Using the middle blocker to coordinate plays, such as having the spikers execute technical shots, to force a breakthrough through the defense without giving the opponent a chance to dig the ball.
However, at present, the only Wing Spiker in the Black Jackals' lineup who excels at technical plays is a single player, if he wants to take on Shwaiden Adler.. he will need more heavy hitters.
However, there will surely be a major overhaul in the Black Jackals' lineup in the coming years. If he joins the Black Jackals as a starting Setter at that time, he will inevitably have a certain amount of influence, his own excellent commercial value might even grant him the right to speak directly with the club owner.
At that time, he could completely use his own ideas to "customize" some new teammates, provided, of course, that the Head Coach and the owner both agreed.
For example..
He thought Hinata was quite good.
Hinata, who was in the middle of the opening play, suddenly sensed someone watching him, as he turned his head, he met Miya Atsumu's eyes staring right at him.
Hinata froze for a moment, feeling strangely uncomfortable for some reason.
He slightly averted his gaze, but soon, feeling as though he hadn't done anything wrong, he turned his head back to look at Miya Atsumu again. "What's wrong, Atsumu-senpai? Is there something on my face?"
Miya Atsumu rested his chin in his hand, staring intently at Hinata. "No, I just think you're very good-looking, Shoyo."
"Really?" Hinata froze for a moment, then raised his hand to touch his own face.
I feel like I get complimented for being cute and handsome more often..
The former were family, while the latter were teammates, juniors, the fans of Inarizaki.
So Miya Atsumu added, "They're both cute and cool."
That's right, it's simply perfect!
Hinata looked at Miya Atsumu's face, which was right before his eyes, while he was dazed, he felt the temperature on his face suddenly rise.
He covered his face and turned his head away, refusing to continue making eye contact with Miya Atsumu.
His heart was racing; he couldn't be..
He must be getting sick!
Miya Atsumu laughed, reaching out to poke him, signaling for him to turn his head and look at him: "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you."
I was thinking about how to play against Shwaiden Adler. I feel like you, Shoyo, might be a good counter-card.
Hinata's attention was quickly drawn to it: "Really! Me?!"
This is the King! The King of the V1 League!
Atsumu-senpai actually thinks he has a chance to compete with him?!
Really, really," Miya Atsumu nodded repeatedly. "In terms of technique and agility, Shoyo, you are a very pure player, much better than someone like Ouji-senpai, who is half-baked in every aspect.
Just then, a dark shadow loomed over them, followed by a voice that sounded very familiar to both of them.
Hey, Inarizaki, I heard you.
Hinata and Miya Atsumu both froze at the same time, looking up to meet Ouji Son's eyes.
He said subconsciously, "Ah, Half-ripe Banana."
Miya Atsumu also added a comment: "Raw Mango."
Ouji Son, who had originally prepared to threaten the two of them with a villainous look, lost his composure in a second: "Can you two be a little more polite.. at least show some respect for my hair!"
But we weren't talking about your hair, senpai," Miya Atsumu said with an innocent expression. "We were talking about the Itachiyama school uniform.
Iizuna-senpai, who was just about to sit down beside Agatsuma, suddenly looked up, his vision went dark the moment he saw those two heads—one yellow and one orange.
Seriously, why do the people from Inarizaki keep haunting me like this!
Ouji Son was so angry he laughed, he sat down directly in a chair not far from the two of them.
The waiting areas for both the home and away teams are located here, after the switch between the left and right courts for the Second Set, the Shizuoka Leopards' waiting area was moved here as well.
Only then did Hinata realize something was wrong: "Ouji-senpai, why have you come down?"
Although Ouji Son was not the Ace of the Shizuoka Leopards, he was a very important Right Wing Spiker, his performance had been stable throughout the entire match, so there shouldn't have been any reason to substitute him out.
Ouji Son shrugged upon hearing that. "It looks like we can't win, so we're trying new things and training the squad at the same time."
According to the sponsor's requirements, the Ace cannot be substituted in official matches unless absolutely necessary, so it is most convenient for the Head Coach to try others by substituting him.
Hinata blinked. "Understood."
But Ouji-senpai is also a newcomer; letting him continue playing should also be part of the "training" process, right?
Miya Atsumu rested his chin in his hands, expressing no opinion regarding the coaching staff's decision.
Ouji Son's physical appearance was actually quite good; once he achieved success, he would likely become a favorite among sponsors, but for now, the focus would certainly remain on the existing players.
After all, Ouji Son didn't have high visibility in high school like he did; instead, he only started to stand out right before graduation, even then, he only managed to reach the Semifinals, ultimately finishing third in the country.
Moreover, Ichibayashi had Kuroe Kao and Hoshinoya as his two core players, so at that time, the focus of everyone's attention was not on Ouji Son.
So..
“Where are Hoshinoya-senpai and Kuroe-senpai? They aren't on the player roster for this tournament at all,” Miya Atsumu asked curiously.
Those able to participate in the Black Eagle Flag are already top teams within Japan's various competition systems. Although there are cases like the university chosen by Iizuna-senpai that failed to reach the Semifinals the previous year, most high school players with significant recognition are present here.
However, he didn't notice the two of them at all, of course, he didn't believe that these two would join some low-level team in the V1 League.
Ouji Son waved his hand. "He went to Brazil."
Hinata asked seriously, "Brazil?"
That is a superpower in Men's Volleyball! Romero is the Ace of the Brazil Men's National Team!
Miya Atsumu became even more curious: "At which club? Is he going to change his nationality?"
In that graduating class, there were indeed many who had already gone abroad or were about to, he knew there were Nekoma's Yaku and Seijo's Oikawa among them.
However, the two situations were different; Yaku had no intention of changing his nationality, whereas Oikawa Tooru intended to join the Argentinian nationality.
Ouji Son clasped his hands behind his head, quietly watching the match on the court: "Yeah, there's a high probability they'll change their nationalities; Coach Nastya has already made arrangements for them."
In Minas Club, which is currently playing in the Brazilian Superliga, Huahua is playing in the starting lineup, while Akiteru is still playing as a substitute.
Brazil does not lack powerful spikers; rather, a setter like Kuroe Kao is what Minas Club is desperately lacking.
However, Coach Nastya had also told them that she would provide Hoshinoya with playing opportunities in the future, if another club saw better conditions, she would release him unconditionally.
Miya Atsumu was actually somewhat shocked: "I see.. that's still very good. I remember Minas has always been second in the Brazilian Superliga standings, right?"
The prestige of the Brazil Superliga is worlds apart from Japan's V1 League; otherwise, so many Japanese players wouldn't choose to develop their careers overseas.
Moreover, judging by the Minas Club's performance in the Club World Championship over the past few years, they have achieved complete victories against the Shwaiden Adler many times, their overall strength can be considered among the best in the world.
Hinata had noticed something else: "And the second thing is?"
Miya Atsumu replied quickly, "ASAS S~ao Paulo, Romero plays Opposite there. However, his contract will likely expire in a year or two, so it's unclear whether he will renew it.."
But what exactly does your coach do? To be able to put Kuroe-senpai into Minas Club?
Although he probably already knew Ichibayashi's background, but.. that person hadn't appeared in the professional leagues for two or three years, had they?
A former ace of the Brazil Women's Volleyball team, now the Head Coach of Minas Club, apparently also in charge of the Brazil national youth team?
Ouji Son answered every question, as he had nothing better to do and might as well chat with the two of them.
In recent years, their coach has mainly been busy studying and taking various certifications, while also visiting and learning from professional teams in various countries.
She had previously served as a coach for the women's volleyball team under Minas Club, after gaining sufficient experience in learning and leading the team, the club had subsequently let her take over the men's volleyball team.
"What about Ichibayashi?" Hinata was even more confused.
Ouji Son said, "It's been left to her disciple, a Libero who retired from the United States. She comes back to take a look once in a while, but most of her attention is focused on Brazil."
Hinata blinked.
But speaking of Brazil.. the study abroad location Coach Utsunomiya had mentioned to him before was a university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Thinking of this, Hinata asked tentatively, "Ouji-senpai, where is Minas Club located?"
Ouji Son replied decisively, "Rio de Janeiro."
Hinata's eyes lit up: "That's right, can I add Ouji-senpai's contact information!"
He had already begun to imagine snippets of the life in a foreign land that might await him.
If it were allowed.. would he have the chance to experience the strength of the top teams in the Brazil Super League during his university years? Even if he could only serve as a ball boy because he was a student, that would be perfectly fine!
“Why do you want to add me.." Ouji Son was a bit puzzled, but ultimately he agreed.
However, he didn't have his phone with him on the court, so he could only give his phone number to Hinata, telling him to call him back later.
Watching Hinata save Ouji Son's phone number in his phone, Miya Atsumu frowned.
For some reason, he always felt that something was a bit strange, as if there was some crucial information he had yet to encounter.
——Could it have something to do with Ichibayashi?
Chapter 288: Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight Foxes
The match between Shwaiden Adler and Shizuoka Leopards quickly reached its conclusion. After Ouji Son, a key defensive player, left the court, the Shizuoka Leopards' scoring rate increased even more than before.
The final score of the Second Set was even more lopsided than the First Set, it ended even faster.
Watching Ouji Son follow the team up to bow and pay their respects, Hinata leaned forward slightly and said with a touch of emotion, "Is this the world of adults?"
Although legally one is considered an adult at twenty, for seniors who have already entered the professional volleyball world, they have already stepped into the realm of adulthood.
Even someone as capable in every respect as Ouji-senpai would feel constrained for various reasons..
Miya Atsumu took it quite well: "After all, V League matches are commercial in nature themselves; besides the competition itself, there are many other factors to pursue."
"V1 might be a bit better; part of a player's commercial value depends on their appearance, but at most, the most significant part is still their skill and performance." Miya Atsumu rested his chin in his hands, speaking about such a serious matter in a very relaxed tone.
But in V2, some sponsors might have a lot of say. Among the lower tiers, there are even owners who act like they own the place, with outsiders trying to dictate terms to professionals.. After all, a large part of a team's survival depends on catering to the sponsors.
Someone like Ouji Son would become a tool used by the coaching staff to strike a balance with sponsors at times like this.
Volleyball might be a bit better; in the highly commercialized NBA, there have even been proposals to replace the floor under the players' feet with LED screens to increase the spectacle of the game, even at the cost of the players' own comfort, all in pursuit of higher commercial interests.
But at the end of the day.. whether one has enough of a voice within the team is what matters most.
Atsumu leaned back, resting against the back of his chair. "It's fine, though. I believe Ouji-senpai will make a name for himself very soon; his ambition won't stop at just this.