This game didn't have many waves overall.
Homi Academy easily won the match with a 31-point advantage, advancing to the Final Four.
More than ten thousand Tochigi fans at the scene sang and danced.
Honestly.
A game full of ups and downs like the "Second Impact" was exciting, but as fans, they preferred watching this kind of steady happiness.
The people of Okukozome walked out of the arena with their heads held high once again.
Now.
They were only two games away from winning that dreamed-of championship trophy.
Back in the locker room, packing up.
Yuuto prepared to lead his teammates back to Okukozome to prepare for the next match.
But the coach called him aside alone, stopping him.
"Yuuto, come with me. There's someone I think you should meet."
Yuuto didn't hesitate much. After thinking for a moment, he left the arena with the coach and went to a nearby café.
At this moment.
A handsome uncle around forty years old sat quietly there.
He wore a decent suit, his hair meticulously styled.
One could tell this was a man who attached great importance to appearance.
"He is Katsunori Harasawa, the head coach of the basketball club at Tōō Academy in Tokyo."
The coach introduced him to Yuuto.
Yuuto thought to himself, As expected. The most handsome head coach in Kuroko no Basket was undoubtedly Katsunori Harasawa.
This gentleman was once a teammate of Kagetora Aida, Genta Takeuchi, and Masaaki Nakatani during their national team period.
After retiring, he resolutely chose to devote himself to the development of Japanese basketball and took over the Tōō basketball club.
The two sat down, and Harasawa asked what they wanted to drink.
Yuuto looked and finally chose water.
"Just a glass of water for me."
Hearing this, the appreciation in Harasawa's eyes deepened.
Players who could strictly demand of themselves like this were too few, including himself when he played.
In the world of basketball, too many gifted players ended up wasting themselves due to lack of self-discipline.
Yuuto was obviously not that kind of player.
After both parties sat down and exchanged pleasantries, they got to the main topic.
"First of all, congratulations to you, Yuuto, for defeating the Generation of Miracles. I shouldn't have disturbed you at such a critical moment, but believe me, I haven't had a good sleep for several days."
"My current state is like having a first date with a girl, nervously thinking about what to prepare for tomorrow."
He said half-jokingly.
As for what critical moment?
Of course, the moment when Homi Academy fully charged for the National Tournament championship.
At such a time, a polite person indeed wouldn't disturb Yuuto's preparation, but Harasawa had inquired about the intentions of several old friends.
They were all determined to get the Lion of Okukozome.
Yuuto's performance in the match against Teiko was simply astonishing.
Homi Academy being able to defeat Teiko—Yuuto claimed 70% of the credit.
Therefore.
Harasawa threw away his elegance and aggressively approached Tokyo's "Violet Gem" (Yuuto).
If he wasn't worried about being too presumptuous, he would have gone directly to Yuuto's home in Okukozome instead of meeting Yuuto through the Homi Academy coach.
Actually, Harasawa rarely did things like this.
After all, Tōō was a big business.
The school planned to use "sports" as a core strategy to boost recruitment.
Every year, Tōō Academy's basketball club received a large amount of activity funds from the school.
These funds allowed Harasawa to build an excellent team in a very short time and make a name nationwide.
Currently, even in the Tokyo area with the fiercest competitive environment, they had a high probability of standing out.
So.
Having reached this stage, Harasawa wouldn't personally invite players like he did at the beginning.
Instead, players who received their invitation would happily run to Tōō.
On one hand, the conditions offered by Tōō were too good; on the other hand, Tōō possessed competitiveness not inferior to the Three Kings of Tokyo.
Being able to win and get benefits—this was simply heaven.
Harasawa's recruitment was also quite simple and crude.
He didn't look for the suitable ones, only picked the strongest.
He firmly believed that when a group of gifted players gathered together, they would surely generate the best chemical reaction.
This could also be seen from his coaching style.
As a strategy-type head coach, he attached great importance to cultivating player autonomy and would give players a lot of free space to perform on the court.
In the original work, Tōō briefly faced several crises. After confirming Aomine's condition was fine, he chose to forgo timeouts and leave the game to Aomine.
"These are the conditions our Tōō promises you. Of course, you don't need to care too much about these."
"As long as you nod, I believe the school board will unhesitatingly send you the best treatment."
Yuuto briefly flipped through it; the conditions were indeed top-tier.
Tuition waiver went without saying. Large scholarships, besides supporting his studies, were enough to cover Yuuto's food, clothing, housing, and transportation in Tokyo.
At the same time, they also gave Yuuto a guarantee for further education, ensuring he could go directly to university, solving any worries for the future.
"What I want to talk to you about today is our Tōō's team-building philosophy. Before that, I want to hear your views on our Tōō, Yuuto." Harasawa really gave enough face, if nothing else.
"The tyrant of the new era. Building the team around individual player ability. Within three years of your taking over Tōō, you built a squad not inferior to the Three Kings. That's about it." Yuuto's understanding of Tōō was limited to this.
"Generally correct, but those are just external appearances." Harasawa elegantly stirred his coffee, then continued, "Our Japanese basketball attaches great importance to technical and tactical cooperation."
"Because the physical quality of most players is inferior to players in Europe and America, we choose to maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses. This is a helpless compromise."
"Including myself. I prepare the offensive and defensive tactics needed for the game beforehand. Proudly speaking, I consider my strategies top-tier even within the national high school scope."
He wasn't bragging.
Harasawa was indeed an excellent coach.
In the Winter Cup opener, he used a timeout to analyze and find problems in the opponent's team coordination. He quickly formulated a strategy to speed up the game rhythm, hitting the opponent on their lack of cohesion due to improved individual strength.
This targeted deployment received miraculous effects.
"However, compared to players strictly executing my strategic deployment, I prefer players to observe by themselves and seek solutions to problems based on changes in the game situation."
"So, Yuuto, you are very suitable for Tōō! In this team, you can fully unleash your potential. I will give you the maximum degree of freedom!"
...
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