The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 5 Star of Hope
The confrontation between Chen Xing and Gan Guoyang was a one-sided massacre.

Even with his skillful technique, Chen Xing, who is 174 cm tall, cannot make up for the huge difference in height and physique.

Moreover, this cousin was not at all like what Gan Guohui described as "playing basketball for the first time".

Although his technique looked rough, his dribbling was not steady enough, and he did not show any shooting ability, Chen Xing simply could not withstand the dribbling breakthrough that he made.

He was tall but not clumsy, and possessed immense strength.

Colliding with him felt like being hit by a car. After falling twice, Chen Xing dared not confront Gan Guoyang head-on again.

When the roles were reversed, Gan Guoyang stuck to Chen Xing's every attack and then treated him to several Chongqing hot pot meals.

"I can't take it anymore! This is ridiculous! I'm about to be smashed to pieces! You two are just trying to kill me! Are you kidding me? Is this your first time playing basketball? I'm done playing! Give me the ball, I want to go home!"

"Whether we play or not doesn't matter, it's just 5-0, the cartridge is still $35, not a penny less."

Chen Xing and Gan Guohui then engaged in another round of haggling over the price of the cassette tape, taking the opportunity to belittle and personally attack each other.

Gan Guoyang suddenly spoke up: "Hey, this is really my first time playing ball, I'm not lying."

Chen Xing felt even more insulted after hearing Gan Guoyang's words.

However, the teenagers quickly accepted the reality that "hard work is not as good as talent".

They continued playing loudly on the rooftop.

After Gan Guoyang overexerted himself on his first shot, his accuracy improved with each subsequent attempt.

Later, his shooting accuracy became so high that Chen Xing and Gan Guohui watched from the sidelines, counting the number of consecutive shots he made.

“17、18、19…20，2哇，没进！连续命中20个中投！”

Not only is Gan Guoyang's shooting accurate, but his stamina seems inexhaustible.

Chen Xing and Gan Guohui were exhausted and were sitting on the wire mesh drinking water, while Gan Guoyang continued to dribble, lay up, and shoot by himself, and he was unusually serious and focused, as if he were testing his own skill level.

His skills are improving and becoming more refined at a visible pace.

"Hey Fatty Hui, I never believed in geniuses before, but now I do."

"Seriously, did you hire a private coach for extra lessons? Otherwise, how could you have improved so much?"

"Yes, yes, I attended Coach Frank Alok's 'Excel in basketball summer camp' for two weeks, and the results were quite remarkable."

"Holy crap, you actually went to a basketball summer camp? What a despicable scoundrel! How much did it cost?"

Chen Xing gestured, and Gan Guohui shook his head: "One hundred and fifty US dollars? Oh, no wonder you couldn't afford the cassette tapes, so you used them all to attend the training camp. What's wrong with you? Going to the training camp, do you think you can get a basketball scholarship?"

"You don't know anything! The school is going to form a basketball team next semester, do you even know that?"

"What? Our lousy school is going to build a basketball team? They'll just be used as stepping stones and shoe shiners! Where did you get this news?"

"My information is always accurate..."

The two were talking when suddenly there was a loud bang, which startled them so much that they looked up and saw:
The basketball hoop that was originally hanging on the wire mesh was now being held in Gan Guoyang's hand.

"Uh... I dunked too hard and pulled the rim off."
-
Because Gan Guoyang damaged the basketball hoop on the rooftop court, he had to volunteer at Cameron House for the next two days, doing chores like cleaning, distributing food, and repairing tables and chairs. Otherwise, they would be banned from playing basketball there. Gan Guoyang was quite happy to do so; after finishing his work, he could dribble and shoot the ball on the rooftop, though he dared not dunk anymore.

The basket, which was tied to the steel pipe with wire, simply couldn't withstand his immense force.

Through these two days of practice, Gan Guoyang confirmed that his body did indeed inherit Gump's initial talent from NBA 2K11.

With his accurate jump shot, immense physical strength, and outstanding blocking and defensive abilities, it would be impossible for Gan Guohui and Chen Xing, two mediocre players, to score against him.

With this talent, how to quickly launch his basketball career is the top priority for Gan Guoyang.

He is 16 years old this year. He is a junior in high school in China. He will come to San Francisco to study for another year and then he will be able to apply to college.

Gan Youwei's plan is for Gan Guoyang to attend community college for two years to learn some basic restaurant and kitchen skills so that he can inherit his mantle and carry on the Gan family cuisine tradition in the future.

Gan Guoyang certainly doesn't want to spend his life dealing with mundane things like cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, but if he wants to pursue a basketball career, 16 years old is already considered quite old in the United States.

Many talented players begin formal basketball training as early as seven or eight years old, and as late as around ten years old. By the age of 13, some geniuses have already begun to show their talent.

At 16, some players are already famous throughout the United States and are sought after by top basketball schools, laying a solid foundation for entering the professional basketball world.

Gan Guoyang knows he has great talent and a solid foundation. In a short period of time, he wants to improve his skills as much as possible and find a way to reach that stage.

"Hey Chen Xing, how do I register for that basketball training camp?"

During a break, Gan Guoyang asked Chen Xing about the "Excel in Basketball" training camp.

"This training camp just started this year and is located in Auckland. It runs from June to August, every two weeks for eight days each time, from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. If you'd like to register, please call this number."

As he spoke, Chen Xing handed Gan Guoyang a business card that read "Bobby Berman," indicating that he was an assistant coach at the training camp.

"However, you'll need to save up $150 for tuition first, which isn't cheap. You can ask Fatty Hui to help you out a little."

"Hey, I recently sold cassette tapes and saved up $72. Here, take it all. You're our hope."

Without hesitation, Gan Guohui took out all his personal belongings and pocket money that he had hidden close to his body, intending to give it to Gan Guoyang as tuition for the training camp.

Although basketball is not the number one sport in the United States, it is absolutely ubiquitous in American cities, with street courts everywhere.

However, the streets are mostly dominated by Black players, and Asians with yellow skin are considered to be in school instead of playing basketball.

Talented Chinese like Gan Guoyang are truly rare. Chen Xing and Gan Guohui both believe that Gan Guoyang will be the rising star of Chinatown.

According to Chen Xing's reliable sources, Beiqiao Middle School in Chinatown will form a basketball team next semester to participate in the expanded CIF California High School Basketball League for the new season.

If Gan Guoyang can join the team, it will be a huge help to the school and the community.

However, Gan Guoyang refused Gan Guohui's sponsorship.

"Forget it, it's not easy for you to save up some pocket money. I have time, and I can save some money on my own. For example... can you make money playing basketball?"

"Playing ball is certainly possible, but those are paid matches, and there's a stake involved. A match can cost anywhere from $10 to $50, and there are wins and losses. Besides, you'd have to form a team."

"Forming a team is easy. We can form a team of three, and winning $150 shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

(End of this chapter)