Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

I saw Hanamichi Sakuragi in the newspaper. Budo did not disrupt his training rhythm because of this. After sitting on the sidelines and resting for a while, Budo stood up and prepared to return to the court to continue his training.

During the regular season, the team's competition tasks are quite heavy. Players are either preparing for the game or on their way to the stadium.

Coach Philip and Chris saw that Wu Dao had rested so quickly, and that Wu Dao was actually preparing to enter the court to continue training. Chris couldn't help but stop Wu Dao and asked with some confusion:

"Wait, boss!"

"You're just going to continue training like this?"

"Seeing that my old high school teammate came to the United States, why don't you give him a call and say hello?"

"Did this kid not have a good relationship with you back then?"

After hearing what Chris said, Wu Dao turned around and said with a smile: "The relationship is not good? It's nothing."

"It's just that between me and him, there is probably no need for this kind of greeting."

"Everyone has their own life, and everyone has their own adventures."

"Right now, I need to focus on the things in front of me."

"As for the phone call, I'll just ask Coach Smith to briefly understand the situation."

As Wu Dao spoke, he turned around and walked towards the middle of the stadium.

The training intensity in the afternoon was somewhat relaxed. With the cooperation of the training, Wu Dao left the gym early after conducting some training combining human and ball.

Martial Arts left the arena and returned to the villa he rented near the arena.

Although he is a rookie, his draft pick was relatively high. The salary of martial arts is quite high for most ordinary people. Even if we don't talk about the so-called family background, when martial arts becomes NBA The moment he becomes a player, he becomes a rich man.

If he hadn't had much time to look at houses this year, with the current economic conditions in Wu Dao, there would be no problem in buying a villa by himself.

Although Wu Dao is a relatively pure and focused person, he would not mind if his living conditions could be "slightly" improved.

It was already evening when he got home. Wu Dao took a shower and went to the living room in his pajamas. He found an address book from under the coffee table on the sofa, and Wu Dao dialed Coach Smith's number.

"Hey!"

"It's really rare! You kid actually called me. What's wrong? Aren't you busy during this time?"

"I see you guys are going to play against the Cavaliers tomorrow? If you don't prepare well, do you still have time to make phone calls?"

As soon as the call was connected, Coach Smith's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Wu Dao doesn't talk to Coach Smith too many times. He is busy, and Wu Dao is also busy. Unless something really happens, it's just some communication during the holidays.

It’s not that he is a heartless martial artist, and he broke up with the coach who led him to an American high school.

It’s just that the big society is like this. The urbanization rate in the United States is very fast. In the 90s, this trend of weakening human interaction was already very obvious.

People who live here often interact most with neighbors, colleagues, friends who are separated from each other, and elders sometimes are not even as close as their neighbors.

"Haha, don't be so sarcastic about me. I'm very busy, but today is not a game day. It's okay to take some time to make a phone call."

After hearing Smith's words, Wu Dao laughed slightly embarrassed and said with a smile.

"Tell me, why are you calling?"

"You, an NBA super rookie, are a busy man. If you have nothing to do, you wouldn't call me, right?"

Coach Smith is also very busy during this time. The team has lost consecutive games. He is now full of thoughts on how to change the current situation of the team.

The red-haired Asian guy was very talented, but for some reason, he encountered some problems in developing that kid's talent and was unable to get that kid to achieve the results Smith expected.

"Coach Smith, I heard that Oak Hill recruited an Asian player."

"You should have found them from Xiangbei High School where I was before, right?"

"Hanachi Sakuragi, right?"

Speaking of Hanamichi Sakuragi, on the other end of the phone, Coach Smith had a look of surprise on his face and couldn't help but smile:

"Are you so well-informed?"

"I haven't told anyone else about this."

"Few people on the Oak Hill team know about your relationship with him."

"You know, the national conditions here are different from those in Asia, and everyone is a high school student. If someone knows about your relationship with him, some people will say something in private."

“It’s not good for the development of young players.”

"My suggestion is, don't ask about it either!"

When Coach Smith heard the name Sakuragi Hanamichi from Budo, he immediately guessed what Budo's purpose was in calling him today.

Coach Smith has encountered too many similar things, and it's nothing more than asking him to help "take care of".

In fact, there is no need to talk about martial arts. Coach Smith also knows this. After all, he was the one who brought Sakuragi to the United States, and he is also Sakuragi's coach. Isn't it the right thing to take care of him?

"Coach Smith, I think you have misunderstood me. I have no intention of interfering."

"Sakuragi Hanamichi is my junior. This kid is a very talented player."

"His family conditions are relatively average. Even if you provide him with a full scholarship, I think it will be difficult for him to afford some expenses."

"I'm calling, but I don't have any other opinions. You know much better than me about player training."

"I'm just thinking about life. If that kid has any burdens, you can tell me and I will solve it."

Budao still has considerable trust in the character of Coach Smith, and Coach Smith is different from many NBA coaches. He is an academic coach. One characteristic of this type of coach is that when teaching players, he has a strong attitude toward adolescent players. , will pay a lot of attention.

Sakuragi looks carefree, but he is actually a person with a lot of inner drama.

Budo does not want family conditions to become a shackles restricting Sakuragi's growth.

"Ok?"

"Is this what you called?"

"Then I think you can rest assured. That boy lives a very clean life. It's just that he spends more money on eating outside at school."

"The scholarship will fully cover his expenses."

"And this kid is quite sensible. He usually trains very hard and is very obedient. You don't have to worry."

"that is."

At the end of the sentence, Coach Smith suddenly hesitated.

"What is it?" Wu Dao asked immediately after hearing the "yes" on the phone.

"We just don't understand the language. The leader of our team can speak Japanese, but his Japanese is very average."

"His communication efficiency with other team members is somewhat poor."

"I think he needs to take language classes."

"Otherwise, this could cause a big problem."

Hearing this, Wu Dao also frowned and nodded slightly. Language, this is a problem that all players who come to play in the United States need to overcome.

Wu Dao vaguely remembers that when Yi Di from China came to play in the United States, communication with his teammates was a big problem. In addition, his personality was relatively shy and he did not like to talk to strangers. This also led to his difficulty in entering the NBA when he first entered the NBA. For a long time, I couldn't create my own style.

He doesn't understand his teammates, and his teammates don't understand him, which is really a big problem.

In fact, Dayao had the same problem with Yi Di in the early days of the NBA. The language barrier was a relatively big obstacle for Dayao.

But fortunately, Dayao himself is not a "boring" person, and his language skills are also very strong. He learned English very quickly. In addition, Francis, the boss of the Rockets at the time, trusted Dayao and took good care of him. This made Dayao very good. Yao's integration into the NBA has become much smoother.

Sakuragi's language problem does need to be overcome.

"Coach, if you think you need a translator, just hire one. As for the cost, I will pay for it."

"Normally, I would also ask a translator to help teach him English. Of course, you can add money for the teaching part, so it's not a problem."

"This kid Sakuragi Hanamichi has a strong self-esteem and a high threshold for stress resistance."

"During normal training, you should practice as you should. No matter how basic the training is, he should not complain. If the training is good, your appropriate encouragement will make him more motivated."

“When you get on the field, you just have to give him an opponent to beat.”

"That motivates his training."

"The best opponent is a famous, dazzling, arrow-shaped player."

"His jumping is pretty good. I think even in the US High School, he is not weaker than others. You can let him start by grabbing rebounds and build up his confidence on the court bit by bit."

Martial Arts is quite familiar with Sakuragi Hanamichi. Taking this opportunity, Martial Arts also shared some of his thoughts with Coach Smith.

Smith listened very carefully, nodding slightly while listening.

Sakuragi Hanamichi's foundation is very solid. Although he has not played basketball for a long time, coach Anzai has done a very good job in this aspect.

Moreover, Sakuragi's athletic talent has begun to be fully revealed as his physical development enters the final stage. What Wu Dao just said is still somewhat wrong. Sakuragi's current jumping is not weaker than others? He can jump higher than most high school students in position 3.4!

When you take off with all your strength, you can even kiss the basket with your mouth. I wonder if you are afraid!

"As for his character and temper, through this period of contact, I have learned more or less about him."

"This kid is now 211cm tall and weighs 101kg. I think his height is almost finalized."

"In the past few months, I have only grown 1cm."

"Now this kid is playing the 5th position. I plan to let him play the 4th position. What do you think?"

Coach Smith felt that some of the opinions from martial arts had some effect on him. Now there was someone who understood football to discuss with him. Coach Smith also talked about the issues that he had been thinking about during this period.

Yes, Sakuragi is now over 210cm tall, and before entering Oak Hill High School, he always played the No. 5 position in Neon.

After entering Oak Hill, Sakuragi has also been shouldering the important task of being the core of the inside offense.

When playing in Neon, Sakuragi was able to make all the difference with his physique, and could even suppress the other star of the "Shohoku Twin Stars", Rukawa Kaede, in terms of average points per game.

But in Meigao, Sakuragi's style of play is somewhat unworkable.

"Have you been playing the No. 5 position before?"

"With his size, he could play the fifth position in the U.S. High School, but the advantage is not reflected."

"This kid's agility should be pretty good. I think he can play the fourth position."

"If you don't change the position and continue to play 5, you will need to make some small adjustments around him on the offensive end."

"He has shooting talent and can practice shooting. He can play in space and pull the opponent's inside players."

"Of course, if it is changed to 4, I suggest that he start with defense first."

"He is quite talented in terms of defense and rebounding. He should be able to practice both single defense and assist defense."

Regarding Sakuragi Hanamichi's talent in defense, martial arts still admire him. Sakuragi belongs to that kind of beast, with a very sensitive defensive sense and a very tough style.

This kind of person is very suitable for basketball in this era.

"Coach Smith, if the team is free, please tell me in advance and I will invite you to come to the Target Center to watch the game."

The call between Budao and Coach Smith lasted for more than half an hour. The two discussed a lot about Sakuragi Hanamichi's training and court positioning.

Martial Arts also has some understanding of Sakuragi's current situation.

This kid lives on campus, three o'clock to one line every day, dormitories, gymnasiums, and canteens, so he saves money.

Budao felt quite relieved after understanding these situations. Sakuragi already has his own persistence and pursuit in basketball, which is good.

It wasn't until Coach Smith's wife called Coach Smith to eat that Wu Dao and Smith hung up the phone.

After ending the call, Budo called Fujima Takako for half an hour before going to the room to rest.

11 month 21 day.

The Timberwolves played against the Cavaliers from afar at home.

Tickets for the game were sold out before the 20th. Tickets for the Timberwolves' home games are now very popular. You may not believe it, but a small ball market like Minnesota can already support scalpers.

At the entrance of the Target Center Arena, spectators came to watch the game one after another. Many of them were fans of the Timberwolves. Many of them were holding support cards for Wolves players. They were all homemade items, although the workmanship was average. So-so, but full of heart.

When the audience entered the stadium, players from the Timberwolves and Cavaliers were interviewed before the game in two large conference rooms.

Coach Philip led Garnett and Marbury to interview the media.

At the venue, a reporter from the Los Angeles media brought up the "Who is the Wolf King" incident that has been making a lot of noise these days.

During the post-game press conference between the Timberwolves and the Lakers, the "violent talk" about martial arts gradually caused some waves after a period of fermentation.

Minnesota's home game, this feeling is even deeper.

Garnett and Marbury are both players with certain fans, and they are also the core of the young starting lineup. This question from the Los Angeles reporter is to find out the true thoughts of other Timberwolves players.

They don't mind stirring up infighting among the Timberwolves if they can.

The outside world doesn't know what happened in the Timberwolves locker room the day before yesterday. Now they are all preparing to watch the Timberwolves' good show.

"Kevin, Stephen, who do you think is the boss of the Timberwolves?"

"Someone calls your rookie martial artist of the Timberwolves the Wolf King. You two veteran players, do you agree?"

When the reporter asked this question, Coach Philip didn't need to say anything. Garnett pinched the microphone with a natural expression and said with a smile:

"Whether we agree with it or not, it doesn't matter at all."

"Basketball is a team sport and every player is equally important."

"But if we must say that the team needs a boss, then there is no doubt that the strongest person, the person who can lead the team to win, is the boss!"

"Leave it to the fans to judge this kind of thing!"

(End of this chapter)