The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 10 English Teacher
Cap LaVine, Cap is not his name, but his nickname.

His real name was Albert LaVine, and he was a well-known young basketball player in the San Francisco area in the 1940s—before the NBA existed.

He then played for the University of San Francisco as a point guard, possessing a very accurate jump shot.

He once won a free throw contest in San Francisco by making 26 consecutive shots, earning him a honeymoon trip to Hawaii as his prize.

However, in the 50s, it was difficult to make a living by playing basketball. Even a great player like Bob Cousy hesitated between playing basketball and driving a taxi.

To support his wife and three children, young Lavin did many jobs: selling cigarettes at a beach playground, working as an elevator operator at a public library, driving a Greyhound bus, and even winning money playing pinball machines at nightclubs.

He later found a job as an English teacher, which became his lifelong career.

This English teacher has a very large influence in the San Francisco basketball scene.

He often plays 3v3 at Rochambeau Stadium, where he used to be the star player.

Former San Francisco Mayor George Moscone was LaVine's best friend; the two were high school basketball teammates.

In the 1975 San Francisco election, LaVine campaigned for his friend by arranging for Moscone and his staff to play a 3-on-3 game at Rochambord Stadium to attract minority votes who loved basketball.

Moscone was successfully elected, and this enlightened mayor, who championed urban inclusion and racial equality, was assassinated by a radical former colleague in 1978.

LaVine delivered a eulogy at City Hall for the beloved mayor and his best friend.

Besides San Francisco, Cap LaVine has extensive connections throughout the California basketball scene.

He is good friends with John Wooden, the legendary coach at UCLA, who was also a high school English teacher in Indiana.

This year, Capo LaVine is fifty years old, but he is still active at Rochambeau Stadium, often bringing his youngest son, Steve LaVine, to play games there.

Steve LaVine is the youngest of Cap's six children and also the most talented in basketball. He inherited his father's soft and accurate shooting touch and played point guard for the Francisco Drake High School basketball team.

He grew up playing on streetball courts with his father. Last year, he formed a three-man team called "Cancer" with his high school teammate Pittman and his good friend Eric White from Sacred Heart High School, and they practically swept the entire San Francisco streetball court scene.

They are passionate about challenging the elite three-man teams in San Francisco, finding enjoyment in the competition while continuously improving themselves.

In the past two weeks, rumors about a trio of Chinese basketball players at a San Francisco arena have spread rapidly in the San Francisco basketball community.

It is said that they are invincible on every court, especially one of the tall players who has an amazing impact on the defensive end and is a rare master among Chinese players.

Upon hearing the news, Steve LaVine managed to find out Chen Xing's contact information and then called to invite them to Rochambeau Stadium for a friendly match.

Karp has always paid close attention to talented young players on the streets of San Francisco. When his son told him about a young Chinese player who had recently emerged, he came to the sidelines to watch the game with great curiosity.

Karp is an iconic figure at Rochambeau Stadium, and his arrival attracted even more attention. Subsequently, the match between these two prodigies became a hot topic on the streets, drawing more and more people to watch.

While the six players were warming up on the field, the number of onlookers around the Rochambeau Stadium continued to increase.

Even the surrounding residents, seeing such a large-scale event, came to watch out of curiosity.

Chen Xing and Gan Guohui became increasingly nervous, while Gan Guoyang remained both calm and excited.

He stretched and moved his body methodically, grabbed the ball with one hand, took a running start, jumped, and easily dunked with one hand.

Every dunk elicited gasps from the crowd. His jumping ability wasn't particularly impressive, but his movements were graceful and elegant. He had long arms, a large hand, and a slender, strong physique. He wore a brown sports vest and dark blue basketball shorts, with white Avia 860 socks and the ones Chen Xing had given him. When he dunked, he had a style reminiscent of Dr. J Kyrie Irving.

Cap LaVine, watching from the sidelines, had a brighter look in his eyes.

This was the first time Karp had ever seen an Asian player with such graceful dunking form. Besides being a basketball player and an English teacher, Karp LaVine is also a literature enthusiast, writer, and advocate for writing initiatives.

From a writer's perspective, this Chinese-American teenager is undoubtedly a great subject to be explored; there must be a story about him worth writing about.

Karp couldn't help but think of his late friend, Mayor Moscone, a politician who was very concerned about minority groups and the integration of ethnic groups in the city.

It's clear that Karp was more concerned with the skin color of Gan Guoyang and the other two than their skills.

Even though he was an open-minded white man, Karp still didn't believe that the three of them were capable of challenging "Cancer".

Steve is an outstanding guard among his peers. He inherited his father's shooting ability and has a calm mind and excellent overall vision.

He started playing ball with his father at a very young age, has extensive experience on the court, and is very competitive among his peers.

Pittman was Steve's teammate; the two had played together since junior high and had excellent teamwork.

Eric White of Sacred Heart High School is the true core of the Cancer trio, and the most talented of them all.

Standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall, he plays forward and centers in 3v3 games.

Although he wasn't the kind of player with exceptional talent, Capo knew that this guy had a great physique and solid technique.

There is a basic threshold for professional leagues. If you are within that threshold, you have the opportunity to enter that world through hard work and opportunity.

However, if your physical talent is below the threshold, even if you put in 200% effort, are incredibly passionate about basketball, and are proficient in it, the doors of the NBA will not open for you.

Of the three Cancer players, Steve and Pittman are unlikely to make it to the NBA, but White is different; he's within the reach of the league.

The two teams decided to attack first by flipping a coin. Karp's eyes were fixed on Gan Guoyang, wanting to see how the kid would perform against White.

Cancer was awarded the first offensive possession.

The ball was in Steve LaVine's hands. He controlled the ball skillfully, completely ignoring Chen Xing's defense, and moved around the half of the court like a nimble cat.

On his first possession, he used a realistic feint to quickly get past Chen Xing's defense and drive straight to the basket.

Gan Guoyang stepped up to cover, but LaVine flicked the ball behind his back in a clever and sudden behind-the-back pass.

The ball reached White, who had cut inside. After receiving the ball, he took a step, jumped high, and tried to dunk with both hands!
But White underestimated Gan Guoyang's reaction speed. He actually turned around and jumped up at the same time as White, blocking White's dunk in mid-air!

"A generous gift, crab special!"

The fans at the scene gasped in surprise.

The very first shot of the game was such a powerful block.

The two collided head-on, and the ball, subjected to the two opposing forces, slipped from their grasp, slammed heavily onto the ground, and bounced high into the air.

Both players landed at the same time. Gan Guoyang jumped a second time, caught the ball with both hands, and passed it to Chen Xing on the outside.

With the roles reversed, Gan Guoyang successfully thwarted the opponent's first attack.

Cap LaVine, who had been sitting with his arms crossed on the sidelines, stood up.

He realized that this Chinese boy might not be as simple as he had thought.

(End of this chapter)