Nash wasn't taking this seriously at all.
He still didn't know the full extent of today's opponent.
There was plenty of game time left. They had time to observe.
Then.
His gaze suddenly swept across the opposing bench, immediately noticing Walker—that skin tone made him stand out.
Then the person next to him: Yuuto.
"Yu?!" Nash was startled. Why is he here?
Anyone who followed basketball in America couldn't avoid ESPN.
It had the most professional analysis—draft projections, trade rumors—plus all the off-court gossip about stars.
Though Nash had left college basketball, living in that environment meant he inevitably kept up with ESPN.
He knew this year's draft order, the results of March Madness, and the Nike High School National Invitational.
And Covanord, as state champions, had received an invitation to the Nike tournament this year—and won the whole thing.
After McDonald's All-American was discontinued, the Nike tournament had become the most watched high school competition, essentially the "March Madness" for high schoolers.
Covanord winning was equivalent to a national championship.
And Yuuto? He was the MVP of that tournament!
How could Nash not know who Yuuto was?
He just couldn't understand why a player of Yuuto's caliber was here. All he knew was—
This can't continue!
Glancing at the score, they'd allowed their lead to slip to ten points while relaxing.
This wasn't good!
Dealing with these "monkeys," he had plenty of confidence. But if these monkeys were led by Yuuto, that was a different story entirely.
After all, aside from Jason Silver, the rest of Jabberwock's roster wasn't much better than these Japanese players.
"Silver!" he called out—a signal to get serious.
Jason Silver understood immediately from Nash's expression.
Soon enough, Akashi and the others, who had been dominating, felt immense pressure.
Outside the three-point line, Nash simply fed the ball to Jason Silver.
"That position?"
"You've got to be kidding!"
The fans gasped.
What were they seeing? A center holding the ball at the three-point line, facing Aomine's defense?
But what came next shocked them even more.
Jason Silver used athleticism that completely contradicted his massive frame, executing guard-like moves to shake Aomine off.
"Impossible—Aomine actually got crossed?!"
Imayoshi Shoichi was so shocked he nearly lost his glasses.
If Jason Silver had used his body to power through Aomine, that would be understandable. But Jason Silver had just beaten Aomine with skill—the impact was like watching Zhang Fei do embroidery.
But Jason Silver's performance wasn't over.
He drove into the paint, ignoring everything, and went straight up. Murasakibara naturally wouldn't allow it.
He reacted instantly, leaping to meet him, slapping the ball head-on, contesting Silver's power.
The result: with an earth-shaking BOOM, Jason Silver dunked it right through, sending Murasakibara flying.
"He actually... dunked through Atsushi?!"
Himuro Tatsuya was stupefied. He never imagined he'd witness something like this.
"No way!"
"Those guys—a week ago when they played us, they weren't even trying."
Kasamatsu Yukio's expression turned grave.
At this rate, even the Generation of Miracles might fall.
On the other end—
Jason Silver erupted, switching from the paint to the perimeter in an instant, swatting Akashi's three-pointer out of bounds.
"He can recover from that far away?"
"The same defensive range as Murasakibara, and that explosive power is insane!"
Akashi was stunned too. This athleticism might even surpass Murasakibara's.
Nash controlled the ball and hurled it forward. Jason Silver was already streaking downcourt.
Kise and Midorima gave chase from behind, only to find they couldn't keep up.
"Monkeys are just monkeys. Is this all you've got?"
Jason Silver laughed wildly—and he had every right to.
He leaped from the free-throw line, his massive body hanging in midair, leaving everyone slack-jawed.
CRASH!
The entire basket shook violently, swaying as if about to collapse.
"Free-throw line takeoff?!"
"And a two-handed windmill dunk!"
On the bench, Hyūga Junpei's jaw practically hit the floor.
A center playing like a guard—before, they'd used that phrase to describe Murasakibara.
But compared to Jason Silver, Murasakibara seemed like a novice.
Jabberwock launched a fierce counterattack.
Jason Silver dominated—on offense and defense, virtually unstoppable.
The ten-point lead evaporated, then reversed. Even the Generation of Miracles couldn't hold the line.
Aida Kagetora immediately called timeout.
"This isn't good. That exhibition game a week ago—it wasn't even their full strength."
He'd considered this possibility, just never imagined they'd be this strong.
Compared to today, Jabberwock a week ago had been playing around.
And more—
Hah... hah... hah...
"Only half a quarter played, and they're already this exhausted!"
Momoi, Riko, and the others had seen this before.
Every time they played Seihō—or rather, Yuuto—their stamina drained faster.
His pressure on opponents was suffocating.
"As expected, we can't do without that little monster."
Kagetora prepared to make substitutions.
"In any case, let's shore up the defense against Jason Silver first. Yuuto, you're in. Replace Kise. Any problems?"
"None."
Yuuto stripped off his warm-up jacket and headed to the court.
The moment he stepped on, Nash narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing here instead of Indianapolis, Yu?"
He was cautious—he didn't treat Yuuto like a monkey.
This player had proven himself. He was a five-star recruit recognized across America.
But so what?
Who wasn't a five-star recruit?
Nash was cautious, but not afraid.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to play ball."
"I see. So you're with these monkeys."
How unexpected. A talent like him, running with a bunch of monkeys.
Fine then—he'd crush them all together!
...
The game resumed.
Jason Silver was on fire. Nash crossed half-court and immediately fed him.
As a center, Jason Silver's abilities were truly terrifying.
He combined driving with shooting, possessed enormous defensive range—a nightmare matchup.
His explosive power let him blow past Aomine in a single step.
And Aomine was already the fastest in the Generation of Miracles—yet he'd been left behind instantly.
Silver drove straight to the basket. Yuuto coiled his legs, then shot forward like a bolt of lightning into the paint.
However.
Just as Yuuto moved to contest, he saw Murasakibara had already leaped—their positions overlapping.
"This..."
...
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