The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 36 Preparation
The Northbridge Waterbell team left Tiger Arena and Auckland with a victory.

As the bus left Fremont High School, the onlookers on the roadside looked on with a mixture of helplessness and calm.

The players on the Water Clock suppressed their elation, partly because they were exhausted and sleepy, and partly because they didn't want to upset the people around Fremont.

The team's emotions truly erupted and were released when the vehicle left Auckland and crossed the Bay Bridge.

They rolled down their car windows and shouted out at the Pacific bay, releasing the mental stress of the past two weeks and the joy of victory.

The Bay Bridge, which spans San Francisco and Oakland, connects the two cities closely. At night, the lights on the cable-stayed bridge outline its shape, as if illuminating the path for the Water Clock team.

This iconic San Francisco bridge is often confused with the Golden Gate Bridge, though the red Golden Gate Bridge is more frequently seen and was once the emblem of the Warriors.

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

Gan Guoyang sat in the front row, the sea breeze blowing on his face, and an indescribable joy filled his whole body.

He understood that this was the meaning of his love for basketball: it gave his life greater fulfillment and endowed his ordinary life with an extraordinary mission.

Basketball will give him a second life.

The day after the game, the Waterbell's victory exploded, and the shockwaves quickly spread throughout the Bay Area.

The San Francisco Chronicle dedicated two full pages to the qualifying match, with the front-page headline featuring a photo of Gan Guoyang dunking over his opponent.

The title, written in bold and black font, read: Columbus Day Miracle – Chinese-American team North Waterbell defeats Fremont Tigers to qualify for CIF San Francisco League membership.

The second edition provides a more detailed account of Gan Guoyang's rise to prominence on the streets of San Francisco starting in July, and his achievements in leading the Waterbell team to a series of outstanding victories after joining the team.

The article was written by Karp Lavin, who, as a firsthand witness, wrote many details. However, he was unaware of the relationship between Gan Guoyang and Nate Thurmond; otherwise, the article would have been even longer.

After its publication, the newspaper caused a great sensation in San Francisco. On the day of its publication, the newspaper's sales soared, and it became so difficult to find a copy that the printing press worked overtime to print more copies to meet the demand.

Gan's Restaurant became even more famous, attracting many people who came specifically to order a dish and have a bite to eat, while others came specifically to see the Chinese giant.

The punk band performing at the restaurant wrote a song specifically for Gan Guoyang and the Water Bell team called "Columbus Day" to commemorate this victory, which was like discovering a new continent for basketball.

Because of the suddenness of Gan Guoyang's rise to power, his Chinese heritage, and his recent immigration from China, a shocking rumor later circulated that Gan Guoyang was a bio-engineered human from the socialist camp.

Chinatown, the Water Clock's home turf, was certainly not idle. The Chinese Endeavour Foundation held a lion and dragon dance parade throughout the district to celebrate the Water Clock becoming a full member of the CIF.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 13th, the streets were filled with the sounds of gongs and drums and firecrackers, creating a scene as lively as the Chinese New Year.

The Water Bell team received the highest level of hospitality at Beiqiao Middle School, and the players' popularity among girls increased dramatically.

The two players who withdrew earlier were filled with regret, wishing they had stayed with the team to benefit from its success.

But it was impossible for them to return to the team. The victory of the Water Bell team was hard-won, and no one could imagine the sweat and effort the players put in behind the scenes. How could deserters be entitled to enjoy this glory?

The Waterbell has two roster spots remaining, and Capo LaVine told Berman that he could recommend some talented Black players to the Waterbell if needed.

After some consideration, Berman declined Kapp's suggestion, believing that the team's chemistry and unity were currently excellent.

Those Black players on the streets are indeed very talented, but they are also more self-centered, more disobedient, and often have some bad habits.

With one Franklin, Gan Guoyang can keep him in check. But if two more come along, it's like three heroes helping one, and the team's power balance will be broken.

At that time, the Water Bell team will change from a disciplined and well-organized team to a disorganized and uncoordinated one.

"One Forrest Gump, paired with Franklin, is enough. We'll make a name for ourselves in the CIF tournament," Bellman told Karp. Karp didn't say anything more; he was also looking forward to seeing how the Water Clock would perform in the CIF tournament.

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

With the Waterbell joining the San Francisco Conference, the boys' basketball division now comprises 11 schools, and they will compete in a two-month regular season.

Each team plays one game against the other. After the regular season ends, the playoffs will be held in February of the following year, when the new school term begins.

The top four teams in the regular season advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament, with the champion advancing to the finals of the CIF 1981-1982 season state championship, Zone 1.

The second place winner will be evaluated by the CIF committee. If the evaluation is passed, the winner will advance to the final round of the CIF State Championship Zone 2.

This is because there are too many schools in California, and the number of schools varies greatly between different regions, as do the schedules.

The San Francisco Conference has 11 schools, the Oakland Region has 6 schools, and the Southern California Conference has nearly 500 schools, spanning multiple counties and cities, so the Southern California competition is more complex and more schools will make it to the finals.

Because of the large number of schools, CIF has divided the finals into two tiers this year: Tier 1 and Tier 2, with each region competing independently.

In the future, as the number of schools increases, the number of circles will also increase until it is divided into 6 levels, in order to reduce the complexity of the competition.

After all, high school teams can't travel long distances for a game like professional teams; everyone follows the principle of proximity.

Unlike the Southern California Conference, the San Francisco Conference has no such problems. All 11 teams are located in San Francisco, and 10 games will determine the playoff spots.

The hype surrounding the Columbus Memorial Day Miracle lasted for some time, and people's expectations for the Water Bell team grew higher and higher, especially for Gan Guoyang, who began to receive more and more visits from reporters and scouts.

Outside the YMCA gymnasium, there are often people smoking and waiting for training to end, then they approach Gan Guoyang and slip him a note with his phone number on it, hoping to establish a personal relationship with him.

This undoubtedly affected the players' training. Berman didn't want the kids to be involved in the media spotlight too early, as that wouldn't be good for them.

A week later, Berman decided to move the team’s training location to an underground ice rink at Fisherman’s Wharf, where basketball practice could be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the rink would be converted into a skating rink and bar after 7 p.m.

Besides being secluded and difficult to find, the ice rink also has a gym attached to it, which can be used.

Unlike other coaches at the time, Bellman believed that proper strength training would not affect shooting touch or bone development, but would instead help improve players' physical strength and make them more aggressive on the court.

Gan Guoyang agreed with this, but Franklin refused to do strength training for fear of affecting his flexibility. Berman did not force him, only asking him to stay away from his old street friends and to be prohibited from making money by playing basketball on the field.

The Water Clock team began a month-long intensive training program to further strengthen their joint defense system and increase their teamwork.

Everyone had higher expectations for this year's championship, making training particularly tough. Gan Guohui went from being a chubby guy weighing 185 pounds to a sturdy backup shooting guard weighing 160 pounds.

He received a love letter for the first time in his life.

Chen Xing got himself a pair of sports glasses, the same style as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's.

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

On October 30th, Gan Guoyang received a phone call from Nate Thurmond.

He invited Gan Guoyang to bring a few friends to Oakland Stadium to watch an NBA regular season game after training, and Thurmond would provide the tickets.

Gan Guoyang readily agreed, as he happened to have some questions he wanted to ask his mentor.

(End of this chapter)