The Golden Age of Basketball

Beelman was as coarse as ever, referring to everyone as "ladies."

For a high school basketball team, a proper level of rudeness and fierceness could quickly establish a coach's authority among the players.

Chinese kids were relatively well-behaved and obedient, so for Beelman, stepping into his role to manage this team was effortless.

However, once training began, Beelman discovered that among the group of players, only Ah Gan genuinely qualified as a basketball player.

Chen Xing was barely half a player, and there was one Korean who could be considered half as well, the rest were like Gan Guohui—basketball enthusiasts, able to play but essentially non-competitive.

And this was after scraping together 11 people from all of Beiqiao High School, one short of a complete roster, as there really was no one else to be found.

Beelman first conducted a physical assessment for each player, followed by a test of basic skills, and then half an hour of shooting practice, after which he had a preliminary understanding of each player's abilities.

The situation was clearly not optimistic; with such a level of basic skills and physical ability, they couldn't even execute simple tactics.

Fortunately, Beelman was prepared for this. Having worked at Excel in Basketball summer camp for two months, he had practical experience in improving the skills of average basketball enthusiasts. He created a training plan, aiming to shape the team's style and fighting spirit in a short amount of time.

The Shui Zhong Team's first training session lasted until six o'clock in the evening, with three hours of practice leaving the players exhausted.

Following the end of the session, two players approached Beelman to quit the team, reducing the number from 11 to 9, which wasn't even enough to scrimmage a 5v5 game within the team.

However, two others stayed after the training to continue practicing—one was Gan Guoyang and the other was the Korean senior student named Xu Xun.

Each occupied half of the court, one practicing shooting, the other practicing post moves with Beelman's assistance.

Beelman knew that Gan Guoyang's post offense and defense would be key to the team's victory; it was essential to give him special training to improve his technique.

The two of them trained while chatting.

Gan Guoyang asked Beelman how he came to coach at North Overseas Chinese School, and Beelman replied that it was North Overseas Chinese School he had attended the interview at.

Gan Guoyang was skeptical, saying, "Really? Then why did you only come today? We hadn't heard anything before."

"Quit your yapping—your turn is still too slow, your footwork, why is it floating? You need to be more grounded!"

Beelman changed the subject, dissatisfied with the solidity of Gan Guoyang's post moves.

But Gan Guoyang said, "I'm not being insubstantial; I'm being more agile. If I'm facing taller players in the post, I need flexible footwork to create enough space to take a shot."

According to his own 2K settings, his height would reach around 6 feet 10 inches, which wasn't short even with the rampant overstating of heights. But in the future, he was bound to encounter genuine 7-footers; it was necessary to have both strength and agility.

Moves like these post actions with large swaying motions and elusive footwork, when practiced to perfection, could allow one-on-one play against any type of defender without distinction. But they were also the most difficult post technique, requiring high levels of balance and coordination from the player.

Of course, Beelman understood that Gan Guoyang had a point, but he still insisted that Gan start training from the most basic fundamentals, using body strength, center of gravity, and the left arm to create space and make the shot.

"Even geniuses must start from the most fundamental technical moves. You may not use them later, but you can't afford not to learn them. Push with your butt, goddamn it, you're not a little fairy. It won't hurt to use your ass a bit more!"

Gan Guoyang was willing to listen. He knew Coach Beelman was building a more solid technical foundation for him, so he temporarily gave up the more advanced moves to retrain from the basics.

What Gan Guoyang didn't know was that Beelman had given up a more lucrative salary and better working conditions at Palo Alto High School to coach at North Overseas Chinese School.

For a coach, the chance to train a talented player in their lifetime is rare, and in Beelman's eyes, Gan Guoyang was an uncut gem that he wanted to carve with care.

Of course, Beelman wouldn't tell Gan Guoyang these thoughts–how could he feel comfortable saying such things.

After an extra hour of training, Gan Guoyang finally shot 100 long-range shots—the court didn't have a three-point line, as the NCAA didn't introduce it until after 1986, and high school competitions adopted it even later.

By seven o'clock, the school's rental time for the basketball court ended, and Gan Guoyang had to leave.

Having changed his clothes in the locker room, Gan Guoyang noticed that Xu Xun, the Korean teammate, did not leave after changing into a T-shirt but went upstairs instead.

"Hey, aren't you going home? We've already trained long enough today. Rest is very important too."

Xu Xun had trained as long as Gan Guoyang, and he seemed to have great stamina.

Upon hearing Gan Guoyang speaking to him, Xu Xun only turned back to glance, then went upstairs, not saying a word.

"Why don't you talk? Is your English even worse than mine?"

Over the following week, Gan Guoyang attended classes, trained, and practiced extra under Coach Beelman's careful guidance, gradually solidifying his foundation and learning many tips and finer details.

Xu Xun followed along with extra practice every day, and after finishing, he would head up to the second floor for who knows what.

This odd guy usually kept to himself and didn't talk much, a real introvert, only speaking a few words when Coach Beelman questioned him.

His natural basketball talent was average; he had a decent shot and astonishing stamina, but his skills were rather rough around the edges. In scrimmages, his moves were quite aggressive. After a week of practice, he had already clashed several times with his teammates.

Every time there was a conflict, he would sulk in silence. When Coach Beelman reprimanded him, he would just bow his head and grunt a few times. This left Coach Beelman impatient with him, yet he couldn't kick him out since the team was already short on players.

On Wednesday, the team had its first tactical training session. Coach Beelman built his tactical system, which simply put, centered around Gan Guoyang both in offense and defense.

The offense was completely built around Gan Guoyang's low post plays, coupled with penetrations and movements on the wings, as well as Gan Guoyang's offensive rebounds—this was of utmost importance.

Coach Beelman put even more thought into the defense, spending two hours on zone defense drills, naturally assigning the tasks of protecting the basket and rebounding to Gan Guoyang.

The first tactical training session, to put it mildly, was a disaster; the teammates made countless mistakes in coordination and details. Coach Beelman felt more desperate than at the time of his divorce.

The silver lining for him was that Gan Guoyang was very quick-witted. Not only did he learn quickly, but he also managed to instruct his teammates, clearly showing a high basketball IQ.

This Saturday, they were set to play their first game, and Coach Beelman confirmed the team's starting lineup.

Gan Guoyang was the undisputed center, the absolute core.

The power forward was a 188 cm tall Fujianese named Wu Zhixiong, nicknamed Big Bear, who had received some basketball training in elementary school and participated in a Chinatown basketball camp organized jointly by Thomas Jin, Huang Xianhu, and the Golden State Warriors.

However, his talents were not exceptional, and with his family against him playing basketball, he did not continue.

But he had a good foundation, and with his physical presence, he could collaborate with Gan Guoyang in the post.

The important role of point guard was entrusted to Chen Xing, who claimed to be the fastest hand in Chinatown. His ball handling and agility met the standards, and he had received some professional training, though he needed improvement in physical confrontations.

As shooting guard, Coach Beelman chose Xu Xun, second only to Guoyang in physical fitness for the whole team, and quite adequate in all areas.

But his basketball IQ seemed rather low; he played selfishly, not passing the ball or communicating with teammates. Coach Beelman had no choice but to reluctantly pick him.

For the small forward position, crucially requiring athletic ability, Coach Belman was still unable to find a suitable candidate. He was trying to get the school to recruit another talented player—preferably a black player with strong athletic abilities.

On Thursday, Coach Beelman conducted the first 5v5 scrimmage within the team. Since there were only nine players, he had to join in, serving both as a player and a referee.

The scrimmage was ineffective because of Gan Guoyang's presence on the court, as the opposing side simply couldn't organize an effective offense. They couldn't penetrate inside or secure rebounds.

Their defense was easily penetrated, with Gan Guoyang almost guaranteeing a 100% field goal percentage inside.

In the end, the only one bold enough to take the ball and challenge Guoyang was Xu Xun.

After being blocked four or five times in a row without giving up, Xu Xun charged too fiercely during a fast break, collided with Guoyang mid-air, and was sent flying out of bounds, crashing to the ground and gasping for air.

Coach Beelman quickly took him to the locker room, and upon removing his undershirt, he discovered Xu Xun's back was black and blue — clearly not marks from playing basketball.

When Xu Xun came to, he quickly dressed and, despite Coach Beelman's protests, returned to the court to continue training.

Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, because if one more person were hurt, the Shui Zhong Team might as well change its name to the Delivery Team.

On Friday, the team conducted their last practice before the game. Coach Beelman knew that the team couldn't undergo a drastic improvement in such a short time. So he just held an hour-long shooting practice before dismissing the team. Coach Beelman also needed some time for self-care.

He had never coached such a hopeless team.

Gan Guoyang, as usual, stayed behind to practice some more. Compared to others, he was a basketball fanatic, finding joy in every moment on the court, and his tireless body only added to his passion.

As Gan Guoyang continued to nail his shots, Xu Xun, who had also stayed, called out to him, "Ah Gan! I want to play you one-on-one, let's go single combat!"

The ball bounced a few times on the floor before rolling off to the side.

This was the first time Xu Xun had spoken to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang turned to look at Xu Xun, a strange fierceness and anger on his youthful face, as if Guoyang were some sworn enemy of his.

Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "Sure, I've been wanting to play some one-on-one anyway. I think you're pretty good at basketball, let's have a go."

Upon hearing Gan Guoyang's sudden praise, Xu Xun's expression became a bit unnatural, the inexplicable rage seemed to lose its footing and slid off his face in an instant.