Chapter 014: Defend the Best at Offense, Attack the Best at Defense! This Is the Ace Ōdai Needs Most!
Though Tsugawa wasn't as tall as Mirai, his defensive footwork was exceptionally quick. Combined with his keen sense for borderline fouls, he became a nightmare for any opponent he guarded.
In the past, even the young Kise had struggled against Tsugawa.
At Iwaori High...
During team practices, numerous players found his defense utterly frustrating.
Thus, in Coach Iwaori's plan for the new school year, it was decided that whenever a formidable scoring threat emerged in the opponent's lineup, Tsugawa would be tasked with handling them.
At Ōdai Middle School...
Coach Akira was briefing the team on the upcoming strategy:
"Although we've hit several three-pointers in a row, it doesn't mean the whole team has found their rhythm. Only Hoshiumi is truly hot-handed, so Iwaori will definitely stick to their four-man zone defense! They'll also assign someone to shadow Hoshiumi tightly. Mirai, you must keep moving without the ball!"
Mirai nodded. "Understood. I'll use screens to get open."
Coach Akira patted Mirai's shoulder. "Screens don't always have to come from teammates! You can cut directly through their four-man zone to shake off your defender!"
Mirai eyes lit up. "Use Iwaori's defenders as screens!"
Coach Akira smiled and nodded. "Exactly! With you as a threat, their defensive structure will inevitably break down. Once they're disorganized, opportunities will open up for us!"
Mirai nodded again. "I see."
...
Soon, the timeout ended.
Iwaori on offense, Mirai continued to harass Kōji with the 'Spider Step.' At that moment, Iwaori's power forward stepped up and calmly sank a two-pointer.
The gap widened back to 8 points.
Ōdai's turn on offense.
True to form, Iwaori deployed their four-man zone defense, while Tsugawa clung to Mirai like a shadow, denying him any chance to receive the ball.
Spectators immediately noticed the situation.
"Here it comes! That short guy is guarding Hoshiumi now."
"He completely shut down Captain Imatsu earlier."
"I wonder if Hoshiumi can still make those threes with him defending."
"Hard to say. Though shorter than Hoshiumi, that guy's close-quarters defense and retreat timing are impressive, and he's incredibly fast. Once he latches on, it'll be tough for Hoshiumi to keep hitting threes."
...
Ōdai Gymnasium.
The game continued.
The quick and agile Tsugawa, though shorter than Mirai, stuck to him relentlessly beyond the three-point line, denying any passing lanes. His arms flailed in front of Mirai like two frantic fans whipping back and forth.
His defensive skills were truly outstanding.
For a moment...
Mirai genuinely couldn't receive the ball.
However...
Abruptly...
Mirai spun nimbly and darted into the paint.
Tsugawa naturally shadowed him closely, sticking right behind.
Mirai dove straight into Iwaori's zone defense, nimbly bypassing their power forward before swiftly cutting to the left wing corner beyond the three-point line to receive the pass. Since he held the offensive advantage, Tsugawa trailed by a step defensively, and his teammates dared not yield space easily—any concession would collapse their zone formation. Seeing Mirai already positioned beyond the arc, Tsugawa grew frantic and shoved a teammate aside, desperately chasing after him beyond the three-point line.
By then, Mirai had created separation, cleanly catching Shinshu's pass and immediately raising his arms for a shooting motion—all while Tsugawa remained out of defensive position.
Just as Mirai prepared to release the shot...
Stomp!
Tsugawa leaped recklessly, lunging straight at Mirai!
His defensive speed was undeniably elite—no wonder he'd managed to contain Kise Ryōta and the future Kagami. Even in this scenario, he closed the gap and jumped to fully smother Mirai, sealing off any shot attempt.
But...
Mirai knew exactly how formidable Tsugawa's defense was.
This move was merely a feint!
Tsugawa: "!?"
Not good!
As Tsugawa's figure whizzed past in his peripheral vision, Mirai allowed a faint smile before calmly rising for the three-point shot.
Swish!
Nothing but net!
The deficit instantly narrowed to just 5 points.
The arena erupted once more in cheers from the Ōdai students!
...
On the ensuing possession, Iwaori attacked.
Mirai clung tightly to Kōji.
After receiving the ball, Kōji found Mirai still glued to him. He pivoted sideways, dribbled once, and used his body to forcefully bump Mirai away, attempting a mid-range jumper.
However, Mirai—boosted by his Spider Step—reacted instantly.
The moment he was shoved aside, he instantly recovered a step forward!
By then, Kōji had only raised the ball halfway, not yet jumping.
Mirai swung his right arm in a full arc...
Smack!
A resounding block smashed down right in Kōji's face!
On the left, Masaya reacted swiftly, scooping up the loose ball and blazing down the court! Mirai sprinted alongside, cutting directly to the left corner!
Just then.
The opposing point guard caught up to Masaya, cutting off the driving lane. Masaya spotted Mirai in the corner and instantly fired the pass over!
Mirai caught it, faced the desperately recovering Kōji, and faked a jump shot!
But...
It was another shot fake!
Kōji bit completely, flying past him!
Simultaneously, Tsugawa arrived at full speed!
Mirai faked again with a quick pump!
Tsugawa also fell for it, leaping high!
Had Mirai shot then, the recovering Kōji would have blocked it. So he instead took a powerful dribble-step to the right, evading Kōji's desperately outstretched fingertips!
Release!
Swish!
Another three-pointer!
The gap narrowed to just 2 points!
The sheer brilliance of the play was echoed by the roaring waves of cheers from Ōdai's students in the stands!
"Beautiful!"
"So confident!"
"He actually faked twice beyond the three-point line during a fast break and still made the shot!"
"This must be thanks to the intimidation from that previous fast-break three-pointer. After all, Hoshiumi really can shoot directly!"
"Dominant on both ends!"
"Defends the strongest scorers, scores against the toughest defenders! This is exactly the ace player Ōdai desperately needs!"