Chapter 4: Hisashi Mitsui vs Katsumi Ichiro
"Mitsui, what's wrong with you?" Coach Yamada asked with concern. "Although you are the captain now, and I am very happy to consider the players, you are also the ace. How can you not hold the ball? The freshmen on the opposite team have already scored 22 points. You are in the third year of junior high school and are the older students. Especially Katsumi on the opposite side, he scored 18 points by himself! Although he is in the second year of junior high school, he is also an older student. He is just a new member of the club, and you have only scored nine points. Do you want them to look down on us and think that our Takeshi's strength is just like this?"
"Of course not!" Mitsui replied with excitement and a realization of his own shortcomings. "When I was at Shohoku, the captain was Akagi, and the ace was Rukawa. Most of the time, I played as a three-point shooter to open up space. It's not that this style of play is bad, but I'm the ace now. In the eyes of others, my actions may mean that I'm afraid of a head-on confrontation with Katsumi and just give the ball to others. This is not what an ace should do. The ace should lead the team to victory!"
On the other side, Katsumi Ichiro quickly became the leader of the freshman team with his outstanding skills and age as a sophomore. Katsumi also possesses strong leadership qualities.
Katsumi wiped the sweat off his face and gave instructions to the first-year students, "Guy's!, there is actually nothing to be afraid of. Although senior Tokuo has a solid basketball foundation, he is only two years older than you. Ikegami-senpai has no offensive ability at all, and I have a way to get rid of him and score. So you can safely double-team Tokuo-senpai with the two of you and consume his energy. In the end, we will win! If we beat the seniors, even you can get a spot on the main selection!"
"Hey, did you hear that? The first years over there seem to want to defeat us," Katsumi's loud voice and provocative look fired up Mitsui Hisashi. "Interesting, arrogant brat. If you can do it, come and try. Ikegami will defend this new student, and you and Takashima will switch defenses to target the opponent's point guard. Everyone should also cheer up. Tokuda, why are you sweating so much? There's just a new member of the club. Don't be too restrained," Mitsui said with a devilish smile.
Horita Tokuo looked at Katsumi with sympathy, knowing that Mitsui's serious side was formidable. Mitsui excelled in defense and steals, making him a force to be reckoned with.
The second half began, and Tokuo, using his height advantage, made a pass to Takashima. The point guard on the opposite team, Kobayashi, was outmatched, and Takashima easily passed him, leading to a pass to Mitsui.
Mitsui held the ball with Katsumi challenging him, "How about it, senior? If you only have this kind of strength, can you break through my defense?"
Mitsui curled his lips disdainfully. "This kid is too arrogant, but he's still too young." Dribbling, turning around, and using a fake move to shake Katsumi, he broke through. The freshman on the opposite side came to help defend, but Mitsui's quick moves left them helpless. He put the ball into the basket and scored, "And one!"
Mitsui's impressive play ignited the morale of the senior team. Katsumi, on the other hand, was provoked and determined to rise to the challenge.
As Katsumi served, he faced Mitsui with the intent to regain control of the game. Mitsui saw Katsumi's high dribble and reached out to steal the ball, passing it to Takashima. Mitsui's explosive offense and tight defense left the freshman team struggling to keep up.
Mitsui's dominant performance continued, and he showed his ability to score and defend. The senior team won decisively with Mitsui alone contributing 40 points, while Katsumi's defense limited him to just seven points in the second half. This game served as a valuable lesson for the freshmen.
Mitsui was not originally a natural three-point shooter. In junior high, he mainly relied on pull-up jumpers, break through, attacking the basket and catch-and-shoot jumpers. However, after returning from high school, he practiced three-pointers to adapt to the team's needs. Mitsui is a versatile scorer who can make both two-pointers and three-pointers. His role as captain and ace would evolve in the following games.
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