Slam Dunk Chronicles: The Tyrant's Era

"Everyone gathers up!!"

With a roar from Captain Murakumo Kengo, all the new and returning players in the gym assembled in front of him.

The freshmen lined up in a single row, while the older players stood opposite them.

Once everyone was in place, Murakumo Kengo returned to his spot, and all eyes turned to Coach Harada, waiting for him to speak.

"Ahem."

Looking at the more than twenty young men standing before him, Coach Harada was quite pleased.

This group would be the key to the success of his career this year!

"Recruits, I'm very glad you've chosen to join the Miuradai High School basketball program. Whether you're here because of personal interest or because you want to pursue basketball seriously, this place can accommodate both."

Miuradai High School had two basketball-related groups: the Basketball Team and the Basketball Club. Many large private schools, such as Shoyo and Kainan, used similar structures.

The Basketball Team represented the school in official competitions and was the face of the institution, a squad that competed for honors. A team typically had a rotation of at least 12 players, with a maximum roster of 15.

The Basketball Club, on the other hand, was for students who loved basketball but didn't meet the requirements to join the team. It functioned more as a casual club.

The Team had strict training schedules and detailed plans, and received the most resources and support, including scholarships.

Meanwhile, the Club was more laid-back, show up if you want, skip if you're busy. It was perfect for those who just wanted to use basketball to stay fit… or flirt.

Also, if a player on the team transferred, dropped out, lost interest, or got injured, Coach Harada could pull someone up from the Club to fill the gap.

The Team was limited to 15 players max, but the Club had no cap on numbers.

As for these more than ten freshmen currently lined up, how many would make the official Team, and how many would remain in the Club just to enjoy the game, would depend on their performance in the assessments ahead.

Even the second and third years weren't completely safe; if a freshman performed exceptionally well, the coach wouldn't hesitate to demote a veteran to the Club.

That's why, every spring when the school year began, the top high schools in the prefecture went through a major talent reshuffle. It also ensured the prefectural tournaments remained exciting year after year.

Coach Harada's speech lasted only ten minutes, and then the formal selection process began.

To Wu Yufei, this process was just going through the motions. In no time, he breezed through all the test stations and then took a basketball to a hoop in the corner to practice his shooting alone.

Weekly Mission:

Shooting Training — For the next 7 days, complete:

500 mid-range shots

200 three-pointers

Progress:

Mid-range: 220 / 500

Three-pointers: 98 / 200

Days completed: 0 / 7

Rewards: +0.5 to Mid-range stat, +0.5 to Three-point stat

Although the weekly missions were less rewarding than main or side quests, a mosquito's leg is still meat; every little bit helps. And even without the rewards, Wu Yufei would've practiced shooting anyway. Now that there were bonuses, he was even more motivated.

By the time he had made over 300 mid-range shots, the others had completed the first round of testing. The next stage was scrimmage matches.

Wu Yufei and Ishiyama Jun were placed on the Red Team, along with three other freshmen. They faced off against five others.

With just Wu Yufei, the Red Team was already heavily favored. Adding the solid Ishiyama Jun made their victory practically guaranteed.

Though only 180cm tall, Ishiyama Jun had excellent mid- and long-range shooting and sharp movement off the ball. He frequently broke free from defenders, caught passes from Wu Yufei, and took confident shots.

In under five minutes, Ishiyama Jun went 7-for-5, scoring 12 points, while Wu Yufei tallied 8 assists, prompting Coach Harada to pull them both out of the game.

Going through the motions, that's basically what this was.

By 6:30 PM, most other school clubs had finished and gone home, but the basketball gym was still brightly lit.

The freshmen stood in line once more, drenched in sweat.

Coach Harada looked at his clipboard with great satisfaction.

"I'm proud of you all for making it this far. Aside from the three who left midway, there are 15 of you still standing here, and I've already selected three to join the official basketball team. When I call your name, step forward."

Everyone perked up their ears. After grinding for hours, no one wanted to hear bad news at the very end.

Coach Harada cleared his throat and began reading the names with check marks on his list.

"Wu Yufei!"

"Here!"

"Ishiyama Jun!"

"Yes!"

"Oono Kazuhiro!"

"Present!"

The three Wu Yufei, Ishiyama Jun, and Oono Kazuhiro stepped forward. The remaining twelve wore faces of disappointment and frustration.

"There's no need to look like that. This isn't the end of your evaluation. And just because your name was called doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot on the team," Coach Harada said calmly, trying to reassure everyone.

Then he declared the day's training over and dismissed everyone.

Of course, Wu Yufei didn't leave right away. He grabbed his basketball again and went back to the corner hoop for extra practice.

Among the three chosen today, Wu Yufei's position was already secure; he was slated to be Miuradai's starting point guard.

Ishiyama Jun earned his spot thanks to his precise shooting during the scrimmage and post-game shooting drills. Though only average in height and not particularly muscular, he had good speed, intelligent movement, and a quick release. With a bit of development, he could become a very solid shooter.

The third, Oono Kazuhiro, was a powerful big man — 190 cm tall and 90 kg. During the scrimmage, he outmuscled opponents and grabbed numerous rebounds. Coach Harada saw him as a strong backup center once Kawasaki Akio graduated at the end of the year.

A point guard, a shooting guard, and a center/power forward are a pretty good haul for Coach Harada today.

Wu Yufei kept practicing until nearly 9 PM before finally packing up and leaving the gym, satisfied.

He had long since completed his shooting quota; the rest was just his extra training.

After all, his dad was a workaholic, and there wasn't much to do at home. So, staying in the gym and practicing was the better option.