Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 438 Carter, who likes singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball.

Shortly afterward, the spots for the American High School Elite Tournament were officially announced.

As expected, Farragut Academy, having won the state championship with an undefeated record, successfully became a member of the elite tournament.

Besides Farragut Academy, there are also Lower Merion High School, Continental High School, and others, making a total of sixteen teams.

Many people will find the name Raúlmerín High School familiar; indeed, it is the high school of the 'Little Blacksmith of Milan'.

Continental High School is from Florida, and the team's core player is Vince Carter, who, along with Kobe Bryant, is considered one of the future "Big Four" shooting guards.

Vince Carter is arguably the most perfect high school player in history, an idol-level high school player.

He not only excelled on the basketball court, but he was also the captain of the high school volleyball team and won the county-level Player of the Year award in 1993.

Unlike the average Ni Ge, Carter had outstanding high school grades.

In addition, he is an art enthusiast, having served as a saxophonist, drummer, and baritone in his high school band, and he also writes his own songs.

Does this feel familiar?

Kun Ge's High School Epic Enhanced Edition!
Actually, Kun's basketball skills are not bad; he was selected for the second team of the Grace Brothers in Southern California.

Compared to the reserve team, it is much harder to get into the second team, and the difference in numbers is even more significant.

Keep in mind, this is the American high school league, known for producing exceptionally talented individuals.

One thing that must be said is that Kun Ge has made great progress in music, successfully evolving from an idol into a powerful singer.

Getting back to the main point, that year, Carter averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks per game, leading the team to a 30-2 record and winning the Continental High School's first state championship in 56 years.

Due to his outstanding performance, Carter not only won the Florida Mr. Basketball award and was selected to the USA Today and McDonald's All-American teams, but also received invitations from 77 NCAA Division I schools.

Meanwhile, Carter also ranked first on the ESNP high school student list, closely followed by fellow "jumping man" Ronnie Fields.

Ronnie Fields is ranked number one on many sports media lists.

It must be said that these two people have a history.

Ronnie Fields once performed a spectacular dunk from the free-throw line during a game, which is why Carter never participated in the National High School Slam Dunk Contest.

Unfortunately, just as Ronnie Fields was about to achieve great success, he was devastated by a car accident, suffering a severe neck injury that prevented him from continuing to compete in higher-level leagues, forcing him to spend his time in the minor league USBL.

ESPN ranked Carter first not only because Carter is more well-rounded, but also because Ronnie Fields has too many strong teammates, which led to his lower rating.

In ESPN's high school rankings, the second, third, and fourth spots are all taken by Farragut Academy.

In the high school league, Farragut Academy is a so-called super team, almost equivalent to the Miami Heat who will eventually form their peak Big Three.

gOat: I've never played for a super team!

In the 2009-2010 season, GOat, Wade, and Bosh ranked first, fifth, and 13th respectively in the MVP voting list. The key point is that all three of them were under 30 years old. Isn't this a super team?

Besides Kobe and Carter, there was also Jermaine O'Neal from O'Clair High School and "Commissar Ma" from Lincoln High School.

During his three years of high school, Jermaine O'Neal averaged 22.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game, and was named to the All-American High School Basketball Team.

Jermaine O'Neal's high school grades were not ideal, so he could only follow Garnett's example. After graduating from high school, he could only participate in the NBA draft and became the youngest player to appear in the NBA at that time. This record was eventually broken by Bynum, who was obsessed with "haircuts and blow-drying".

Unlike Jermaine O'Neal, Stephon Marbury's academic performance was not bad, and he even led Lincoln High School to its first championship in school history.

In addition, both of them were members of the "Golden Generation" of '96.

Kogure carefully examined the player rosters of the sixteen teams, and soon spotted another familiar name.

Martial Saint!

That's right, it's Stephen Jackson!
Stephen Jackson is known as the "Martial Saint" primarily because of his actions during the "Malice at the Palace" brawl.

During this famous altercation, a Pistons fan threw a chair at Jackson and yelled: "Your kid is a bastard, your mother should be in jail for giving birth to you."

As a result, Jackson rushed up to his opponent and delivered a hook punch, knocking him out with one punch.

He's ruthless and doesn't talk much; he's vicious and ruthless!
By the way, this Pistons fan's name is Bryant...

This year, Jackson, a high school sophomore, is already a starting player for Oak Hill High School, the future hall of high school basketball.

橡树山高中篮球队的教练名叫史蒂夫·史密斯，执教橡树高中共24年，在这期间球队一共取得了756胜44负的夸张战绩，笑傲整个美国高中篮坛，最值得称道的是在98-99、00-01、03-04赛季保持整个赛季不败。

Of course, Oak Hill High School can't be called a high school basketball mecca yet, but it's already on that trend.

Like Kobe, Garnett, and O'Neal, Jackson's high school grades were not ideal, which was the main reason he was never able to play in the NCAA.

Shortly after, the elite competition officially began.

The first match for Farragut Academy was against O'Clair High School, which has Jermaine O'Neal.

All I can say is that Jermaine O'Neal was very unlucky.

For Farragut Academy, which boasts the Three Musketeers of Windy City, it doesn't matter who their opponent is.

Jermaine O'Neal was naturally unwilling to give up, and he wanted to give it a try.

Even if we lose, we should at least beat Garnett.

The biggest draw of this game was undoubtedly the battle between Garnett and O'Neal for the title of best high school center.

After the game started, Garnett overpowered Jermaine O'Neal and easily won the jump ball. O'Neal was exceptionally active on the defensive end, relentlessly harassing Garnett.

For a time, Garnett had no opportunity to appear.

Compared to his defense, Garnett's offense was relatively weaker.

As a teammate, Kogure also wanted to help Garnett out.

Because there's a possibility that the two could play basketball together in the NBA in the future.

Garnett's decision to join the Celtics in the future was simply to win a championship before the end of his career.

In the words of Jermaine O'Neal: When you desperately want to win a championship, it means you're getting old!

If there are better options, and given the bond with his high school teammates, there is a real chance he could become teammates with Garnett in the future.

With a pick-and-roll with Garnett, Kogure broke through and passed the ball, using it to shake off O'Neal and drive to the basket. He then leaped up and slammed home a two-handed dunk.

Garnett jumped very high; rumors say he could touch the top of the backboard with his hands.

Of course, this is just a rumor.

Even if the rumors are wrong, they're not far off; his height, wingspan, and jumping ability are undeniable.

"Roar!"

Garnett landed on the ground, slapped his chest hard with his right hand, and roared at the 'late-arriving' O'Neal.

Jermaine O'Neal was completely bewildered by Garnett's outburst. By the time he came to his senses, Garnett had already turned and left, leaving only his back view.

When it was O'Clair High School's turn to attack, the point guard had just crossed half-court when Jermaine O'Neal called for the ball.

It has to be said that anyone named O'Neal is no pushover, and Jermaine O'Neal Jr. is no exception.

Facing Garnett's defense, Jermaine O'Neal displayed exceptional scoring ability.

This baby-faced center is tall with an excellent wingspan and outstanding mobility, and his skills are quite comprehensive.

After receiving the ball, Jermaine O'Neal suddenly leaned towards Garnett.

Garnett involuntarily took a half step back; the Wolf King from high school was noticeably thinner.

After creating space, Jermaine O'Neal took a step to the floor, and although he didn't completely shake off Garnett, he still managed to get into the paint.

Jermaine O'Neal raised his hand to shoot, his feint was very deceptive, and he successfully fooled Garnett.

The next moment, Jermaine O'Neal stopped his movement, took a step to the side, and quickly released the shot.

sigh~
Whether it's his accurate mid-range shooting or his post-up game in the paint, these are Jermaine O'Neal's specialties, which is also the main reason why he will be ranked among the top three MVPs in the future.

In terms of offense, Jermaine O'Neal is still better than Garnett, and his future highest score is 55 points.

There was still plenty of time left in that game, and Jermaine O'Neal clearly had a chance to score even more points, but he chose to give it up.

The reason is simple: if he continued to score, he would surpass Miller's franchise record of 57 points in a single game, so he asked the coach to let him off the court.

Unfortunately, Jermaine O'Neal's career was ruined by injuries, ending his promising path to becoming a superstar.

It has to be said that the Pacers have really bad luck. They clearly have the strength to win the championship, but they always fall short by one step.

The Pacers' championship dreams were shattered by a single blow at Malice at the Palace. In 2025, the Pacers finally had a chance to win the championship again, but the Thunder handed them the title.

This directly led to the Thunder being criticized as the worst champions, and the title of 'Free Throw Finals MVP' was even unfairly placed on Alexander's head.

The match is still ongoing, and in the early stages, both sides are mainly testing each other.

In just three minutes, Garnett scored seven points, and O'Neal added six.

After testing the waters, Coach Stephen began to change his formation.

Kogure played power forward and switched defense with Garnett.

During this period, Garnett was still too thin, and he was at a disadvantage when defending Jermaine O'Neal in the low post.

Under Kogure's defense, Jermaine O'Neal committed three consecutive turnovers.

O'Neal tried to change the situation, but Kogure's reactions were too quick and his mobility too great, keeping him firmly entangled with O'Neal.

Under Kogure's defense, Jermaine O'Neal not only made frequent mistakes, but his scoring efficiency also dropped significantly.

As Jermaine O'Neal's offense faltered, Farragut Academy quickly widened the score gap.

Farragut Academy won by 30 points in the first half alone.

In the second half, Kogure only played for five minutes, spending the rest of the time resting on the bench.

In less than 25 minutes, he scored a triple-double again.

As the game entered garbage time early, Jermaine O'Neal had no intention of staying on the court to pad his stats and asked the coach to substitute him out.

However, Jermaine O'Neal was unwilling to accept the loss.

He believes this was mainly due to the disadvantages of his teammates; otherwise, his performance might not have been inferior to Garnett's.

(End of this chapter)