The Golden Age of Basketball

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The schedule for the CIF Northern California Championship was announced in February.

The CIF has six major regions in Northern California, and based on the results determined by the regional competitions, along with the committee's evaluation of records and performance, over sixty teams entered the state championship.

The stronger batch was assigned to Division 1, with competitions held in San Jose, the second batch to Division 2, competed in Sacramento, and the remainder to Division 3, held in Redding.

The championship tournament adopted a single-elimination system, with half of the teams being eliminated after each round, with winners staying to continue until the final, and losers packing up to go home.

After the competitions in Southern and Northern California were over, on March 1, the champions from the South and the North would compete in two California championship battles (Division 3 does not have a state championship game).

The California championship for Division 1 was the most anticipated, as it was the first North vs. South California championship in 60 years, with live television broadcast expected.

The Shui Zhong Team set out from San Francisco by bus on the morning of February 10, arriving at the competition venue—the Civic Auditorium in San Jose—in just over an hour.

In the 1980s, many modern sports arenas had not yet been built, and many basketball games took place in these old-style multipurpose auditorium-type venues.

These venues often had outdated facilities, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and poor air conditioning performance. Being cold in winter and hot in summer was the norm, making for a poor game experience.

The tournament schedule was also unkind, with four rounds of games to be played within a week, posing a significant challenge to the players' stamina and the team's rotation.

All players were accommodated at the Sheraton Hotel, directly across the street from the Civic Auditorium—this hotel, as old as the Civic Auditorium, was a product of the urbanization period of the 1920s and 1930s.

Of course, the downside of a long history is that the conditions would be relatively poor, with cramped rooms, outdated facilities, and just passable hygiene.

The only advantage was its location in the center of San Jose, where the food was excellent, and it was convenient to walk for shopping or relaxation.

While eating at the hotel's buffet restaurant, Gan Guoyang encountered players from Washington High School and Fremont High School, who had both entered the Division 1 state championship as well.

When they saw Gan Guoyang, players from both teams unconsciously walked around him, or tried their best to avoid eye contact with him.

Gan Guoyang's on-court dominance had spilled over into daily life, and these high schoolers acted like grazing animals on the savannah at the sight of a lion.

Originally, Gan Guoyang was quite happy to see old acquaintances, but why were they all avoiding him? I've always been very easy-going and friendly.

Finally, he spotted the round-faced Quentin Stephenson at the dessert area and eagerly went up to greet him.

Stephenson's eyes looked a bit panicked, he glanced left and right for his teammates.

"I... I got separated from my teammates, I... Where... Where are your team members?"

"I just worked out in the gym for a bit, they've already finished eating. How about we eat together?"

"Uh... I need to... you know... that person..."

Stevenson's eyes almost bulged out as he desperately searched for his teammates, looking for an excuse to leave.

In the end, having no choice, he sat down to eat with Gan Guoyang, though Stephenson had no appetite at all. Seeing Gan Guoyang gave him a bit of PTSD.

Athletes have large appetites, and Gan Guoyang tucked in heartily. Seeing Stephenson barely touching his food, he asked, "Quentin, eat up, what's wrong with you today? Not feeling well?"

Hearing Gan Guoyang's question, Quentin felt even less appetite, bordering on nausea.

"If you think you're not up to eating, I recommend you have a meal at my family's restaurant. My dad is a great cook. Of course, this is assuming you're interested in Chinese food, the authentic kind."

Gan Guoyang attempted to chat with Stephenson to put him at ease, but it seemed to have little effect; his gaze was somewhat vacant.

It wasn't until a group dressed in purple sportswear walked past their table that Stephenson's eyes came to life, watching them until they left the restaurant.

"Do you know them?" Gan Guoyang asked.

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"Yes, from Sacramento High School. We played against them last year and lost,"

"Are you afraid of them?"

"Oh no, I'm not afraid. But they play crazy, like you... well, just crazy offense,"

"Are they your main target?"

"It doesn't really matter. High school teams change a lot every year with players coming and going. Their point guard is really good, though—number one in scoring in California."

Hearing Quentin say this, Gan Guoyang became interested. California's top scorer, and a point guard at that—who could it be?

"What's his name?"

"Kevin Johnson. He's really fast, super fast. We call him Purple Lightning."

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Purple Lightning Kevin Johnson—his reputation in San Jose rose quickly.

In the first round of the championship tournament on February 11th, Kevin Johnson led the Sacramento Dragons to crush Contra Costa's De La Salle Spartans.

In that game, he single-handedly scored 37 points, almost single-handedly piercing the Spartans' defense, and the team smoothly advanced to the next round.

In the second round, Kevin Johnson scored 35 points to lead his team to victory over Alameda's Saint Joseph Notre Dame, and they made it to the semi-finals.

Their opponent in the semi-finals was Beiqiao High School.

Beiqiao High School had not won easily in the first two rounds.

Team members Chen Xing and Wu Zhihao suffered from diarrhea due to poor living conditions and eating spoiled food, reducing the team's main force.

With reserves playing, Shui Zhong's defense had some gaps, allowing the opponent to score over 70 points in two consecutive games.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang held up the defense and offense, securing the rebounds.

The second-round game against Oakland Bishop O'Dowd High School even went into overtime.

In February, the highest temperature in San Jose is about 16 degrees Celsius—a fairly comfortable temperature.

But inside the Civic Auditorium, the air circulation was poor, and the high humidity made the players feel hot and stuffy after a lot of exercise.

The heat made the players' stamina drop faster, but not Gan Guoyang; in the overtime, he seemed to run faster and faster, scoring continuously on fast breaks, helping the team secure the victory.

After the game, Quentin, who had become friends with Gan Guoyang, asked him while watching from the sidelines, "Why do you get faster as you play, especially in overtime? Aren't you tired?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Tired, but it's so hot, I run faster so I can get some wind to cool off a bit."

"...Next up, you're playing Sacramento. I've heard that Kevin Johnson wants to score 40 points on you."

"Who told you that? Are you making it up, trying to stir up trouble, hoping to benefit from our fight?"

Washington High School also smoothly made it into the semi-finals. They're actually very strong; it's just that they didn't perform well in the finals."

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I really heard people say it. Everyone's staying in the same hotel, so it's easy for words to get around."

"Well, good luck to him, then. 40 points—he'll need the help if he can't get it, and I might just help him,"

[...In my short life, there are three things I've striven to achieve but have yet to accomplish. The first is to win an NBA championship, the second is to score 40 points on Gan's head, and the third is to become the mayor of the City of Sacramento. The second has been my ambition the longest, but it seems to be the hardest.]

———————Excerpt from Kevin Johnson's 2008 mayoral campaign speech in the City of Sacramento.