The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 236 Students
James Naismith, such a familiar yet distant name.

He invented basketball in 1891, which is more than 90 years, almost a century, since 1986.

When he passed away, Germany had just launched a blitzkrieg against Poland, China was waging a long and arduous war of resistance against Japan, and the NBA was still 7 years away from being founded.

From 1891 to 1986, basketball has undergone tremendous changes. To most people, Naismith was just a strange scientist who invented basketball on a whim.

After all, as a basketball coach, he didn't have any outstanding achievements, let alone any championships. At the University of Kansas, a famous basketball school, his coaching winning percentage was the lowest. He was like a basketball mascot, commemorated by later fans.

However, when Gan Guoyang said, "This was said by Dr. Naismith," not a single one of the well-known coaches in the UCLA auditorium laughed or questioned it.

The auditorium was unusually quiet, except for Peter Newell's question: "Who told you that the Doctor said that?"

Gan Guoyang said, "It was Mr. McClendon. He went to China with me in July, and he told me about it during a meal."

John McLendon is Converse's international brand ambassador, primarily responsible for Converse's global promotion.

In 1980, he was invited to Nanjing with a Converse team and Cameron University coach Nichols to provide training for more than 200 Chinese basketball coaches.

They also led college student athletes wearing Converse sneakers in an exhibition match at a stadium in Nanjing, which was warmly received by the citizens.

So naturally, he accompanied the group on this trip to China, where they exchanged ideas and promoted Converse in several cities.

When they were having dinner in Shanghai, the two sat at the same table. McClendon admired Gan Guoyang and the two talked a lot about basketball-related topics.

When exchanging basketball philosophies, McClendon told Gan Guoyang that offense is always the soul of basketball, and of course defense is also very important. The two are actually inseparable, and offense and defense should be viewed from a holistic perspective. Gan Guoyang agreed with this concept.

McClendon told Gan Guoyang that this was exactly what Dr. Naismith, the inventor of basketball, thought.

"You know Dr. Naismith?" Gan Guoyang was extremely surprised at the time, as the name Naismith seemed too distant.

When he invented basketball, China was still in the Qing Dynasty.

"Of course, he is my teacher, my coach, and the person who has helped me the most in my basketball career."

“When I was playing basketball, it was during the apartheid era. I was the first Black player at the University of Kansas. Dr. Naismith encouraged me to persevere and recommended me to become a basketball coach. At that time, Black players could not play on the same team as white players, and Black teams could not play against white teams.”

“Let me tell you a little secret that many people still don’t know. I’ve only told it privately to a few friends, never publicly. When the 3-card party was at its most intense, racial segregation was very strict. The Hawks, which I coached, were an all-black team. I played according to Dr. Naismith’s All-Out Athletic philosophy, and we were very strong, but we couldn’t compete with white teams. So, I devised a secret game, inviting the white team Duke University to North Carolina. At the time, all the Duke players wore robes to enter the school to avoid being recognized. Once inside the gym, I locked the doors and covered the windows, prohibiting any spectators from watching. And then the game was over.”

"You won?"

"Of course, we won by 44 points, 88 to 44. That was in 1944, and scoring was still very difficult."

Gan Guoyang was captivated by McClendon's story, and he spoke at length about Dr. Naismith, his words filled with admiration.

Of course, he admired the doctor's personal charisma and wisdom in his approach to problems. In terms of basketball skills, Naismith was probably one of the worst coaches of his generation in the country.

Looking at the silent coaches, Gan Guoyang added, "Mr. McClendon said he was Dr. Naismith's student and that he played at the University of Kansas."

After a brief silence, Pat Riley raised his hand and said, "I am also a student of Dr. Naismith."

He played under Coach John Rupp of Kentucky, who was Naismith's student in Kansas.

Then Dean Smith raised his hand: "Me too."

Smith studied under Figg Allen at the University of Kansas, who was Naismith's assistant coach, student, and successor.

As soon as Smith raised his hand, Kansas coach Larry Brown naturally followed suit.

The coaches and players of the Kentucky and North Carolina factions are, in theory, students of Naismith.

Next, Ralph Miller, a coach at Oregon State University who plays for the University of Kansas and is coached by Allen, also raised his hand.

John Wooden raised his hand and said, “Although I didn’t receive coaching from the University of Kansas, I come from Indiana. Reverend Nicholas McKay came across basketball, invented by Dr. Naismith, during a teaching trip to the YMCA and brought the sport to Indiana, where it took root and became wildly popular. Dr. Naismith even said that basketball was invented for Indiana. I was a huge fan of the Frank Miracle Five in high school, and that’s where my basketball career started. All that craze originated with Dr. Naismith, and I am his successor.”

Indiana is indeed the basketball state, boasting the most intense high school leagues, but due to economic and geographical reasons, it can't compare to California and the Northeast, and hasn't produced any super teams. As the forum was turning into a nodding-off ceremony, Pete Newell stepped in to summarize, saying, "Dr. Naismith's greatness is undeniable. I still remember one of his quotes that continues to remind me today, and I believe you've all heard it. He said, 'The game couldn't be coached,' which was his teaching to Figg Allen. He also teaches every basketball coach to never be arrogant, to think you can control everything, to maintain awe for the unknown aspects of the game, and to always retain the mindset of the ignorant. This is the charm of basketball, and the driving force behind our continuous learning and exchange. He is a teacher to all of us."

A round of enthusiastic applause filled the auditorium. It was lunchtime, and the chaotic opening ceremony ended. Gan Guoyang managed to escape and find Wooden to ask him about Wharton.

Wooden chuckled, adjusted his glasses, and said, "The people of Portland still hope he can go back."

Gan Guoyang said, "Of course, the whole world knows that we lack a good inside player."

Wooden said, "It's not just the Trail Blazers who lack a good center. Walton has had enough of the Los Angeles Clippers. Since last season, he's often come to me to confide in me about his frustrations playing for Sterling. He wants to leave this year, but Sterling doesn't want to let him go easily, which is a bit of a problem. The Boston Celtics have already extended an invitation to him; it's a good place, but I see he's hesitant. I think perhaps going back to Portland is the real solution to his problem."

Gan Guoyang said, "I agree with you. But I'm just a player for the Trail Blazers, not the owner, so I can't trade Walton over there."

Wooden laughed and said, "I've already spoken to Larry Weinberger and Stu Inman, and they'd certainly like Bill to come back. The key issue is with Bill himself; he's conflicted and in pain. He's torn between choices. That's just his personality—not very carefree, and his impulsiveness is a headache. He said he wanted to see you and mentioned you several times, but he doesn't want to contact you directly. So, I had to do it for him by inviting you to the forum. You can go see him this afternoon if you're free."

Giants all have contradictions in their personalities, and this is especially true of Walton, who was once passionate about anti-war sentiment and hung out with hippies.

Gan Guoyang said, "Perhaps it would be more effective to have Dr. Jack have a good talk with him."

Wooden said, "Dr. Jack and Walton have reconciled. He came to Los Angeles a few days ago and met with Walton. But to be honest, neither Jack nor I can really understand Bill, and besides, Jack is older than me and he's losing his hair."

Gan Guoyang looked around; Coach Ramsey wasn't nearby.

"In short, just treat it as meeting a friend. Let him follow his heart and go wherever he wants. I don't want to see him suffer so much. He has suffered too much over the years, both physically and mentally. His career won't last long. I hope he has a good ending."

Between Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, two of his most prized protégés, Wooden preferred Abdul-Jabbar. Both his on-court abilities and off-court personality suited Wooden's tastes better.

Walton was impeccable on the court, but he caused Wooden too much trouble off the court. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as a black man, chose pride and forbearance more off the court, which made Wooden feel indebted to him.

Gan Guoyang nodded in agreement with Wooden, but in his heart he thought, "I'm already here, how can I let him go wherever he wants! Am I supposed to coax him to Boston?"

Nothing would be more perfect than letting him return to where his dream began.

After discussing Walton, Wooden suddenly asked Gan Guoyang, "Gan, what do you think of Dr. Naismith's ultimate basketball philosophy? Is it really the ultimate basketball philosophy?"

Gan Guoyang asked, "Uh... what is the ultimate goal of basketball?"

Wooden said, "What I mean is that one day basketball will have a style of play, as Dr. Naismith said, where you can launch an attack from anywhere, forming a perfect system that is invincible."

Gan Guoyang immediately shook his head and said, "No, no, I don't think that's what the doctor meant."

Wooden stopped, and the two strolled through the UCLA campus.

Gan Guoyang also stopped and said, "If one day basketball develops an ultimate style of play that all teams adopt, it means the sport is about to die. When everything becomes the same and there is no difference, basketball loses its charm. Dr. Naismith is not saying that there is an ultimate tactic that can be invincible, but rather telling people the basic principle of playing basketball: always remember to attack and get everyone involved. This is not the end of basketball, but the beginning of basketball."

"Besides, if Dr. Naismith knew any ultimate perfect tactics, how could his coaching record be so bad? I think as the inventor of basketball, he can see the sport from a higher perspective than others."

Wooden smiled and said, "No wonder Dr. Jack said you were suited to be a coach. I thought he was joking. You are indeed suited to be a cleaner."

"What? A cleaner? Am I better suited to be a coach or a cleaner?"

"Coaches are like cleaners. Every day, every game, there's an endless amount of trash and dust to clean up. You sweep it up today and it's clean, but you have to keep going tomorrow. There's always trash and dust being generated. There's no such thing as a one-time solution. So, coaches are like cleaners; the trash is never-ending until they retire."

"Even after retirement, you have to keep sweeping! Look at Wharton, he wants you to keep sweeping!"

"Haha, you're right. To be honest, I really don't want to deal with him; this guy has caused me too much trouble."

“I know, that’s why Dr. Jack has so little hair.”

"I think he wouldn't mind a little less."

(End of this chapter)