The Golden Age of Basketball

Gan Guoyang had a very nice Christmas at Sermonde's, feeling content from the warm, fraternal atmosphere and the basketball experience he gained.

Before the end of the Christmas break, the players of the Shui Zhong Team returned to school to resume training, preparing to finish the remaining regular-season games in January and push for the playoffs.

Beelman went to New Jersey for Christmas to see his daughter and incidentally to talk with his ex-wife about their relationship issues; judging by his radiant complexion, he must have made some positive progress.

Xu Xun was busy in his store this Christmas. He wasn't a basketball star like Gan Guoyang, and in his spare time, he still had to help with work. Also, he had a big bump on his forehead, which clearly looked like a mistake while playing with the nunchaku.

Franklin didn't rest either. He, who usually skipped strength training, sweated profusely in the dilapidated iron gym at Hunter's Point during the holiday, hoping to get his physical fitness back to optimal condition soon. He gave the money subsidized by the school to his mother to take care of the three younger siblings at home.

Chen Xing used the break to go to Los Angeles, but not to see the Los Angeles Lakers' game, rather to buy the new gaming console and game cartridges released this year by Nintendo—only certain stores in Los Angeles had them available in the California region.

He also got a new pair of sports eyeglasses, the real Jabbar model; the previous pair was cracked during the game against Washington High School.

Gan Bingguang, the lad, found his own spring in the winter, as he fell in love with a freshman girl from Beiqiao High School.

Since joining the basketball team, Gan Bingguang's playtime was barely worth mentioning, but his diligent training slimmed him down, and being bathed in the halo of being Gan Guoyang's cousin, he suddenly charmed an innocent girl and won her affections.

Of course, Gan Binguang was a good guy. He didn't date the girl for long before bringing her home for dinner after Christmas and candidly declaring her as his girlfriend.

Gan Youwei was shocked, wondering if his child had started dating while still in high school?

Gan Youtang and Gan Bingguang weren't surprised; dating among high school boys and girls in American big cities couldn't be more normal.

And Gan Youtang had always been worried that his son, mediocre in studies and not fond of proper pursuits, would struggle to find a wife in the future.

Now at least it proved that he was capable of romance and was not an unwanted bachelor.

They warmly welcomed the girl and instructed Gan Bingguang to be responsible for her and not to abandon her carelessly or make a fuss.

At night, Gan Youwei quietly asked Gan Guoyang if he was dating, to which Gan Guoyang crisply replied, "I'm not very interested in women right now."

While Gan Youwei was relieved by Gan Guoyang's answer, he also worried, wondering if it was normal for his son to be like this?

Gan Guoyang's mind was all about basketball. For him, there was so much to explore in basketball techniques and so much to improve in training that he had no room in his heart for any distractions.

Yet precisely because of this, the number of girls writing him letters was growing. The more famous and skilled at basketball he became, and the harder it was to approach him, the more those girls wanted to get close to him and win him over.

This led to the exposure of Shui Zhong Team's training ground at the underground rink at Fisherman's Wharf, discovered by two girls who secretly followed Gan Guoyang.

Journalists, agents, college admissions officers, and sports goods company representatives began to loiter around the training ground again, leaving Beelman with no solution.

Fortunately, after the incident at the University of San Francisco, these people became much more restrained, no longer daring to offer gifts or money. They just wanted to get close for their benefit.

The Shui Zhong Team was able to immerse themselves in normal training, and Beelman introduced a 20-minute visualization training method to enhance the players' tactical awareness and spatial imagination on court during the sessions.

The team's progress was visibly impressive; their spirit, physical fitness, and techniques had reached their peak by the end of 1981. In 1982, they were obviously set to achieve great things.

-----------------

Time moved on to 1982.

In the remaining three games of the regular season, the Shui Zhong Team continued their success, defeating Marshall High School, Lowell High School, and Galileo High School—schools in the San Francisco Area that liked to name themselves after famous people.

Gan Guoyang led the Shui Zhong Team to victory over all the presidents, justices (Thurgood Marshall), and renowned scientists, standing out all the more in high school games.

This brought the regular season of the San Francisco League to an end, and with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss, the Shui Zhong Team tied for first place with Washington High School.

However, since they lost to Washington in a head-to-head matchup, they finished second and entered the playoffs as the number two seed.

There were a total of four teams in the playoffs, and the Shui Zhong Team encountered Lincoln High School, ranked third, in the first round; they had previously beaten Lincoln High School in overtime with difficulty.

The overall strength of both teams was evenly matched, with Lincoln even having a slight edge. However, Gan Guoyang was too dominant, and his performance determined the outcome of the game.

The game was held at Kezar Stadium, and Gan Guoyang's 41 rebound grabs were astounding—learning from the lesson of making too many mistakes in the last game against Lincoln, he hardly initiated attacks this time, instead constantly dashing under the basket to fight for offensive rebounds.

Lincoln High School's interior line was weaker than Washington's, but they had stronger perimeter defense and taller players.

But nobody could withstand Gan Guoyang's second-chance offense.

The rest of the Shui Zhong team let it fly, confident that if the shots didn't go in, Gan Guoyang would secure the rebounds.

In this kind of single-elimination game, what is needed is some irrational tactics.

The Lincoln High School coach never expected that Gan Guoyang, who had started to reduce going for offensive rebounds and quickly fall back on defense, would transform into Moses Malone and overwhelm Lincoln's interior with his rebounding.

For 40 minutes, over two halves, with 20 offensive rebounds, Gan Guoyang scored an incredible 41 points and snagged 41 rebounds in a single game, setting a new San Francisco League record with his double 41s.

Lincoln High School fell 66:78, despite their good shooting performance tonight, achieving a high field goal percentage, but they were utterly dominated on the boards.

After the game ended, the audience rushed onto the court, eager to shake hands with Gan Guoyang, who had to be escorted by his teammates back to the locker room.

"Gan, you didn't play according to the pre-game plan we set," Beelman said in a gentle tone, his words a reproach.

Beelman's strategy for the game was conservative, instructing Gan Guoyang to play more defense, receive the ball at the high post, and let Franklin take the lead in attacking.

Gan Guoyang wiped off his sweat and said, "Life is full of uncertainties."

Beelman had nothing more to say; what could he say when the game turned out like this?

When a player senses an opportunity on the court, their instincts must be respected, especially if they are a key player.

Gan Guoyang capitalized on Lincoln Middle School's eagerness for revenge, as they had executed many fast breaks in their last game against Shui Zhong Team.

This game, they aimed to repeat the strategy, eager for quick counterattacks which left their backcourt rebounding support insufficient, with guards and forwards rushing to the frontcourt.

As a result, once Gan Guoyang got into the groove with his offensive rebounds, they found it difficult to stop him.

The peculiar shooting techniques of the Shui Zhong Team players did not succeed, all meticulously analyzed by Gan Guoyang.

The San Francisco Chronicle once again devoted a full sports page to the game, headlining with "Double41" to showcase the dominating performance of the "Bionic Man" on the high school basketball stage of San Francisco.

Besides "Bionic Man," the nickname "Sun King" first appeared in the media.

However, for Gan Guoyang to truly become the king of the San Francisco high school league, he needed one more victory in the finals.

On January 30, the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, the final between Washington High School and Beiqiao High School took place in the War Memorial Gymnasium at the University of San Francisco.

The University of San Francisco Men's Basketball, embroiled in a scandal, had ceased all game activities, pending an investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.

A week earlier, on New Year's Eve, the San Francisco 49ers won the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 1982 Super Bowl with a 26:21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, reaching the peak of the city's passion for football and signaling the end of the football season.

The MLB was in its off-season, and the neighboring Golden State Warriors had just embarked on a road trip.

As a result, all eyes in San Francisco's sports world were on this high school championship game.

Before the game, the War Memorial Gymnasium echoed Bill Russell's debut at Kezar Stadium in December 1953.

Nearly 6,000 spectators arrived, cramming the 5,000-seat gymnasium to full capacity with over a thousand people in line and watching outside.

On that day, ticket prices soared up to $200, while the most popular NBA team, the Lakers, had a maximum ticket price of $60 at the Great Western Forum.

Most of these high-priced tickets were snatched up by Chinese merchants who came for the event. In the Bay Area Chinese community, basketball and watching a Gan Guoyang game had become fashionable talking points, with seeing his game being something to boast about in social circles.

His double 41 performance in the last game had further heightened expectations for the match.

The more attention it garnered, the greater the pressure became; many talented young players often cannot withstand such pressure and collapse in crucial games, leading to a long-lasting slump or a long time to recover.

Even a supremely gifted player like Wilt Chamberlain carried the stigma of a "loser" for a full ten years, beginning with his one-point overtime loss to North Carolina in the 1957 NCAA finals until his victory in 1967.

Beelman also worried that the intense scrutiny might put too much pressure on Gan Guoyang.

Before the game in the locker room, he squatted in front of Gan Guoyang and cautiously said, "Gan, there will be a lot of people watching the game tonight, but remember it's just another league final."

Gan Guoyang scratched his face and asked, "Coach, are you nervous?"

"Me? No, no, no, I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous?"

"Is it because if the team wins the championship, your ex-wife will come back to you?"

"Who the hell said that? Who's spreading these baseless rumors and gossip? Fuck, there's no truth to it!"

"You said it yourself when you were drunk."

"..."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely win this game. Washington is not our rival."

Gan Guoyang spoke calmly, but within his heart, the flames of revenge had already been kindled.