Shohoku High School Basketball Club.
"Finally here!" he thought, when suddenly..
"You finally arrived, Nash-kun!" said a familiar voice just as he was entering the gym.
Nash turned and saw Haruko waiting for him with a warm smile, slightly out of breath and with slightly red cheeks.
As soon as Nash entered the basketball gym with her, a murmur spread among those present.
Wow, that guy is tall, almost as tall as Kaede Rukawa.
Yeah, I didn't expect all the freshmen to be this tall this year.
Looks like this year there's actually a chance to make it to nationals!
Akagi, who was talking to Haruko about Sakuragi, was left behind by his sister as she ran to the door to greet someone, looked over and saw Nash.
He quickly came over to greet him.
Welcome.
In Akagi's eyes, although he doesn't yet know how good Nash is on the court, at least he's very satisfied with his physique.
What Shohoku needs now are tall players.
Currently, the only players on the team over 180 cm are himself and the newcomer Kaede Rukawa.
Then there's Kakuta, who barely reaches 180 cm.
The lack of height makes it hard for them to face many taller teams.
That's one of the reasons why they haven't achieved good results.
Now, with Nash and Kaede Rukawa, two freshmen close to 190 cm, it's expected that they can handle most situations.
"Thank you, Captain Akagi!" replied Nash politely.
He respected the team's pillar who had carried Shohoku forward practically alone—not at all because he was Haruko's brother…
When all the players were present, Akagi clapped and shouted:
Gather around! All freshmen, to the front!
At the sound of the order, the veteran and new team members quickly stood up.
Only one redhead moved around restlessly, looking around.
Nash looked around, focusing on Sakuragi Hanamichi fooling around.
Akagi ignored Sakuragi's little distraction and continued speaking.
Today many new members join the club. Some were stars in middle school, others are newbies who've never touched a ball.
While saying this, he glanced at Sakuragi, then continued:
But now that you're in high school, everything starts over. You'll face much stronger opponents.
From now on, you're officially members of the Shohoku Basketball Club, and together we'll fight to dominate the country.
With Akagi's voice and the applause of the veterans, he added:
Alright, introduce yourselves to the new members, everyone's welcome!
One by one, the first-year recruits started to introduce themselves.
Class 1, Kentaro Iishi, 172 cm, 65 kg, point/shooting guard.
Class 5, …
Class 10, Kaede Rukawa, 187 cm, 75 kg, no fixed position.
Upon hearing Kaede, everyone was a bit surprised.
Having no fixed position meant he could play anywhere.
It was a clear sign of his extreme confidence.
Akagi, with interest, asked:
"Kaede, do you have any hobbies?"
"Hobby? Well, sleeping, I guess."
Sakuragi, next to him, burst out laughing.
"Ha! Sleeping is a hobby, seriously? How boring."
Akagi ignored Sakuragi and continued.
"Next."
Sakuragi stood up immediately.
"Sakuragi Hanamichi, 188 cm, 83 kg, my hobby is....."
Next, Akagi interrupted before he could finish, which made Sakuragi angry.
He kept pacing around, muttering curses under his breath.
It was Nash's turn, and he answered without hesitation:
"Nash Gold, 190 cm, 82 kg, position: point guard."
Akagi was silent for a moment.
The answer didn't quite match his expectations.
He thought Kaede and Nash would be best suited to play as forwards.
After all, there's no one taller on the team.
As for Sakuragi, Akagi still believes he only joined on a whim.
He won't last long, so he doesn't pay much attention to him.