second half of the game was no different from the first half; Puan Commercial continued to be dominated by Aihe Academy.

Morishige Hiroshi's stats skyrocketed, completely dominating both offense and defense.

Ai and the bench, Amu thought to himself, "It seems this guy is the biggest destabilizing factor for the MVP!"

Unlike Dai Moroboshi and Mikoshiba, Morishige Hiroshi, who often grabs offensive rebounds even without passing the ball to him, still has impressive stats.

Just like the future conflict between the OK duo, Kobe reduced his passing to Shaq, but Shaq was still able to put up excellent stats.

With the final whistle of the game, the competition finally came to an end.

The players from Uraya Commercial were completely demoralized; they had lost all confidence and their mentality had completely collapsed.

On the huge electronic screen, the score difference flashed glaringly.

56:102
The huge 46-point difference overshadowed Puan Commercial.

In addition, in his first appearance in the national tournament, Morishige Hiroshi also scored an epic stat line of 50 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks, making him famous throughout the country!
Unfortunately, Mikoshiba was no longer relegated to the background; instead, he became Mori's teammate.

(End of this chapter)