Summary
Standing at 189 cm and weighing 77 kg, Eiji Sawakita is a second-year student who plays Small Forward for Sannoh, wearing jersey number #9. Regarded as Japan’s No.1 High School Player and the team’s ace, he possesses an all-around skill set that makes him the best in Japanese high school basketball. His offensive power is nearly unstoppable, while his defensive prowess is equally formidable, leading to rumors that no high schooler, let alone a college player, can defeat him in a one-on-one match. This dominance was proven when he shut down Kaede Rukawa during the second round of the National Championships, forcing Rukawa to abandon his scoring attempts and pass to teammates because Sawakita’s defense made dribbling difficult and led to frequent steals. His superiority extends back to his middle school days, where he defeated Shohoku’s Sendoh, who later admitted Sawakita was the only person he had lost to in a one-on-one match. Sawakita is considered the greatest player in Sannoh’s history. Despite his elite status, Sawakita maintains a goofy attitude and experiences comical, extreme shock when opponents perform impressive feats. He enjoys many fangirls and receives fan mail, similar to Rukawa, which contrasts with Masashi, who has no such attention and often picks on Eiji because of this disparity. Following the summer Interhigh Tournament, Sawakita plans to head to America. His basketball journey began early, with his father Tetsuharu "Tetsu" Sawakita teaching him since he was four years old. Eiji’s first gift was a basketball as an infant, and when he grew bored of a toy net, his father bought a house with a real hoop, allowing them to play together at sunrise and sunset. During primary school, there was no club, so he played with his father with the goal of winning. He finally beat his father upon entering Junior High, where he easily surpassed senior starters, finding them boring. However, his cocky attitude annoyed his seniors, who beat him out of jealousy.
