Chapter 19: Basketball and Power Forward

"Mom, I brought my classmates home as guests. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Back at home, Ryuzheng shouted loudly.

"Long Zheng, you're finally back." Momoeko walked out of the kitchen and saw Sakuragi Hanamichi hurriedly greeted:

"This is Ryuzheng's classmate. Sit down, sit down, Auntie will bring you refreshments to eat. ”

"Auntie, my name is Sakuragi Hanamichi. Thank you for the hospitality! Sakuragi Hanamichi bowed.

"Long Zheng, why don't you tell your mother that you won a big victory over Miuratai yesterday." Momoeko took out today's Basketball Weekly.

The Great Demon King of Terror: Ryumasa Oda, this is the headline of today's Basketball Weekly.

"Today, the neighbor came to visit, and when it came to the big demon king in the country of Heguang, I didn't even know it was you, and I almost made a big joke. You kid, don't tell your mother anything. Momoeko complained.

"Mom, no. Mainly, I don't think it's a big deal. My mother has seen my training for the past four years. Don't you think a big win over Miuradai is the right one? Long Zheng explained.

"That's just as well." Momoeko nodded thinking of Ryumasa's four years of hard training.

"Hope for the future of basketball in our country!" Thinking of Coach Gao Touli's evaluation of Long Zheng, Baiezi was overjoyed.

"Long Zheng, you accompany Xuexue to play first, and my mother will go to the kitchen to cook." Momoeko said, walking towards the kitchen.

"Sakuragi, you wait for me." Ryuzheng walked towards the bookstore.

After a while, Ryu-jeong came out of the library and placed a stack of magazines on the table.

"Sakuragi-san, do you know anything about basketball?"

"Basketball," Sakuragi Hanamichi shook his head.

"Basketball is one of the confrontational indoor sports centered on dribbling, shooting, layups, and dunks. One hundred years ago, at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher, invented basketball in order to solve the problem of the cold outdoor in winter and the inability of football and baseball to be carried out normally. Ryumasa looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi and continued, "Now basketball has developed into the third sport in the United States and the tenth largest ball sport in the world, and the number of participants even exceeds that of ice hockey. In basketball, each side sends five players on the court. According to the different positions and division of labor, they are divided into centers, power forwards, small forwards, scoring guards and organizational guards. ”

Long Zheng picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of tea.

"I played playmaking guard on the Wako basketball team. Actually, I want to play as a shooting guard more, I like confrontation and desire to attack in my bones, and a shooting guard and small forward are more suitable for me. “

"Then why doesn't the captain play shooting guard or small forward, but playmaking guard?" Sakuragi Hanamichi asked suspiciously.

"Because nobody on the basketball team can hold the ball right now." Long Zheng sighed,

"Playmaking defenders are the ones who have the most chances on the pitch. He has to take the ball safely from the back to the front court and pass it to other teammates so that he has a chance to score. A good playmaker must be able to carry the ball across half the court without any problem with only one person defending him. And now there are no such players in the Wako basketball team. ”

"Captain, do you think I can be an organizational defender?" Sakuragi looked at Ryumasa and said worriedly,

"If I become a playmaker, the captain can play at shooting guard."

"No, you can't." Ryumasa looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi,

"If it's only three years in junior high school, Sakuragi-san will improve the basketball team a lot as an organizational guard. But I saw not only the three years in high school, but also the professional players in high school, college, and even after graduation. ”

"Sakuragi-san, as I said, you're a basketball wizard just like me. So as the captain, and indeed the actual coach of the basketball team, I have to be responsible for your future. Not only do I want to be teammates in junior high school, but I also want to be teammates with Sakuragi in high school, college, and even professional leagues. ”

"May I?" Sakuragi was not confident anymore, and even panicked.

Kuniichi's Sakuragi Hanamichi was far from the terrifying physical talent that he had three years later, and he didn't dare to imagine that he could keep up with the pace of the captain of this great man.

"Sakuragi-san, you have to trust me. I can't be mistaken, your future is immeasurable. So now I have to help you stay on the right path. Long Zheng said solemnly.

"The right path?" Sakuragi muttered.

"Yes, the right path. Sakuragi-san, you have to find your own position accurately. In my opinion, the most suitable position for Sakuragi-san is the power forward. ”

"Power forward," Sakuragi asked, "what does a power forward do on the field?" ”

"Grabbing rebounds, the strongest thing about a power forward is grabbing rebounds. There is a saying on the basketball court that whoever dominates the basket can dominate the whole court, and in basketball, whichever team grabs more rebounds will win the game. Sakuragi-san, now I can't find opponents and peers of a similar level, and basketball without confrontation is not the kind of basketball I like. I'm scared, I'm scared if I keep doing this, I'm going to lose my love for basketball. Sakuragi, the moment I saw you, I knew you could grow to that height. In the future, you are the only partner who can move forward side by side with me. Sakuragi-san, let's work together. Long Zheng stretched out his right hand.

"Captain, work together." Sakuragi Hanamichi stretched out her right hand.

It turns out that the captain thinks so highly of me, and I must not let the captain down. At this moment, Sakuragi made up his mind that he must be a partner who will move forward with the captain.

"Sakuragi-san, this is a basketball weekly for the year, I'll give it to you now, you must read it all." Ryuzheng pointed to a stack of magazines on the table.

"Tomorrow's game against Laishan National High School, I will play in the first half. I'm going to try to play as a big forward, so you have to be observant off the court. I hope that by the time the prefectural tournament finals are over, Sakuragi-san will have the strength to play on the court with me. ”

"Captain, I will definitely work hard." Sakuragi patted his chest and assured Ryumasa.

"Sakuragi-san, stay at my house for the night. After dinner, I'll have a three-hour basketball practice, and Sakuragi-san will join me. ”

"Is that okay? Can I train with the captain? "Sakuragi Hanamichi was flattered.

"Absolutely. From now on, we will play together as companions. Ryumasa patted Sakuragi on the shoulder.