The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 62 Enlightenment
Gan Guoyang's understanding of defense has long surpassed that of many contemporary college students and even professional players.

He always looks at the big picture, not the gains or losses of a single city or place. In this respect, even Berman admires him and considers Gan to be his mentor in defensive philosophy to some extent.

Although Bellman thought Gan Guoyang was right, he still let him take a break.

However, Gan Guoyang hadn't been sitting on the bench for even a minute when the spectators at the game started to protest.

In addition to Gonzaga University students, many Spokane residents also came to Kennedy Stadium today.

In the days before the internet existed and when NBA television broadcasts were a mess, local fans had never seen a player like Gan Guoyang, who played with such passion and intensity. Their school had never seen anyone dunk five times in just 10 minutes of play.

Spokane doesn't have an NBA team, and going to Portland or Seattle would be a significant expense, meaning many ordinary people wouldn't have the opportunity to watch games there.

Gan Guoyang's 10-minute performance has won over the fans of Spokane, making them feel that this "Sonny Gan Memorial Day" is truly meaningful.

"Let Gan play!"

"We want to see Gan!"

"Gan should come on stage, otherwise what's the point of the match?"

In the stands behind Gonzaga's bench, people kept shouting for Gan Guoyang to come on.

With no other option, Berman took advantage of a dead ball situation to substitute Gan Guoyang onto the field.

Gan Guoyang readily returned to the field, and seeing this, Mulligan on the opposing team also put Thornton, who had just come off the field to rest, back into the game.

Thornton barely had time to sit down, and after calming his chaotic emotions off the field, he was back on the field.

"Fuck..." Thornton didn't dare to contradict the coach, so he could only curse silently in his heart.

After just 10 minutes of play and competition, he realized that he and Gan Guoyang were on completely different levels.

Thornton was a typical white center of the 1980s: tall, strong, and slow. He had good skills, but they were limited to the paint, and he basically had no mid-range or long-range shooting ability (as can be seen from his free throw percentage, which was only 50%).
In college games, his 6-foot-10 height and decent wingspan and weight were enough for him to handle most undersized centers.

However, Gan Guoyang was taller, stronger, and faster than him, and his skills were better. Moreover, he had never faced Gan Guoyang's playing style before and could not find any defensive rhythm at all.

Gan Guoyang returned to the court and chose to receive the ball at the top of the arc. Thornton felt uneasy thinking about Gan Guoyang's repeated drives into the paint for dunks at the start of the game, so he moved two steps away to defend him.

As a result, Gan Guoyang raised his hand and fired a long-range shot, which hit the target directly.

As he released the ball, Thornton glanced back. When he saw it swish through the net, he shook his head, sighed, and ran to the baseline to serve.

"Hahaha, this guy can shoot from long range! He's a fucking genius, cough cough cough!"

Fitzgerald was laughing and coughing on the sidelines; he was always a straightforward and easygoing person who wore his heart on his sleeve.

Coach Deron said, "It's not like he's new to Gonzaga. Didn't you see him practicing long-range shots every day during training?"

“Training and official matches are two different things! Besides, I thought his touch would drop if he increased his strength.”

"It will get worse, so he practiced shooting more often every day."

Thornton's mind is now preoccupied with when this match will end.

How do you defend number 11? He can dunk if he drives in, and he can shoot from long range if you leave him open.

What skills has he not yet shown? Bring them all on to me, I'm already riddled with holes, a pathetic wretch.

Gan Guoyang does have some skills he hasn't shown yet, but he doesn't plan to reveal all the weapons he's been honing his skills for a year in today's competition.

Near the end of the first half, Gan Guoyang delivered his second block of the game.

This time, he swatted the ball directly into Stockton's hands, and upon landing, immediately sprinted forward to join the team's fast break. The Anteaters retreated quickly, but this time Gonzaga's fast break didn't stop because there was no time left.

Stockton delivered a precise bounce pass to Gan Guoyang, who received the ball at the top of the arc, dribbled aggressively towards the basket, and used his long legs to drive into the three-second zone and take off.

Three members of the Anteater team came over to surround him. Thornton anticipated that Gan Guoyang would jump with his left foot and lay up with his right hand, so he rushed up from behind Gan Guoyang's right side to help defend, adjusting his footwork to try and block him.

As a result, Gan Guoyang jumped with his left foot and made a left-handed layup, leaving Thornton unable to reach the ball. The ball easily went into the net, scoring two points at the buzzer and ending the first half.

The score was 51-32, with Gonzaga University leading Anteaters by a whopping 19 points, meaning the outcome of the game was practically decided.

Gan Guoyang's improvisational layup with the same hand and foot is just one of the little tricks he has been practicing hard over the past year.

Watching Gan Guoyang's unpredictable scoring methods, Thornton left the court with his hands on his hips and head down, heading to the locker room. It was truly a disheartening first half of the game.

What's frightening is that there's still half of this game left.

Because it was his first game after joining Gonzaga, and it was on Sonny Gan's anniversary, even though he was leading by 19 points at the start of the second half, Gan Guoyang did not relax and play carelessly. Instead, he continued to play seriously and dunked whenever he could.

After being battered for most of the game, Thornton gradually recovered and began to put up tough fights against Gan Guoyang, even attempting to stop Gan Guoyang from scoring twice with vicious fouls.

This is also the difference between college games and high school games. College players, especially the main players in their junior and senior years, are outstanding young people who have been tempered and selected. Their will and competitiveness are more tenacious and strong than those of teenagers in high school.

But Thornton's struggles, aside from his fighting spirit, were of little use. He fouled out after five fouls, ending this grueling start to the new season.

Gan Guoyang stepped up to the free-throw line and made both shots, bringing his score to 35 points, along with 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.

In college games, it's very difficult for a player to score 35 points.

The game is played in two halves of only 20 minutes each, with no offensive time limit, zone defense is allowed, the pace of the game is slow, there are no three-pointers, and centers naturally face difficulties in controlling the ball.

Last season, the top ten scorers in the NCAA were all guards and forwards.

The last center in college basketball to easily score 30 points in a single game was Dan Issel of the University of Kentucky.

Since 1970, no center has averaged 30 points per game in college games, and centers are rarely seen in the top ten of the scoring list.

Coaches across the country are using centers as both defensive anchors and offensive supplements, since scoring is much more difficult for centers in college teams, where zone defense is the norm, than in the NBA, where one-on-one defense is the norm.

After the free throw, Berman substituted Gan Guoyang.

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause, cheers, and whistles.

Gan Guoyang waved to the fans, and the cheers didn't completely stop until the final whistle blew.

Gonzaga Bulldogs secured a resounding victory, defeating their rivals Anteaters, who suffered a crushing defeat last season, with a score of 100-77.

Gan Guoyang had a perfect debut.

After the game, the mayor of Spokane gave a brief speech and presented Gan Guoyang with a commemorative medal to solidify the unshakeable status of "Sunny Gan Memorial Day" in Spokane.

Gan Guoyang accepted the medal amidst applause. Looking at the bronze medal with his name and number 11 jersey printed on it, he had a strange feeling that he was about to retire.

Later, Gan Guoyang gradually learned that this practice of naming a local anniversary after someone is common throughout the United States.

The main purpose of an anniversary is to provide an excuse for people to engage in social activities.

He also learned from Bernard King that when the University of Tennessee recruited King, the local town arranged a "Bernard King Memorial Day," which moved King deeply, and he decided to stay in Tennessee to play basketball.

Gan Guoyang also fell into the same trap, but fortunately he was quite satisfied with Gonzaga University and the Bulldogs.

(End of this chapter)