Takeishi vs Kitamura

"But soon, Mitsui taught Akagi a lesson in reality. Kitamura's shooting was perfect. Akagi was about to tip in but Mitsui blocked Akagi's waist preventing him from taking off well. Although he appeared very thin Mitsui's upper body strength and core strength were actually very strong. Additionally Akagi was a rough player who couldn't utilize his strength effectively. For a while Mitsui was stuck and couldn't jump.

Mitsui naturally won the rebound easily. Players in Kitamura were a little surprised to discover the significant physical gap between Mitsui and Akagi. However, they didn't say much it was just one play. With Takeishi's offense Mitsui promptly stepped back and took a three-pointer, scoring three points. Akagi could only watch helplessly as the ball swished through the net.

"Damn it, you're actually using a three-pointer as a center. It's so despicable. What kind of center plays like this?" Akagi felt quite aggrieved. If he were to follow Mitsui outside it wasn't just a matter of whether he could guard him if he left the interior others would likely be unable to stop him. Regarding Takeishi's opponent Mitsui could help his teammates score by simply passing the ball. If Akagi extend his defense, seeing Mitsui like this was akin to practicing shooting and it could hurt the team.

"Akagi, stay alert," Takami quickly approached to comfort him. Akagi was only 14 years old at this time and his temper was still very irritable. Despite his outstanding physical talent, his skills were lacking. When he encountered difficulties he tended to try to go solo, and this often resulted in fouls.

Akagi took a deep breath suppressed his unhappiness and followed his teammates instructions. He moved to the penalty area reached for the ball, and the point guard naturally passed it to him, given the situation. After all Akagi had been hit before it was only normal to want to bounce back, and this was just a practice match.

"Come on, Akagi, do you think you can beat me?" Because Akagi was so tall, Mitsui had to extend his hand to barely block Akagi's view. He kept moving behind Akagi, obstructing all of Akagi's potential paths to the basket. No matter which way Akagi tried to turn Mitsui's smiling face was always there.

"Damn it!" Akagi was so frustrated that he attempted to force his way to the basket. Mitsui took advantage of this and fell down. "Offensive foul!" The referee promptly blew the whistle, and Akagi angrily slammed the ball to the ground.

"How does it feel, Akagi? A center without a shooting ability is useless. You can't even excel in your strong point." Mitsui sat on the ground and said to Akagi with a smile.

Hearing Mitsui's words Akagi felt extremely upset. At the same time he recognized that shooting under the basket should be part of his practice. He wasn't foolish like Sakuragi Hanamichi he certainly understood the importance of shooting for basketball players with his common basketball knowledge. The lack of this skill was a problem he intended to address.

Next, Mitsui's offense shifted to a different routine. Faced with Akagi's tight defense, Mitsui employed agile footwork under the basket and realistic fake moves to outmaneuver Akagi and easily banked the ball for a score. "Now what? This is authentic center-style play. Let's keep it up."

Akagi had nothing to say. Olajuwon was highly regarded in this era, and his dreamlike footwork received praise from many. Akagi had secretly practiced it, but his stiff muscles prevented him from executing such exquisite steps.

Then came another attack. Mitsui once again used his excellent anticipation and core strength to secure the rebound over Akagi. In his offensive move against Akagi, Mitsui attempted a hook shot. Although it didn't result in a score Mitsui was satisfied and couldn't help laughing. "Hey, it's not easy for someone of shorter stature to use a hook shot. If it's Akagi, I probably wouldn't be able to resist a hook shot like yours given your height." Akagi's thoughts began to shift.

"Yeah, wouldn't it be easier to score with my height if I could execute the hook shot?

The practice match with Kitamura ended quickly. The core strength gap between the two sides was too significant. Even after replacing all the starters except Katsumi, Kitamura Junior High School still lost to Takeishi Junior High School with a score of 42 to 71.

It is worth mentioning that during the competition, many people were surprised by Mitsui's guidance to Akagi. It was too cordial as if the two were very good friends. Even Akagi would not be able to speak ill of him if he felt good intentions. Furthermore Mitsui genuinely utilized various skills as a center to outperform Akagi.

Katsumi on the other hand learned a lot from Takami whom he used as an example. After all, Mitsui was coaching Akagi as a center in this game and it was not until Akagi fouled out of the game with five fouls that Mitsui also left the field.

However, Akagi was not the No. 1 center in Kanagawa three years later. At this time, Akagi's dribbling was very poor, free throws were completely unpredictable, and his offensive skills were limited to simple slam dunks under the basket. Despite his height and strength this was a disadvantage, especially in the match against Mitsui where he was blocked many times.

Even though the fight ended with the same result as the practice match, Akagi still committed five fouls due to his rough technique, which helped him understand himself better and calm his impetuousness. Mitsui's skills alone were enough to stop him, not to mention other full-time centers and senior centers who had been promoted to high school before him. While his physical fitness was excellent, without the matching skills he remained prone to fouling.

Otherwise, he would not be able to develop into a better center forward in Kanagawa than Uozumi, who had been carefully trained by Taoka in a team that consistently made the first round. He noticed these shortcomings and areas that needed improvement during the battle with Mitsui, and that was Mitsui's original intention. He didn't want Akagi to be just a beginner when he joined Shohoku in the future.

Of course, Mitsui also overlooked the fact that if Akagi's skills were truly outstanding would Kainan and Shoyo will not notice Akagi who was a talent? You must know that at this time, Akagi's physical fitness alone could secure a promising evaluation from Anzai.