Chapter 3

Coach Osamu Niimatsu on the sidelines waved his fist excitedly.

He could be certain that Yukimiya Kazuma now definitely possessed excellent vision and passing ability.

Although he didn't understand how Yukimiya suddenly completed such a transformation, after monsters like the Generation of Miracles appeared in the middle school basketball world, Osamu Niimatsu felt that such incomprehensible things were quite common.

On the court.

Yuji Kasuga looked at his senior with a strange expression.

Just now...

The senior definitely didn't look at me, right?

How on earth did he find me?

Yamane Middle School's possession.

The lessons from the previous two rounds made Yamane clearly feel the unusual nature of the opponent's No. 5, Yukimiya Kazuma.

Yamane's No. 6 passed the ball to No. 8. As a point guard, Yamane's No. 8 had excellent dribbling ability and was especially good at ball-handling breakthroughs. In the first three quarters when Yukimiya wasn't on the court, he relied on his excellent breakthrough ability to pose a significant threat to Hakusuikan.

A crossover move.

Yamane's No. 8 broke through Yuji Kasuga's defense and plunged into the interior.

But Masaki Taketou's interior help defense was fast, and Yukimiya Kazuma, who was also in the interior, relied on his excellent overall view to assist in defense, blocking the opponent's passing lane in advance.

Thus, Yamane's No. 8 had to complete the offense himself.

Facing Masaki Taketou, who was nearly 190 centimeters tall, Yamane's No. 8 launched a high-arcing floater.

*Clang~!*

A crisp sound.

The basketball hit the back rim and bounced high.

Masaki Taketou grabbed the rebound with his long arms.

The moment he landed, he subconsciously looked for Yukimiya Kazuma's position.

And at this time, Yukimiya had already darted to the front court first, and Masaki Taketou threw the ball over without hesitation.

Seeing this, Yuji Kasuga was stunned for a moment, followed by a bitter look on his face.

"..."

Even though I'm the point guard.

Yukimiya got the ball. Yamane Middle School's retreat defense was still very fast. No. 6 and No. 8 followed on both sides of Yukimiya Kazuma. After observing the situation on the court, it was a 3v3 in the front court. His extremely strong vision allowed him to instantly find the offensive route.

A sudden long-stride advance, followed by a rapid stop-and-go and continuous crossovers, immediately focused Yamane Middle School's defense on him.

Then, he turned his head to look at his own No. 6, Liang Huayin, and the opponent's No. 6 lunged over like a reflex.

However, in the middle of his between-the-legs dribble, Yukimiya suddenly flicked his fingertips and passed the ball to the other side, to the shooting guard, Daisuke Teruyama.

This pass immediately caused gasps to ring out throughout the arena.

The moment the ball was passed, under the effect of the 'Playmaking Master' badge, although Daisuke Teruyama's receiving point was not an area he was good at shooting from, the moment the ball slid into his hands, he immediately felt that this open shot was going in.

*Swish~!*

The basketball drew an orange arc in the air and fell through the net cleanly!

74:62!

Yamane Middle School's coach immediately waved his hand to call a timeout.

On the court, captain Masaki Taketou walked over and patted Yukimiya on the shoulder, "Kazuma, what's going on? Your passing and dribbling are suddenly so amazing?"

"Hmm..."

"I studied it a bit during my hand injury..." Yukimiya Kazuma thought for a moment, thinking of that 'Meditation Training System'. Although he didn't know the specifics, he felt it was best to pave the way for the system: "I recently discovered a training method that is very suitable for me."

Masaki Taketou nodded. Although Yukimiya's improvement was quite outrageous, compared to the 'Generation of Miracles' who evolved every year, it wasn't that strange.

After all, looking at his build, Yukimiya was actually quite close to that dark-skinned ace from Teiko Middle School last year, whose strength had skyrocketed to a terrifying level.

When the Hakusuikan Middle School players returned to the bench, the discussions among the substitute players became even more heated.

"Senior Yukimiya is so strong; his dribbling and passing are super great. It feels like we've become a different team since he got on the court."

"Yeah, did you see that no-look pass? It went completely to the other side of the field of vision!"

"Isn't the senior a power forward?"

"Is he..."

"Is he?"

Facing the doubts of the first-year freshmen, the other veteran players were actually just as confused.

And as for coach Osamu Niimatsu, the level of shock Yukimiya Kazuma brought him in the last few rounds of offense and defense was definitely far higher than that of his own players.

Because he could be absolutely certain that this kid Yukimiya had the abilities of a point guard under the build of a power forward, and it was a level far beyond middle school.

Facing pressure, his very natural dribbling, vast vision, smooth passing ability, and a playing style that prioritized assists, he even possessed passing imagination that most point guards didn't have.

Wait...

Damn it!

It's been two years, how did I not discover this kid's talent at all?!

Was I blinded by his height?

But I'm definitely not that kind of shallow coach.

"Forget it..."

"Regardless, he's definitely a point guard genius!"

"Yukimiya, come here!"

A kind smile appeared on Osamu Niimatsu's face, which was covered in fine lines of age, making the surrounding Hakusuikan players shiver.

Yukimiya Kazuma was called over, and then he heard Osamu Niimatsu say: "From now on, you'll be in charge of ball handling during offense. You performed well on the court just now; just keep it up."

"As for the others..."

"Hmm..."

"Continue to run positions according to our usual tactics."

"When defending, Yukimiya, you still play power forward. Although your current playmaking is... okay, don't let your defensive skills, which you are good at, slide."

After hearing Osamu Niimatsu's words, Yuji Kasuga, who was the point guard, felt even more bitter.

Soon, the timeout ended.

"Taketou." Yukimiya Kazuma came to Masaki Taketou's side and said in a low voice: "Get ready to receive the ball and attack later; Yamane's interior can't stop you."

Masaki Taketou nodded. He found that Yukimiya had indeed changed a lot, and even his personality had become much more steady and reliable.

"Do you need me to screen for you?"

"If you do, just give me a signal."

"Okay."

Yukimiya Kazuma high-fived Masaki Taketou, and inexplicable thoughts flashed through his mind.

Although he had always heard that the sports infrastructure in Japan was very high, it was only after experiencing it personally that he felt it more tangibly.

The atmosphere was indeed quite good.

After getting on the court, it was Yamane Middle School's possession.

The opposing point guard held the ball, and Yuji Kasuga, who was defending him, was working harder than before because he had just been stripped of his organizational duties by the coach.

Yamane's No. 8 dribbled past him. Yuji Kasuga was highly focused. Although his foot frequency couldn't keep up with this kind of point guard who was good at changing directions and fast, he always tried his best to interfere with the opponent's dribbling with his hands.

Yamane Middle School's point guard was tightly entangled and finally had to choose to let others attack, passing the ball to the small forward on the wing.

After receiving the ball, No. 6 immediately started from a triple-threat position. At the edge of the paint, he pulled up for a jump shot. The basketball crossed Masaki Taketou's help defense and went into the basket in a thrilling, stumbling manner.

It barely broke the scoring drought since Yukimiya Kazuma got on the court.

Hakusuikan Middle School's possession.

Under the surprised gazes of the Yamane crowd, Yukimiya Kazuma received the ball from the baseline and advanced.

After being stunned for a moment, the opposing point guard immediately stepped up to press, but was shaken by Yukimiya's slight side-step.

184cm vs 172cm. In terms of physical confrontation ability, there was a visible chasm between the two. Moreover, under the effect of the badge, his ball-handling ability, which had skyrocketed to 96 points, allowed Yukimiya to fully and freely utilize this physical advantage during his dribbling.

"Beautiful."

Coach Osamu Niimatsu on the sidelines had his wrinkles squeezed even tighter. He didn't expect that after Yukimiya's dribbling ability had an epiphany, it would be this kind of pragmatic style that didn't show off.