In the manga, Rukawa's sudden desire to go to America after the summer tournament seems out of the blue (and rather irresponsible to the team) and Sawakita wanting to go around the same time seems coincidental. Until you remember that the American school year starts after August, which would be much easier then transferring in mid-year.
Sakuragi's boast about being a genius may not be too far from the truth. Consider his progress: no basketball experience prior to high school, he grows from an unskilled goof, albeit extremely athletic, to becoming one of the top prospects in Japan—within a semester (3-4 months). And as we know from the storyline, he was still growing in height. A player with big-man size (relative to Japanese basketball at the time), with dribbling and shooting skills developing, unparalleled athleticism, while also possessing the rebounding gene—if you didn't know it was Sakuragi, you'd think I'd be talking about a can't miss prospect, possibly a once-a-generation player.
