Chapter Nine: Post-Up Play
Ryonan gymnasium.
Coach Taoka had already set up the camcorder, lens steadily aimed at the half-court where Yagami Sorato and Sendoh Akira stood. He carefully adjusted the focus, confirmed the record button was activated, his meticulous expression tinged with anticipation.
He had a strong premonition—tonight's matchup might become the legendary opening chapter that would shake Kanagawa, perhaps even all of Japanese high school basketball.
Normally, Aida Hikoichi excelled at this kind of work. His older sister, Aida Yayoi, was a veteran reporter for Weekly Basketball, and growing up around her, he'd become passionate about recording and analyzing player data.
However, in Coach Taoka's assessment, Hikoichi couldn't keep his mouth shut. He'd deliberately kept Yagami and Sendoh after everyone else specifically to avoid publicizing this showdown.
"Begin!" Coach Taoka called out.
"You take first possession?" Sendoh smiled, his expression unchanged from the practice game—equally relaxed and confident.
"Sure." Yagami agreed. In his view, who went first made no difference.
Besides, this one-on-one served as Coach Taoka's "baseline assessment." Yagami wanted to know his current level too.
Yagami dribbled at the top of the three-point arc. Sendoh maintained about an arm's length of space.
"Let's test my shooting touch first."
The thought had barely formed when Yagami immediately stepped back and rose for a pull-up three!
Sendoh lunged forward, hand extended to contest.
SWISH!
The ball flew unaffected through the air and dropped through the net.
"Beautiful!" Sendoh's eyes lit up. "Again!"
"That was close. Definitely different defensive pressure than Kasamatsu," Yagami thought.
During the practice game, Kasamatsu defending him had actually been a mismatch. Kasamatsu's defensive technique wasn't poor, but height and wingspan created static disadvantages—step-back jumpers like that gave him zero chance to contest.
But Sendoh was different. Even with that arm's length of space, at the moment of release, Yagami saw Sendoh's fingertips missing the ball by mere inches.
Second possession: Yagami used his speed to attack head-on but couldn't shake his defender. Sendoh stayed glued to his hip the entire drive, forcing a tough finish.
Third possession: Yagami faked the drive, pulled the ball back, then changed direction to penetrate inside the free-throw line for a layup.
Three straight scores, yet Yagami showed no joy—his expression grew somber instead.
Just as Sendoh had told Kise during the game, playing in a match and playing one-on-one were completely different things.
In this situation, while Yagami didn't need to worry about help defenders or double teams, Sendoh likewise didn't need to respect his passing threat.
Against a player with similar height and build, just a few possessions had exposed all of Yagami's strengths and weaknesses.
"Your turn to attack, senpai." Yagami tossed the ball to Sendoh.
"Huh? You're done already?" Sendoh looked surprised. He'd just gotten warmed up—he felt like if Yagami had nothing new, he'd lock him down on the next possession.
"Yeah. I want to study your game first," Yagami said without reservation.
"Alright then." Sendoh's mindset shifted quickly. He was an easygoing guy by nature.
Roles reversed.
Sendoh crouched at the top of the three-point arc, dribbling. Yagami defended.
During the practice game, Sendoh had observed that Yagami's perimeter defense matched his own level.
First, his defensive positioning was excellent—whether contesting shots or cutting off driving lanes, he executed perfectly. Second, his reads were precise—he didn't get his balance broken easily by crossovers, using the ball-handler's dribbling hand, weight distribution, and push-off foot to anticipate and block penetration attempts.
"I know what you want to see, but let me try this first."
Rather than attacking the basket, Sendoh stepped back and rose for a jumper. Yagami reacted instantly, stepping forward with his palm already in Sendoh's face.
"Even faster than Sendoh?!"
Coach Taoka's eyes widened. He could tell Sendoh was mimicking Yagami's first possession, but Yagami's closeout was even quicker!
It's getting blocked!
"Whoa!"
To Yagami's astonishment, Sendoh leaned his upper body backward, forcibly moving the ball outside Yagami's defensive reach.
Step-back into a fadeaway?!
Sendoh wasn't copying Yagami—he was copying Kise Ryota!
SWISH!
Nothing but net!
Sendoh didn't land cleanly, tumbling to the floor.
"Ha ha, that's pretty difficult," Sendoh said, scratching his head.
Yagami froze for a moment, then broke into the same smile he'd worn during the practice game—
He could do that too!
So Sendoh hadn't gone full strength during the practice match!
Yagami felt his blood boiling with excitement. This was how it should be! If only the Generation of Miracles existed, this world would be way too boring!
Bring it on, bring it on!
"Oh, your eyes changed completely." Sendoh knew this move would fire Yagami up. "Then..."
Sendoh's next approach was completely different from the practice game!
Starting with the second possession, Sendoh backed Yagami down right at the three-point line!
"Hm?"
Feeling the force pressing against him, Yagami stumbled backward involuntarily.
Post-up play?!
Post moves were offensive techniques primarily used by interior players—centers and power forwards—though some perimeter players mastered this style too.
One critical factor determined success: strength.
Yagami knew he couldn't do this on offense, but he'd overlooked how vulnerable it made him on defense!
Yagami retreated step by step, quickly getting bulldozed to the free-throw line.
"This is way easier than driving."
Sendoh smiled, then hit a smooth hook shot from the outside. The ball kissed off the glass and dropped through.
"Ridiculous. He didn't use this at all during the practice game," Yagami thought.
Still, Kise seemed stronger physically than him. With teammates providing help defense in a game situation, initiating post-ups from the perimeter wasn't a smart choice.
Third possession: Sendoh continued backing Yagami down to the free-throw line, then casually hit a turnaround jumper. Despite barely leaving the ground, the pinned Yagami couldn't elevate at all—he could only watch helplessly as Sendoh's mid-range shot dropped.
"Real funny," Yagami said with a dark expression. Using the same move to bully him repeatedly.
"Heh heh." After catching the ball, Sendoh backed him down again.
"Damn it!"
Yagami genuinely had no better answer. However, after sensing Sendoh's footwork rhythm this time, he quickly retreated a full step.
Pulling the chair!
Still, worried about Sendoh falling and getting injured, Yagami only moved back one step—enough that he could still provide protection if Sendoh lost balance. Who told him to keep using his body to bully people anyway!
However, the instant Sendoh felt the space behind him open up, he spun around, exploded upward, and hammered the ball through the rim.
Coach Taoka nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with Sendoh's performance.
Today's practice game—both Kise Ryota and Yagami Sorato had genuinely shocked Coach Taoka. Their visible talent and exaggerated finishing ability actually outshone even Sendoh from a year ago.
However, neither Yagami nor Kise displayed the all-around game that Sendoh possessed.
The current Sendoh Akira stood undoubtedly among the nation's elite players. As for Yagami Sorato, Coach Taoka would dedicate everything to help him reach that tier as soon as possible.
"Now you understand what you're missing, right?" Sendoh said after landing. He'd accepted this underclassman—with Yagami's addition, Ryonan's strength would definitely improve qualitatively.
While Sendoh wasn't as obsessed with dominating nationals as Coach Taoka or captain Uozumi, the team continuing to advance and encountering stronger opponents was enough to make him happy.
"Sendoh-senpai." Yagami took a deep breath, his eyes serious and focused.
"The match isn't over yet."
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