It had been a week since Liam joined the basketball team. Nanaho stood near the edge of the court, clipboard in hand, eyes quietly observing the players move across the floor. She exhaled softly.
Liam's really amazing, she thought to herself. He's improving at a shocking rate.
Being coached by Yukio has helped him so much in learning to play Center. I'm honestly glad he's on our team. His presence gives Yukio the freedom to shift to a different position altogether.
On the court, Yukio stood facing Liam with a basketball tucked under his arm, sweat visible on his arms and forehead. The echo of shoes squeaking on polished wood filled the air.
"Come on, Liam, get lower than that!" Yukio called out, his voice cutting across the gym. "I know you're pretty strong, but there will be a lot of strong centers in the tournament. You need to use all of your strength when you post up to gain an edge."
He turned, tossing the ball lightly toward Liam. "Let me demonstrate once more."
"Takahiro, mark me."
"Right," said Takahiro. His shoes shifted against the hardwood floor with a firm squeak as he stepped forward, lowering his center of gravity and positioning himself between Yukio and the rim.
"Pass the ball where I ask you to, Liam!" Yukio shouted, hands up.
Liam nodded, focused, and delivered a sharp chest pass. The ball thudded into Yukio's hands. With quick precision, Yukio bounced the ball once, pivoted tightly on his left foot, and spun past Takahiro. He rose into the air and laid the ball gently off the backboard, the sound of the swish echoing in the gym.
"You see how effective I was?" Yukio said as he turned to face Liam again. "Imagine if you execute this exactly as I did. How impossible would it be to guard you?"
He walked back toward Liam, pointing at his waist. "Using your full strength means bending more. When you're up against weaker defenders, that low center of gravity forces them to get under you—and that's not easy. It'll make scoring easier."
Yukio grabbed a towel from a bench and wiped his face, breathing hard from the last burst of movement.
"And against stronger and more experienced players, they'll recognize your control and won't take unnecessary risks. They won't gamble on trying to steal the ball if they see you're grounded and aware."
"I understand," said Liam, nodding slowly. "I just need to lower my hips, right?"
"Yes," Yukio said, gesturing for the ball. "Let's try it once more. Pass him the ball, Takahiro."
Takahiro snapped a pass toward Liam, who caught it firmly with both hands. His palms briefly adjusted the grip, the rough leather slightly warm from contact. Yukio crouched in front of him in a defensive stance, arms out, knees bent.
I can't move him, Liam thought. He's too strong…
No, focus—just bend your hips.
He dropped his hips lower, legs flexed and engaged, then leaned forward with control. His muscles activated with explosive strength as he backed Yukio closer to the rim. The rubber of their sneakers screeched against the floor, their bodies clashing with audible force. Liam then pivoted hard off his right foot and spun left, the ball still secure in his hands, and rose above the rim to slam the ball through with both hands.
The rim shook slightly under the impact. Yukio stepped back, clearly impressed.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Yukio said, a grin spreading across his face. "Pretty simple, right?"
Off to the side, Nanaho continued her mental notes, watching their chemistry closely.
I had to adjust their training. I noticed certain gaps…
Yukio, Liam, and Takahiro are working together now. Liam's learning the Center position, but they're all improving. Even Yukio is expanding his range—he's been practicing his outside shots. I'm thinking of making him a power forward.
She glanced at her notes, mentally forming the lineup.
Starting five: Hayato at point guard, Tetsuo at shooting guard, Takahiro as small forward, Yukio as power forward, Liam as Center… Not bad at all.
Across the gym, Tetsuo and Shino were in another corner of the court. Tetsuo held his follow-through after a jump shot, watching the ball swish through the net.
Shino picked up a rebound and passed it back.
Tetsuo said, "Widen your base before you shoot. Don't rush it. Feel the rhythm."
Shino nodded and took a shot—clumsy, but better than before.
In the back area, Noboru was running sprints along the perimeter, sweat dripping from his chin as he pushed through his stamina drills. His breath was steady, but he looked close to exhaustion.
Once Noboru's done, Nanaho thought, Tetsuo will help him with shooting too.
Hayato was dribbling on the sideline, cones laid out in a zigzag pattern. His sneakers tapped rapidly across the floor as he weaved through them, the ball snapping crisply under his control. He worked on layups and floaters, each one more polished than the last.
It was a good idea when Hayato suggested morning practices, Nanaho reflected. We've been getting so much more out of them. I believe this time… we can make it to the inter-high.
Clapping her hands sharply, she called out, "Okay, everyone! We're switching from individual drills to team practice."
She looked around, eyes settling on Shino. "Shino, go call Noboru for me. I'm sure he's tired of racing against the girls' track team by now."
"On it!" said Shino, jogging toward the back hallway.
Yukio looked up. "What kind of training do you have in mind, Nanaho?"
"Oh, just wait and see," she said, smiling slyly.
Once everyone was gathered at center court, Nanaho began.
"After rewatching the match against Yokonan, I noticed a big problem. In situations where it's three-on-two or two-on-three, you all struggle to coordinate. Our attacks fail, and the other team scores when they have fewer players."
She paused, scanning the team.
"With the exception of Tetsuo—who broke their defense single-handedly—the rest of you need to learn how to adapt. So, I created a drill to teach you how to function even with a numerical disadvantage."
She divided them into groups. "Team one: Yukio and Noboru."
"Let's go score some points, Captain!" said Noboru, still catching his breath.
"Team two: Hayato, Shino, and Liam."
"Team three: Tetsuo and Takahiro."
Nanaho continued, "Yukio and Noboru start on offense. Hayato's team defends. If they score, they stay. If not, it switches. And no posting up, Liam. Everyone plays outside the arc."
"Alright, Coach," Liam responded, bouncing the ball.
As he glanced at Nanaho, he thought, She's such a beautiful Japanese girl. His face froze in a weird expression before snapping back to focus.
"I have a question," Shino spoke up. "How can two players defend the hoop? That doesn't seem possible."
Nanaho replied, "You're right—it's tough. But the goal is to improve awareness. One player stays in the key, the other at the top. You'll have to communicate. For the three-man team, any player with the ball should be double-teamed."
"Got it, Coach Fukazawa," said Hayato.
Noboru brought the ball up with quick, deliberate dribbles. The ball snapped sharply against the floor as he crossed half-court. Shino and Hayato quickly rushed him, trapping him near the sideline.
"Damn it, I can't see the hoop," Noboru thought, shielding the ball with his body.
"Noboru, pass, I'm open!" Yukio called, motioning toward the top of the arc.
"Here you go, Captain," Noboru replied and zipped the ball over.
Yukio caught it and immediately drove inside. He extended for the layup, but Liam, reading the movement, sprang into action. His shoes slapped the floor as he rotated over. With a vertical leap, he met Yukio mid-air and batted the ball away with both hands.
"This guy is like a wall built in front of the rim," Yukio thought, landing hard.
"Let's go, our turn to attack," said Hayato, already pushing the ball up the floor.
Tetsuo slid into position and stripped the ball clean from Hayato's hands with a quick poke. He accelerated, weaving past Noboru, and met Yukio under the rim. He faked left, then passed to Takahiro, who laid it in.
"Let's go Quickly, Takahiro" said Tetsuo calmly.
Next play, he attacked again, only to be double-teamed. Calmly, he crossed over, burst forward on Shino's side, and left both defenders behind. He came to a sudden stop at the arc, stepped back, and launched a three. The ball splashed through the net.
"Great, this is turning out better than I expected," Nanaho thought with a soft smile.
Yukio got revenge by blocking Takahiro, then dished it off to Noboru, who tried to score, only for Liam to deny him again. Liam scooped up the rebound and dunked it clean.
Hayato swished a three-pointer the next play. Liam followed up by catching a pass from Hayato and slamming it home again.
Hayato then finished with a floater. Yukio stole a ball and dunked. Noboru sprinted and slipped past Shino for a quick layup.
"Great work, everyone! We'll end training here. Go ahead and freshen up for your classes," said Nanaho.
"Yes!" the team called in unison, drenched in sweat but buzzing with energy.