The Legend Coach: Slam Dunk

"Bang!!!"

"Cheers!!!"

That evening, the Kudo household was alive with celebration. The Kudo family of three, along with Sugiyama, toasted Shoyo's second-place finish in the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament.

"Shinichi, Shoyo has been outstanding this year. Chairman Sasaki is very pleased with your performance!" Kudo Akitake said proudly after finishing his drink.

"It's all thanks to Chairman Sasaki's support that Shoyo has been able to achieve so much this year," Kudo Shinichi replied modestly.

Sugiyama, hearing Shinichi's praise, quickly added, "It's all because of Cousin Shinichi! The seniors said their improvement is entirely due to his training!"

"Alright, both of you, stop being modest. You two deserve the most credit," Nobuko Kudo interjected, wrapping up the conversation.

"By the way, what are Shoyo's goals now that you've made it to the Nationals?" Kudo Akitake asked curiously.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Dad, why are you so interested in this?"

"I'm not just curious," Akitake explained. "Chairman Sasaki is prepared to reward you with three months' salary for leading Shoyo to the Nationals. And if the team performs well, there will be even greater rewards."

Shinichi nodded thoughtfully. "This is Shoyo's first time in three years making it to the Nationals. With Hainan as a benchmark and some knowledge of the national powerhouses through my connections, I've set a clear goal for the team: Dominate the Nation! Of course, that's just a slogan—every powerhouse team has one. Realistically, since this is our first Nationals appearance, it's not practical to aim for the championship right away. So, our goal is to secure a top-eight finish and aim for the top four."

"Top eight and aim for top four?!"

"Exactly. Hainan is our benchmark. They're one of the traditional 'Big Four' in the Nationals, and their worst performance in recent years has been reaching the top eight. This year, Shoyo is on par with Hainan. As long as we don't face the King of the Mountain early, our chances of winning are at least fifty percent. So, aiming for top eight and pushing for top four is absolutely feasible." Shinichi spoke confidently, especially since Sugiyama now had the Powerful Center Medal, which boosted his overall abilities by 5%. Against Hainan, Shoyo now had a 60% chance of winning, and even against the King of the Mountain, they could put up a fight.

Kudo Akitake was impressed by Shinichi's planning. His goals were ambitious yet realistic, avoiding both overconfidence and underestimation.

"Alright, enough talking. Let's eat before the food gets cold!" Nobuko Kudo interrupted.

"Fine, let's eat," Akitake agreed. "Shota, try Shinichi's mom's cooking. It's amazing!"

"Uh-huh!" Sugiyama replied enthusiastically.

Planning for the Nationals

After dinner, Shinichi washed up and returned to his room. Lying on his bed, he began planning how to spend his 3,600 SD points. The training scrolls he had used earlier had expired in mid-May, but their effects had been remarkable. With about a month left before the Nationals and summer vacation approaching, there would be more time for intensive training.

Shinichi decided to continue using the Advanced Hook Hand Training Scroll and Advanced Physical Training Scroll on Sugiyama starting the following Monday. This would cost 1,200 SD points, leaving him with 2,400.

Since the King of the Mountain was an inevitable hurdle in the Nationals, Shinichi knew the team needed to improve their chemistry and passing. To address this, he spent 900 SD points on an Advanced Team Chemistry Training Scroll and 600 SD points on an Advanced Passing Training Scroll for Saionji. This left him with 900 SD points, which he decided to save as a backup.

With his plans set, Shinichi drifted off to sleep.

Team Practice

Bang!

The basket shook violently after another powerful dunk by Sugiyama.

"It feels like Sugiyama's gotten even stronger!"

"Yeah, he's been unstoppable since the prefectural tournament!"

The other Shoyo players marveled at Sugiyama's performance during practice.

Kudo remained silent, knowing the improvement was due to the Powerful Center Medal. He couldn't explain the system's mechanics, so he simply attributed Sugiyama's growth to the high-intensity match against Hainan, which had helped him better understand his body and strengths.

"Alright, gather around!" Kudo called the team together after practice.

"The Nationals are less than a month away. While this isn't Shoyo's first appearance at the Nationals, it's the first time for all of you—and for me as a coach. However, I'm well aware of the strength of the national powerhouses. That's why I've set a clear goal for us: secure a top-eight finish and aim for the top four. Our minimum target is to reach the top eight in the nation. Do you have the confidence to achieve this?!"

"Yes!!!" the team roared.

"Good, that's the spirit," Kudo said with a smile. "One more thing: summer vacation starts in a week. There's a two-week gap between vacation and the Nationals. During that time, we'll train for three days in our gym, then head to Tsuneisei High School in Shizuoka Prefecture for a week of practice matches. After that, we'll return for two more days of training before heading to Fukuoka for the Nationals!"

"Understood!"

"Tsuneisei is one of the traditional top-eight teams in the nation. Their coach is a former classmate of my mentor, Coach Anzai. Thanks to Coach Anzai's connections, we've been invited to train with them. So, when we're there, we need to perform well. If we play poorly, we'll not only embarrass ourselves but also let down Coach Anzai. Work hard, got it?"

"Understood!!!"

Final Preparations

The Shoyo Basketball Team trained relentlessly for the Nationals. As for the rule that players failing four or more subjects in their final exams couldn't participate in the Nationals...

Chairman Sasaki wasn't about to let such a minor issue derail Shoyo's historic run. Thanks to his intervention, all 12 regular players passed their exams with flying colors.

During their week-long training session in Shizuoka, Shoyo played three practice matches against Tsuneisei. They dominated all three games, teaching Tsuneisei a lesson and earning Kudo an additional 300 SD points.

On August 1st, Kudo led the Shoyo Basketball Team onto the Shinkansen, bound for Fukuoka—alongside Hainan.