"Maximum vertical! 15 inches!"
"...Next!"
"... 17 inches!"
"... 16 inches!"
"... 18 inches!"
After Jonas' display of amazing jumping strength. No one followed after as the others' vertical average jumped between 16 inches and 24 inches.
Although some of the participants felt somewhat felt inferior, they can't do anything about it as Jonas is a gifted jumper. He simply has talents for jumping that others do not.
But still, there are still some who could reach over the 10-foot mark because they are tall. But not enough jumping power to dunk.
"Nathan! ... 26-inch vertical!"
"Next!"
Claude looked at Lance and gestured him to step forward.
When Lance walked forward, Nathan approached him.
"Frustrating! That Jonas is so good. I couldn't even jump up to 30 inches!"
Lance just smiled and said, "Let's talk later, my attempt is ongoing."
Nathan noticed their seniors looking at them and retreated while saying sorry. When Nathan left Lance, the senior instructed him to stretch his arm up and reach as high as he can.
Lance stood flat-footed and bent torso slightly sidewards to maximize his standing reach. The senior measured it with the Vertec and told him his standing reach.
"Standing reach of... 7 feet and... 5? no, 7 inches! You have a standing reach of 7-foot 7 inches (2.31m). You can relax now."
Lance nodded stretched his spine and relaxed his shoulder.
When saw the senior set up the Vertec and gestured him jump however he wants to display his maximum vertical.
"Prepare for your 1st attempt."
Lance nodded and began to bend his knees to prepare run before jumping.
Unlike his fellow participants, he has some ideas on how to jump better. Then, when he was about to start his attempt another commotion broke out which made him stop on his tracks.
"WHOAAA!!!"
He looked at the source of the commotion and saw everyone looking at Allan who had just made his 1st attempt and is about to make his 2nd.
"He reached so high!"
"His arms are so long!"
"Is he really 15 years old? He is so tall!"
Allan looked up the vanes and then at the record taker who was stunned.
Fin couldn't even stay seated and stood in shock. He chuckled and smiled.
"This is interesting, man!"
Claude couldn't help but look at it himself and did not wait for his fellow club member to announce the result.
"138 inches! 11-foot 6 inches! (3.51m) That is a foot and a half higher than the rim!"
The spectators gasped at Claude's words. They thought they won't be surprised anymore after Jonas's record but it seems like they forgot about the 6-foot 11 inches (2.11m) giant named Allan!
"What?"
"He is incredible!"
The record taker snapped out of his daze and begun to calculate Allan's record.
"From a standing reach 116.2 inches (2.95m)! Just 4 inches below the 10-foot rim! He jumped 22 inches!"
Fin who is watching from the background could not help but let a smile creep out of his face. He ignored the vertical jump and looked at the vanes on the Vertec.
"It doesn't matter how high he can jump! With his arms alone he can already reach for the rim on tiptoes! Not to mention, he is only a first year. Although his mid-air reach is still half a foot short from Levi's reach, it is reassuring to have someone like him who can easily score inside!"
Actually, in basketball, the jumping power is not much important the pinnacle reach you have in mid-air. That is why most tall players are sought more than smaller players because they can reach higher with minimal effort.
Lance watched from the side and even forgot that he hasn't jumped yet. He felt amazed whenever he thought of how much of a giant his classmate is!
"Peyn! Please make your attempt."
The club senior called out to Lance and reminded him of his attempt.
Lance shook his head and decided to focus on his test.
At the other Vertec, Allan once again made an attempt but failed to reach higher but still, everyone who watched him still felt amazed by his perverse size.
Imagine just how much of a center a player like Allan can be! He would be immediately sought after by different schools and colleges.
Everyone who is involved in middle school basketball could only wonder how such a giant became unnoticed. They haven't even heard of him before. Such a prospect is too much of a gem to be low-profile!
Even Lance was confused about why he hadn't heard of a player named Allan Morrey. In his previous life, it is impossible to not hear of anything about such a high caliber player so why? If Levi Becreux managed to become famous in the League in the future, why can't Allan be? For sure if he became a player, Allan and Levi would surely birth a famous rivalry in the league!
"I just wonder why."
Lance stopped pondering about it and begun run towards the Vertec and suddenly jump at the timing he had in time.
Bang!
He felt his hand hit against the vanes and descended back to the ground.
He tilted his head as if disappointed by his execution. He felt like his jumping was off because of the timing. He couldn't also stretch his hands high enough.
The senior's voice resounded from the side, saying, "... 115 inches!"
But even though Lance heard something, he was too focused to hear the words and heard it more like a muffled voice. He ignored it and prepared for his 2nd attempt.
He ran, he jumped and hit the vanes above!
Thud!
This time he felt like he jumped higher than before.
"..."
Once again he couldn't hear what his results vert is.
Actually, Lance never practiced how to jump higher, since he only jumped to make a shoot. It is not the jump to go over something but a jump to simply help in shooting the ball.
So, even if Lance knows the theory behind a jump due to his experience in his previous life, it is not easy to execute it in real life.
Slowly, Lance begun to feel like his timing is getting better along with his jump.
He began to run up again but this time he exerted more speed. Then before planting his feet, he swung arms outwards to ultimately gather all his momentum for the jump.
Finally, like a spring, all of his force and momentum smoothly transitioned as he timely planted his feet on the ground with his arms swinging downwards along with his bending knees, he jumped off of two feet and reached out as high as he can until he felt his palm hit the Vertec's vanes mid-air!
Clatter! The sound of vanes swinging out of the way resounded in Lance's ears as he landed.
He heard nothing other than it.
This time he jumped higher for sure!
"..."
Once again, he ignored all the noise and returned to his starting point to prepare for his 4th attempt.
His heart is pumping heart and excited. He felt his blood boiling and rushing faster in his veins. He felt different than before for some reasons.
He wants to do it again!
His body is crying for it!
He never felt more alive!
again!
again!
again!
Despite being focused, he felt his sense heightened. Although he can't hear clearly, his eyes were sharper and touch more sensitive!
"This is the feeling I am looking for!" Lance couldn't help but speak out his heartfelt feelings.
Claude noticed his gaze which was way too focused that it felt strange and kind of brought him chills.
"This guy!"
Even Fin who is standing from the distance while watching Allan suddenly felt chills running down his spine. Not only him, but also those who are good at sports felt chills at the same time.
Allan looked at his forearm for a moment, he just had a goosebump. He couldn't help but feel chills. He does not know why and just frowned.
He looked around and ultimately gazed at Lance. He noticed the expression Lance had and recognized that the chills came from that 5-foot 7 classmates of his.
"!?"
Lance suddenly jumped and reached as high as he could and once again hit the vanes!
Claude who is near Lance had his eyes constrict in doubt. He can't believe what is happening right now.
"His jumps are just getting higher and higher!"
115 inches!
116.5 inches!
122 inches!
124 inches!
And finally for his 5th attempt! Lance smoothly planted his feet below the Vertec and preserved even more momentum but this time his motion is much more fluid!
The vanes clattered in the air as Lance hit it in mid-air!
Fin finally noticed this and gasped.
More so Nathan who is watching behind Lance felt like his jaw has detached itself from his skull when he opened his mouth gaped!
The other participants also noticed his jump and saw how high up his feet are from the ground and gawked in amazement.
Jonas saw this and his competitive spirit burned more!
When Lance landed he quickly stood straight turned around.
Claude snapped out of his daze and saw the Lance seems to be attempting once again.
"That eyes-"
He quickly nudged Lance and said, "Your attempts are used up. Relax kid."
Lance finally noticed that he was at the Gymnasium. He was so into it that his focus almost ate him whole!
"It's done?"
Claude nodded and prompt at his clubmate to calculate Lance's record.
Lance looked up at the Vertec's vanes and noticed how high up he had reached.
He finally found out that he also had a gift that he never knew that most likely came from his high leaping father.
"With a standing reach of 7-foot 7... out of the 5 attempts, he averaged a reach of 121.7 inches (3.09 m) and averaged a vertical of 30.7 inches (78 cm)! He maxed at his 5th attempt with a 40-inch vertical and reached as high as 131 inches or 10 feet and 11 eleven inches (3.33 m)! Which is!"
'Almost a foot above the 10-foot (3 m) rim at his size?' Everyone thought of almost the same thing and couldn't help but feel amazed.
Claude smiled and thought, 'It seems like the golden age of high school basketball is approaching!'
Fin chuckled in the distance and laughed, even his teammate was creeped out of his behavior.
'40-inch vertical? That is pretty high! That is already at the professional level!', Fin thought while grinning widely.
Lance continued to stare at the vanes and exhaled. This is the first time he tried to jump as high as he can.
Suddenly, a genuine smile crept on his face as he felt satisfied.
'I am my father's son after all.' He thought.
His father is a professional basketball player who once swept the league by his great athletism and skills. It is said that his father can easily jump over 40 inches, so it isn't surprising that Lance also inherited it from his father.
But honestly, this result is not something Lance expected, himself.