Life as NBA Rookie (SlamDunk System)-Chapter 19: ** - 19: The Duke Principal! *

Chapter 19: **Chapter 19: The Duke Principal! *
"Good morning, Wake Forest! Last night’s game turned Duke’s devilish home court into the quietest
toshokan
in the state.
Thanks to our inspirational
densetsu
, Zack, who taught those Duke fans how to watch a game like civilized folks.
Bet those ’Cameron Crazies’ are choking on their rage. Alright, let’s kick off a new day of chasing dreams with Duke’s new
kōchō
—your legendary hero!"
The day after the Duke game, as Zack strolled through the school gates, he’d quietly earned a new nickname.
Everyone knows the bad blood between Wake Forest and Duke runs deep.
Heck, the Demon Deacons’ name itself is a jab at Duke:
You’re the Blue Devils? Well, we’re the devils’ judges.
So, when Zack became the first Wake Forest player in recorded history to taunt the Cameron Crazies
and
lead his team to a road blowout, the Wake Forest faithful—who never miss a chance to roast Duke—crowned him "The Duke Principal."
To them, the nickname was a double slam: it honored Zack’s
rūru
—domination—at Cameron Indoor while reminding those self-proclaimed "Crazies":
When Principal Zack tells you to shut up, you zip it.
Prosser, who’d only planned to use Duke as Zack’s stepping stone to the NBA, never dreamed his move would spark such a
tanoshii
story.
That morning, as Zack greeted classmates, he couldn’t shake the weird vibe of the "Principal" nickname.
Sure, most chats were normal, but every time someone called him
kōchō
, his mind flashed to a certain bald guy.
Okay, bald guy aside, Zack had to admit "Duke Principal" was pretty
kakkoii
—badass.
With the Wake Forest-Duke rivalry, this nickname was bound to be passed down by his
kohai
for generations.
Fifty years from now, people might forget his face.
But as long as Wake Forest stood, his
kohai
would strut into "friendly" Duke matchups, chests puffed, declaring:
No matter how great you are, your ’Principal’ was our senior.
Beating Duke didn’t just spread the "Duke Principal" nickname—it launched Zack’s name across college basketball.
The next day, ESPN updated its positional rankings for Zack’s class.
In the new list, "Principal" skyrocketed from 13th to 4th nationally.
Poor "Landlord" Shelden Williams? He plummeted from 2nd to 5th.
In their coverage, ESPN raved about Zack’s 28 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and 1 steal in the 89–69 road rout of Duke.
Their scouting read: "He’s a two-way force, brimming with energy every minute he’s on the court.
His past shows he’s got mental toughness.
That said, his stamina and skills need more games to prove themselves.
Overall, we see him as a slightly slower but stronger Andrei Kirilenko."
In the 03/04 season, "AK47" Kirilenko was already making waves in the NBA. The Russian wingspan freak was known for his suffocating defensive range, elite help defense, and lock-down one-on-one skills.
To ESPN, Zack’s defensive impact mirrored Kirilenko’s in many ways.
Sure, against Duke, Zack flashed his ball-handling flair, but until he polished those skills further, ESPN wasn’t ready to bet on it.
After all, countless NCAA stars had proven that college hoops and the NBA were two
betsu no sekai
—different worlds.
"If he wants more control on the court, he needs to show through games that he’s got the talent
and
the ability," ESPN concluded about his ball-handling.
Compared to the shaky s Zack remembered from ESPN, this one was... decently fair.
But for Prosser, Zack’s
shishō
who only had eyes for his star pupil, the was a travesty.
After reading multiple outlets’ takes, he exploded: "American basketball is
done for
!"
On Zack’s No. 4 ranking, Prosser fumed, "Fourth?
Fourth
? He crushed the No. 2 guy, Shelden Williams, head-on!
Let me think—those 12 points Shelden scored? Almost all when you were on the bench, right?"
Then he tore into ESPN’s comparison. "Andrei Kirilenko?
Hmph!
They must’ve never seen a player like you before!"
At practice, after cooling off a bit, Prosser lost it again when he saw one outlet compare Zack to Robert Horry.
"Robert Horry? Do these ers even
think
?
Just because you shoot threes, they shove you into Horry’s box?"
Amused by Prosser’s rant, Zack grinned. "Coach, who’s
my
template in your eyes?"
Without missing a beat, Prosser declared, "I’d love for you to be an all-around upgraded Larry Bird. But since you love attacking the rim, I think you’re more likely to be a taller Charles Barkley."
Yabai
!
Bird or Barkley?
Talk about
poisonous
templates!
In Zack’s memory, not a single "Next Bird" ever lived up to the hype.
As for Barkley? The closest guy to him in the future, Zion, was either on a hospital bed or en route to one.
In basketball, Bird and Barkley were like cursed templates—get linked to them, and bad luck followed.
Still, amid Prosser’s wild comparisons, Zack felt a wave of
atatakai
warmth.
He knew his
shishō
had poured everything into coaching him these past months. Plus, the guy was so protective, he’d lose it over any media slight that might hurt Zack’s future.
"No wonder NBA players who went to college miss their coaches so much," Zack thought, watching Prosser.
In December, dead-set on proving the world was sleeping on his disciple, Prosser kept Zack’s minutes tight but gave him more
say
on the court.
Sure, Zack had his oops moments—dribbling off his foot, sailing the ball out of bounds.
But with a flood of touches, he was soaking up ball-handling experience like a
suponji
, crafting his own style through real games.
As the second ball-handler—and the primary one when Paul rested—the "Duke Principal" was evolving at a
chōsoku
pace under Prosser’s expert care, faster than anyone outside could imagine.
Meanwhile, in a Christmas special on college hoops by a U.S. network, a pair of wise eyes quietly locked onto Zack.
Too similar!
Kirilenko? Horry?
Nani
?!
This kid was practically his heir, his
montei
!
That day, after watching Zack’s sophomore highlight reel, Charles Barkley—who was sick of hearing about "Jordan’s heirs"—lit up with joy.
laker wasn’t out of successors for
him
!
The moment he saw Zack, Barkley made up his mind.
He’d squash any chance of this kid being tied to other templates.
Swearing to the heavens, Barkley insisted it wasn’t jealousy over Jordan’s legion of heirs that drew him to Zack.
After all, everyone knew Barkley
never
envied Jordan.
Right.
Never.
"Why’s it that after Michael retired, his NBA heirs keep his name alive, while I’m stuck on the broadcast desk hyping
his
guys?"
BAM!
In TNT’s studio, Barkley slammed the desk in front of Kenny Smith, fuming to himself.