The Golden Age of Basketball

The Beiqiao Shuizhong Team left Tiger Gymnasium and Oakland victorious.

As the bus pulled away from Fremont High School, the onlookers by the roadside watched with a resigned and calm demeanor.

Inside the bus, the Shuizhong Team players suppressed their ecstasy, partly because they were all tired and sleepy, and partly because they didn't want to provoke people nearby in Fremont.

It wasn't until the vehicle left Oakland and got onto the Bay Bridge that the team's emotions truly exploded and were released.

They rolled down the windows, shouting out to the Pacific Ocean Bay, venting more than two weeks of mental pressure and the joy of victory.

The Bay Bridge, spanning San Francisco and Oakland, tightly binds the two cities together. At night, the lights on the steel-cable bridge outline its shape, seemingly illuminating the path forward for the Shuizhong Team.

This iconic bridge of San Francisco is often confused with the Golden Gate Bridge, with the reddish Golden Gate making more appearances and even once serving as the emblem for The Warriors.

However, many years later, the Bay Bridge also became a symbol for The Warriors.

Gan Guoyang sat in the front row, the sea breeze caressing his face, a joy beyond words saturating his being.

He understood that this was the meaning of his love for basketball—it filled life with greater substance, bestowing an extraordinary mission upon an otherwise ordinary existence.

Basketball was about to grant him a second life.

On the day after the game ended, news of the Shuizhong Team's victory spread like wildfire throughout the Bay Area.

The San Francisco Chronicle dedicated two whole pages to the qualification game, with a front-page photo featuring Gan Guoyang dunking over an opponent.

The headline was printed in bold, black font: Columbus Day Miracle—Chinese Team Beiqiao Shuizhong Defeats Fremont Tigers to Earn CIF San Francisco League Membership.

The second page provided a more detailed account of Guoyang's rise since July, his emergence on the streets of San Francisco, and how, after joining the Shuizhong Team, he led them to a series of impressive victories.

The article was penned by Cap Raven, who, as an eyewitness, wrote many details—but he didn't know about the relationship between Guoyang and Nate-Sermonde; otherwise, the article would have been even longer.

After the Chronicle was published, it caused a huge stir locally in San Francisco. Newspaper sales soared, and the printing presses worked overtime to meet reader demand.

Gan's Restaurant's fame grew even more, drawing many who came by reputation. Some came in to order dishes, others just wanted to catch a glimpse of the Chinese giant.

The punk band that performed at the restaurant wrote a song specifically for Guoyang and the Shuizhong Team called "Columbus Day," in memory of the victory that was like discovering a new basketball world.

Due to the sudden emergence of Guoyang, his Chinese-American identity, and his recent immigration from China, rumors even circulated within the community that Guoyang was a biologically engineered human from the socialist bloc.

Chinatown, the home court for the Shuizhong Team, naturally did not remain idle. The Chinese Progress Foundation organized lion and dragon dances throughout the district to celebrate the Shuizhong Team becoming an official CIF member.

On the 13th, from 10 am to 1 pm, the streets were filled with the sound of gongs and drums, firecrackers popping—it was as bustling as the Chinese New Year.

The Shuizhong Team was treated with the utmost respect at Beiqiao High School, with the players' popularity among the girls skyrocketing.

The two players who had quit before regretted it deeply; if they had known, they would have clung to the team to bask in its glory.

But it was now impossible for them to return. The victory of Shuizhong had come with immense effort, and the sweat the players had shed was unimaginable to others—deserters had no right to share in this honor.

There were still two spots available on the Shuizhong team. Cap Raven told Beelman that if needed, he could recommend some talented black players for the Shuizhong Team.

After some thought, Beelman declined Cap's suggestion, believing that the current team chemistry and unity were very strong.

Those street basketball players were indeed talented, but they were also more self-centered and defiant, often carrying bad habits.

With a player like Franklin, Guoyang was able to keep him in check, but if two or three more came, they could disrupt the team's balance of power.

By that time, Shui Zhong Team would have transformed from a disciplined and well-coordinated team into one that was disorganized and lacked cohesion.

"A single Ah Gan, paired with Franklin, is already enough. We'll make a name for ourselves in the CIF competition,"

Beelman said this to Cap, and Cap didn't say much else. He too was looking forward to seeing how Shui Zhong Team would perform in the CIF championship.

In late October, the CIF San Francisco League released the schedule for the new season, with the first game set for November 13.

After Shui Zhong Team joined the San Francisco League, the boys' basketball division included a total of 11 schools, which would play a two-month regular season.

Each team would play one game against every other team, and after the regular season ended, the postseason would begin in February of the new school year.

The top four teams from the regular season would enter the playoffs, with single elimination determining the champion, who would then advance to the CIF 1981-1982 season state championship Zone 1 finals.

The runner-up would be evaluated by the CIF committee, and if the evaluation was passed, could enter the CIF state championship Zone 2 finals.

This was because California had too many schools, with a significant disparity in the number of schools in different districts and different schedules accordingly.

San Francisco had 11 schools, the Oakland District had 6, while the Southern California Federation had nearly 500 schools, spanning multiple counties and cities, making the Southern California schedule more complex and allowing more schools to enter the finals.

Due to the large number of schools, CIF this year specifically divided into Zone 1 and Zone 2 finals, each fighting their own battles.

In the future, as the number of schools increases, there will be more zones, up to six levels, to reduce the complexity of the schedule.

After all, high school teams cannot travel long distances for a game like professional teams do. The principle is to play nearby.

The San Francisco League didn't have the same problems as the Southern California Federation. The 11 teams were all within San Francisco City, and 10 games would determine the postseason spots.

The buzz from the Columbus Day miracle lasted a while, and people's expectations for the Shui Zhong Team grew, especially for Guoyang, who began to receive more and more visits from reporters and scouts.

At the entrance of the YMCA gym, it was common to see people smoking and waiting for practice to end, and then approaching Guoyang with slips of paper with their phone numbers, hoping to establish a personal relationship with him.

This undoubtedly affected the players' training conditions. Beelman didn't want the kids to be drawn into the public eye too soon, as that wasn't good for them.

A week later, Beelman decided to move the team's training location to an underground skating rink near Fisherman's Wharf. The rink was available for basketball training from three in the afternoon until seven in the evening and then converted to a dry rink and bar after 7 PM.

In addition to being secretive and not easy to find, there was a gym next to the skating rink that they could use.

Unlike other coaches at the time, Beelman believed that appropriate strength training wouldn't affect shooting touch or bone growth. On the contrary, it could help enhance the players' ability to compete, allowing them to play more aggressively on the court.

Guoyang agreed with this, but Franklin refused strength training for fear it would affect his agility. Beelman didn't insist, only requiring that he stay away from the bad influences of his past street friends and prohibit him from earning money by playing street basketball.

Shui Zhong Team began a month of intensive training, continuing to strengthen their zone defense system and increase their understanding of one another.

Everyone had higher expectations for this year's championship, making training particularly grueling. Guohui went from a chubby 185 pounds to a solid 160-pound reserve shooting guard.

He received his first love letter.

Chen Xing got himself a pair of sports glasses, the same model as Jabbar's.

Xu Xun's father bought him a pair of Converse.

And on October 30, Guoyang received a phone call from Nate-Sermonde.

He invited Guoyang to bring a few friends to watch an NBA regular-season game at the Oakland Coliseum after practice. Sermonde would provide the tickets.

Guoyang happily accepted, as he just happened to have some questions he wanted to consult with his mentor teacher.