The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 60 June 1983

Dear Fosse:

Before I knew it, it had been almost a year since I came to Gonzaga University. I never imagined that we were still corresponding and that we still had so much to say to each other.

I was so happy to hear from your last letter that you received an offer from the University of Portland. We're one step closer now; it only takes an hour to fly from Portland to Spokane.

I don't plan to go back to San Francisco this summer. I'll be staying in Spokane most of the time to attend the school's basketball training camp and prepare for the new season.

Looking back now, it seems that listening to Fitzgerald and my father's advice a year ago and not participating in the competition in my first year, but instead focusing on my studies and striving to get my degree as soon as possible, was the right decision.

Last week I passed Professor Slatitch's marketing course exam and earned enough credits. Next academic year, I only need to earn 12 more credits to complete all the credits required for my degree and qualify for a bachelor's degree.

This means I don't need to study for four years to get my degree, and if possible, I can get into the NBA sooner.

My dad expects me to get a university degree, and I think I can do it soon, and then I can fulfill my own expectations and play on the court.

It was really tough not to participate in any official competitions for a whole year, but thankfully you were there. At the same time, I also set up an imaginary enemy for myself.

Coach Fitzgerald said a year ago that there was a Houston University player named Hakeem Olajuwon who didn't play in his first year but started to shine in his second year.

In March of this year, they made it to the NCAA Final Four, and I told Fitz that I was sure I would be better than that guy.

By the way, I measured my height yesterday. I've grown to 6 feet 10 inches with Coach Steve Delon. If we're talking about centimeters, I'm 209, which is one centimeter more than 208.

Coach Deron Williams said that if I were to enter the NBA draft at my height, I could claim to be 6 feet 11 inches, since it's generally not noticeable when I'm on the court.

Last week, I also attended Father Bagen's lecture class, where I gave a presentation and demonstration on how to cook a delicious Chinese meal. Father Bagen said he really wanted to try it.

In the past year, besides studying my schoolwork, I also memorized at least three hundred basketball tactics and routines. But a few days ago, Coach Bellman came to me and said that I should forget all of these tactics and routines so that we can become stronger.

Coach Bellman has been acting strangely lately, especially after the 1983 NBA Finals, when the Philadelphia 76ers won the championship without any suspense.

It is said that Mr. Bellman has a friend named Gus, who works as an economic analyst in New York, but he is a big fan of basketball and made an accurate prediction about this year's championship.

However, I checked several newspapers and magazines but didn't see any news about Bellman's friend; they all seemed uninterested in computer analysis.

I think it's excellent that you chose computer science as your major in university. It's a promising field with a bright future, and I hope you will achieve great things.

In just over two weeks, Spokane will celebrate the so-called 'Sonny Gan Memorial Day,' and they are planning to hold a warm-up game at the stadium.

To be honest, this anniversary makes me quite anxious. The mayor even said he'd hold an event at the Civic Square, which puts a lot of pressure on me, especially since I haven't even played a single official match yet.

Fortunately, I am very confident in my condition. I have not only grown taller, but my muscle mass is also increasing. Last time I was training at the gym, I accidentally broke the backboard.

Coach Fitzgerald not only didn't scold me, but he also happily cleaned up the broken glass himself and then had Coach Deron install a new backboard.

I recently discovered something else: my teammate, John Stockton, has a girlfriend named Nada who has a twin sister who looks exactly alike.

Once, I saw Stockton's girlfriend with another man at school. I was shocked and ran to tell Stockton. He calmly told me that it was Nada's sister, Laura.

Later I found out that John met Laura first, but Laura had a boyfriend, so he got together with Nada.

That guy kept this secret from me for so long; he really is as reserved as he looks.

That's all for now. There's one more thing I need to tell you: we're going to Los Angeles in July for a warm-up game, and I hope to see you then.

Gan Guoyang, June 1983.

Gan Guoyang stuffed the letter he had finished writing into the mailbox next to his dormitory, and then went to the school gym to train with his sports bag on his back.

Following Fitzgerald's advice, Gan Guoyang did not participate in any official matches in his first year. This allowed him to break free from the busy away games and match preparations, devote more energy to his studies, complete his credits early, and have more flexibility in planning for the future.

Although Gan Guoyang was very reluctant at the time, he longed to play in NCAA games, and Gonzaga University respected Gan Guoyang's wishes. It would be best if he wanted to participate in games as a freshman.

However, Gan Guoyang ultimately respected his father Gan Youwei's idea and took a year off to focus on his studies. There are many precedents for this in the NCAA, and Gan Guoyang felt that spending a year training diligently would be more helpful for his condition.

Many things happened that year. In September 1982, Moses Malone was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, making up for the 76ers' last weakness.

In October 1982, Bernard King signed with the New York Knicks, but Warriors owner Miolli's decision to back out of the deal infuriated King.

In November 1982, Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" was released, and the groundbreaking MTV swept across the United States, marking the official entry of the pop music scene into the Michael Jackson era.

In March 1983, the University of Houston unexpectedly lost to North Carolina State in the NCAA Final Four. Hakeem Olajuwon was selected to the All-NBA Team, and Ralph Sampson, the Player of the Year, decided to run for the title.

In April 1983, the NBA and the Players Association reached an agreement to set a cap on player salaries, implementing a salary cap system that began in the 1984-1985 season.

In June 1983, the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Lakers to win the championship with unparalleled momentum, and Moses Malone won the Finals MVP.

Gan Guoyang disappeared from the American media due to the year-long truce, seemingly forgotten. During that year, the emotional bond between Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi grew stronger with the frequency and depth of their correspondence. In the cold north, far from their familiar surroundings, their letters became a source of comfort.

However, so far there has been no substantial progress between the two.

At Gonzaga University, the handsome and tall Gan Guoyang was very popular with girls, but he always kept his distance from women. He never had much expectation or fantasy about love and women.

This may be related to his experience growing up in an orphanage.

Upon arriving at the gym, Coach Steve Delon was leading Stockton, Dave Clement, and others in strength training.

Stockton was struggling to push the barbell upwards, his face contorted with rage, putting in every ounce of strength he could muster.

Gan Guoyang watched Stockton train with great interest. After Stockton got off the equipment, Gan Guoyang went over and did two sets of warm-up exercises with the same weight barbell.

Stockton stood to the side, hands on his hips, panting heavily, and said, "Gan, next time I'll wait until you've finished your training before I practice. Why do you play basketball? I think you should go into weightlifting competitions. Gonzaga's NCAA competitions are missing a weightlifting gold medal."

“Weightlifting will affect my height. Actually, Fitz suggested that I try football, and I did well in the tryout, but I still want to focus on basketball.”

After spending a year together, Stockton and Gan Guoyang became very good friends.

Stockton is a typical "Gonzaga"; he was born in Spokane and attended Gonzaga Preparatory School for high school, destined to study in Gonzaga from an early age.

As a senior colleague, Stockton helped Gan Guoyang get acquainted with the environment and solved many academic and life problems.

In basketball training, Gan Guoyang, who had some tactical shortcomings, learned a lot from Stockton.

Those 300-plus tactics, at least 200 of them, were discussed with Stockton to understand the essence of tactics.

Stockton watched as Gan Guoyang effortlessly performed a 300-pound bench press and could easily do pull-ups, and he felt a sense of awe for this beast.

When he first started strength training with Coach Deron, he couldn't even do a 100-pound bench press or a single pull-up.

Later, he only managed to improve his bench press to 135 pounds for 10 reps.

"What a monster," Stockton thought.

Gan Guoyang's basketball talent has impressed the entire Gonzaga Bulldogs team, and they are all eagerly anticipating what improvements and changes he will bring to the team when he officially joins the game this year.

Last season, 1982-1983, Gonzaga University only achieved an average record of 11 wins and 12 losses in the regular season, and only 6 wins and 6 losses in the West Coast Conference. They failed to qualify for the NCAA National Championship and were not eligible to play in the National Institute of Technology. As always, they did not achieve much.

With Gan Guoyang joining the team this year, the whole team is filled with the ambition to make something of themselves.

Even so, all everyone was thinking about was getting into the top three in the West Coast Conference, making a name for themselves in the NCAA Wild Card Game, or participating in NIT, which would also be great.

After all, the West Coast Conference is so weak that it doesn't even have a single NCAA national game spot and has to play wildcard games against other conferences.

A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and the school began its summer vacation. On the very day that Gan Guoyang came to Gonzaga last year, "Sunny Gan Memorial Day," Gan Guoyang will make his official debut for Gonzaga University in a game at the Kennedy Center, a concrete box-like stadium, in a warm-up game against the University of California, Irvine.

The Kennedy Center resembles a building from a 60s science fiction movie. In addition to basketball games, it also hosted many small rock music concerts in the 60s and 70s. Many famous bands have performed here, including the famous Led Zeppelin and the Eagles.

On "Sunny Gan Memorial Day," the school gymnasium, which was already on holiday, was packed to capacity, even more so than when the Zeppelin airships came to perform.

Wearing the number 11 jersey of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Gan Guoyang stood in the center of the court, ready for his first official game at Gonzaga University.

He was taller and stronger than when he was at Beiqiao Middle School. He had changed to a new pair of AVIA shoes. The old pair had grown too big for him as he grew taller and his feet had become bigger, and Gan Guoyang had kept them as treasures.

Berman, Fitzgerald, Delon and others were all on the bench, and they were probably even more nervous than Gan Guoyang.

On the other side of the main grandstand, the mayor and councilors of Spokane, as well as the university leaders of Gonzaga University, were present.

"Bobby, is Gan reliable? I'm so scared. If he messes up, I'll want to kill myself."

"Don't worry, if he were that easy to mess up, I would have hanged myself long ago. Trust him, he'll do a great job today."

After the warm-up and player introductions, Gan Guoyang stood in the center circle, ready to jump for the ball with Bob Thornton, the center of the Anteaters.

Before the jump ball, Gan Guoyang said to Thornton, "Are you Bob? It's nice to meet you. I apologize to you and feel deep sympathy and regret for what happened to you."

Bob looked puzzled and asked, "Are you Gan? What are you saying? I don't understand at all."

Gan Guoyang said, "You'll see in a moment. I was afraid I'd be too engrossed in my work to talk to you."

At this moment, the referee blew his whistle to signal preparation and tossed the ball into the air.

(End of this chapter)