The same player, the same one-on-one matchup, yet the results were dramatically different.
Tendou Kageyoshi didn't disappoint the expectations. In just a single possession, Kawasaki Affiliated's ace scorer was thoroughly humiliated.
"Ordinary middle schoolers have no chance of stopping him! His offensive skills are on a completely different level!" The assistant coach of Teiko was thrilled, as if they'd stumbled upon a national-level small forward for free.
Coach Shirogane couldn't help but applaud, jokingly saying, "Maybe we should scout basketball geniuses from the Kendo Club from now on."
It was only half a joke.
In reality, there were precedents like this. Tim Duncan, the greatest power forward in NBA history, was famously discovered by Wake Forest University while swimming in a pool.
Geniuses always seemed to emerge from unexpected places.
Tendou Kageyoshi's elite defensive and counter-attacking abilities were exactly what Teiko needed most.
At this point in basketball history, three-pointers weren't as highly valued as they would become later. The Golden State Warriors and their superstar, Steph Curry, hadn't yet transformed the game.
Currently, three-pointers were primarily a threat—something to deter opponents from crowding the paint rather than the primary offensive option. This logic made sense, as scoring became easier the closer one was to the basket.
Especially at the middle school level, where players lacked sophisticated offensive skills, pushing the ball inside was crucial, hence teams usually preferred slow-paced half-court offense.
In this environment, Tendou's steal-and-fast-break strategy became extraordinarily effective. During Teiko's training sessions, Tendou's fast-break efficiency was astonishingly high, reaching over 90%, to the point that teammates feared dribbling near him.
Coach Shirogane believed that this year, Teiko's fast-break would become a primary scoring strategy. A conversion rate over 90% was simply too impressive!
Facing a quick 5-0 deficit, Kawasaki Affiliated didn't panic, but their players wore grim expressions.
They had high ambitions this year—how could they easily accept defeat against Teiko?
Teiko was a basketball powerhouse, but there were many other national-level teams around the country. If Kawasaki couldn't even defeat Teiko, what chance did they have of becoming national champions?
Yoshizawa Ayumi, eager to redeem himself, received another pass from his teammate and quickly began his move. His specialty was a quick pull-up jumper after breaking past defenders. His lean build prevented him from challenging bigger defenders inside.
But then—
"Release!"
With a quiet whisper, Yoshizawa was horrified to see the basketball stripped from his hands again.
The moment he began his move, that familiar arm pierced through space like lightning, stealing the ball with ruthless efficiency.
Even Kawasaki's head coach was stunned.
Where on earth did Shirogane find this monster?
The players weren't alone in thinking this. Kawasaki's coach also understood that this year represented their best chance yet. Last season, all their top players were second-years who'd nearly made it to the nationals. Now, a year later, with their improved skills and other top schools weakened by graduation, Kawasaki Affiliated was practically guaranteed a spot in the national tournament.
Thus, they regarded Teiko as a crucial test. If they could beat Teiko, they'd have a genuine shot at contending for the national championship.
While he pondered, Teiko had already started their counterattack again.
Nijimura reacted instantly, breaking out in a sprint the moment Tendou stole the ball, reaching it first, grabbing the loose ball, and storming past half-court.
"Bring it on, Nijimura!"
Kawasaki's captain wasn't slow, swiftly returning to defense just before Nijimura could score.
However, Nijimura casually tossed the ball backward over his head, clearing the stage for someone behind him.
Only then did Kawasaki players notice that the freshman—who had already picked their ace scorer's pocket twice—was now charging forward.
Tendou jumped high, caught Nijimura's pass in mid-air, and prepared to dunk ferociously.
But then...
"Oh crap, I'm too far away for this dunk!"
Tendou had slightly overestimated himself. His body still couldn't manage such explosive dunks.
Realizing he was coming up short, he twisted his wrist in mid-air, smoothly turning his dunk attempt into a graceful finger-roll layup.
7-0!
The rough start immediately forced Kawasaki Affiliated to call a timeout.
Their head coach noticed something different about Teiko this year—particularly their new playstyle.
The game tempo was incredibly fast. After the first half-court set orchestrated by Nijimura, the next two baskets were rapid-fire fast breaks.
Before Kawasaki could even adjust, Teiko had already unleashed a 7-0 run.
They'd faced fast-paced teams before, but never this fast.
They were now experiencing basketball strategies from the future.
Especially frustrating was Teiko's freshman number 14. With his seemingly effortless steals, he was making it impossible to maintain possession. How could anyone play against that?
An adjustment was desperately needed, or the game risked becoming a blowout.
Yet, as the match resumed, the coach discovered yet another severe problem.
Kawasaki's offense had become utterly stagnant.
Their number-one scoring option was completely neutralized.
Not only was Tendou exceptional at steals, but he was also a defensive stalwart, completely locking down Yoshizawa.
Having no other option, Kawasaki's coach gestured from the sideline, instructing his players to feed the ball into the paint to their secondary scoring option.
But to their horror, Kanagawa's "Great Center" was equally helpless against Murasakibara.
Murasakibara looked slender, but his physical strength was shockingly high. Standing firm under the basket, he prevented Kawasaki's center from making any progress. Forced attempts at layups became free blocks for Murasakibara.
With their inside and outside scorers both neutralized, things turned grim for Kawasaki.
Throughout the first quarter, Kawasaki could only desperately throw up mid- to long-range shots to scrape together some points.
Meanwhile, Teiko executed their offense with ruthless efficiency, scoring 28 points in a single quarter.
28-10!
Ambitious Kawasaki Affiliated was completely crushed by Teiko in just one quarter.
Tendou finished the first quarter brilliantly with 11 points, 1 rebound, and 5 steals, instantly becoming the brightest star on the court.