The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 64 Good Jumping Ability
After leaving Seattle, the Bulldogs' second stop is Portland, where they will face the University of Portland.

Knowing that this was Wang Fuxi's future alma mater, Gan Guoyang wrote her a letter to tell her that they would be able to arrive in Los Angeles in early August.

The University of Portland and Gonzaga are both in the West Coast Division, and Portland's record last season was even worse than that of the Bulldogs.

With Gan Guoyang's help, the bulldogs were completely transformed, leaving the University of Portland with no chance to fight back.

84-65, a resounding 19-point victory, but nothing particularly exciting.

However, the Portland fans were not nearly as enthusiastic as the Seattle fans, and the stadium was not full.

Perhaps this is related to the temperament of the two cities. Seattle is outgoing and passionate, while Portland, having long been in Seattle's shadow, appears somewhat dull and gloomy. The city's passion for basketball seems to belong only to the Portland Trail Blazers.

However, Gan Guoyang's double-double performance of 27 points and 21 rebounds in a single game still left a deep impression on the Portland fans in attendance.

This center, wearing jersey number 11, plays with ease on the court, showing none of the clumsiness often associated with centers. His technical movements are graceful and elegant, and when he explodes, he is incredibly powerful. He also has a precise and beautiful long-range shot, making his game highly entertaining to watch.

This may be related to Gan Guoyang's emphasis on training the body's flexibility and coordination. Coach Delong said that strengthening this aspect of training helps in learning various technical movements and can protect ligaments and joints, making them less prone to injury.

When Gan Guoyang left the venue after the match, he barely wiped his sweat, which shows that he hadn't given it his all.

The next day, the Bulldogs' second game in Portland, against Portland State University, saw a much larger crowd at the stadium, with many fans screaming for Gan Guoyang's dunk on the counterattack.

Gan Guoyang once again put up 20+20 in this game. Gan Guoyang's two games in Portland were featured in the local newspaper, The Oregonian, which praised the California Chinese superstar center who had been quiet for a year with an exclamation mark in the headline.

At that time, the people of Portland, and indeed all of Oregon, had no idea just how important this center was to them.

After leaving Portland, the Bulldogs faced the University of Oregon in Eugene before heading south out of Oregon and entering California in early August.

The first stop in Northern California was Sacramento, where the opponent was Sacramento State University, an NCAA Division II team. The game was not particularly difficult, but it caused quite a stir in Sacramento.

Gan Guoyang scored 50 points in a single game, demonstrating his explosive scoring ability to everyone.

For top scorers, the key to achieving high scores is not scoring techniques, but rather how to allocate physical energy effectively to make scoring more effortless and efficient.

Aside from easy-ball attacks assisted by others and fast breaks, Gan Guoyang's proactive ball-handling offense is very relaxed, with quick, concise, and precise movements.

Avoid unnecessary and complicated movements. Use speed and skill to find an opening and attack immediately, like a wild beast hunting its prey, never wasting your energy.

Of course, Gan Guoyang had no choice. The long journey and the time spent on the road and in hotels took a toll on his energy.

The journey ahead is still long, and in order to maintain a good state and deliver excellent performance, he must adopt this "low-power" scoring mode, which can be considered an improvement gained from the experience of a long journey.

This will greatly help players maintain their form throughout their long careers.

After leaving Sacramento, the next stop is Gan Guoyang's hometown, San Francisco.

Because the University of San Francisco's basketball team was closed, their opponent was changed to the Division 2 team from San Francisco State University, which is also Dan Fitzgerald's alma mater.

The game was held at the War Memorial Stadium, which Gan Guoyang was familiar with. The pre-game activities were quite grand and solemn. A dragon and lion dance team from Chinatown performed on site, a San Francisco council member gave a pre-game speech, and teachers, school leaders, and current members of the basketball team from Beiqiao Middle School were all present.

After losing Gan Guoyang, Beiqiao Middle School's CIF results plummeted last year. They failed to qualify for the CIF State Championship and also fell to a mid-level in the San Francisco League.

Franklin also left this season to attend college in Ohio, and Waterbell's grades will continue to drop.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang's emergence boosted the reputation of the Waterbell team, attracting many strong Asian players to join them. Among Asian teams in California, Waterbell remains one of the strongest.

Although they failed to qualify for the CIF Championship last season, the Waterbell team participated in the newly organized Asian American Basketball League in California and defeated the famous Southern California Japanese American team, the Pasadena Bears, in the finals, adding another honor to the school's archives.

The new players of the Water Bell team were very excited to see Gan Guoyang. They all stepped forward to shake hands and get up close to this first-generation legend of the team, who was also the true creator of the team. Without him, there would be no Water Bell team.

The game proceeded smoothly, with Gan Guoyang easily scoring 25 points and Stockton dishing out 12 assists, leading the Bulldogs to another victory.

Fitz had a great time, selling out all the T-shirts, hats, and keychains he had in his car. He plans to go to Los Angeles next to find a partner to print some more.

After the match, Gan Guoyang went back to Gan Family Restaurant to see his father. Nothing had changed, and everything was fine.

After spending two days in San Francisco, Gan Guoyang and the team continued south to Los Angeles, a place Gan Guoyang had always longed to visit. The drive took nearly seven hours, with three rest stops along the way. By the time they arrived at their hotel, everyone was exhausted.

Only Gan Guoyang was still energetic, so he ran to a public phone booth outside and made a call to Wang Fuxi.

As he listened to the dial tone, Gan Guoyang's heart pounded, and he felt inexplicably nervous.

Although they had been corresponding for over a year, they didn't see each other often, and each time they met, they didn't know what to say, yet they didn't feel awkward.

They can wander aimlessly through the streets all day, drink a couple of glasses of ice water, decide on a whim to watch a ball game, say goodbye as night falls, and then have endless things to say to each other when writing letters.

In the 80s, there were no cell phones, and neither of them liked to make phone calls. Only the words in letters seemed to stretch one's longing and affection far and wide.

"I've arrived in Los Angeles."

"Really? Then...how about we go see a movie tonight?"

"You've made all the arrangements? What movie?"

"Hmm... a boring horror movie, want to watch it?"

"It doesn't matter, just tell me the time and place."

After I finished speaking, the tension completely disappeared.

An hour later, Gan Guoyang and Fitz took leave and met Wang Fuxi at the entrance of a private cinema near the Westinghouse Entertainment Center.

These small private cinemas often show old movies, horror films, or pornographic films to attract young couples who are lonely and bored at night.

When the two met, there was still a slight awkwardness and unfamiliarity. Wang Fuxi blushed a little when he saw some sexy movie posters at the entrance of the cinema.

She explained that the two tickets were bought by her classmate. The two of them had originally agreed to watch a horror movie together, but the classmate went on a trip to Australia and forgot about it. Wang Fuxi was too scared to watch it herself, so she asked Gan Guoyang to go with her.

Gan Guoyang, who is 6 feet 10 inches tall, gives people a sense of security no matter where he is.

After buying some snacks, Wang Fuxi pulled Gan Guoyang into the dark movie theater. After checking their tickets, they found the theater showing the film "House of Wax Museum" and sat down in two seats.

The cinema wasn't doing well, and there were only the two of them in the screening room. The dim light shone on Wang Fuxi's face, and she pursed her lips, looking a little nervous.

The film had just started, and the credits had barely rolled when a blonde woman appeared on screen and began undressing. Then a man appeared and started undressing as well, and the two even kissed while doing so…

"Are these...both of them wax figures?"

Gan Guoyang turned to ask Wang Fuxi, only to find that she had already covered her eyes.

"Oh no, I must have gone into the wrong hall. It was so dark I couldn't see anything."

Her voice trembled with a hint of tears.

By the light of the screen, Gan Guoyang could see that Wang Fuxi's face was as red as a peach.

When they came out of the movie theater, Wang Fuxi was too shy to look at Gan Guoyang, but the two of them forced themselves to watch the adult film to the end.

This was the longest hour of Wang Fuxi's life, but what surprised her most was that Gan Guoyang calmly watched the movie without doing anything or saying much.

He can be as hard as a rock at times, yet he also has a complex heart.

When saying goodbye, Gan Guoyang told her to come to the UCLA gymnasium to watch his game the next day.

Wang Fuxi agreed, and just as she turned to leave, she suddenly mustered her courage, ran up to Gan Guoyang, gently put her arm around his shoulder, jumped up, and pecked him on the cheek.

Gan Guoyang was stunned for a moment, while Wang Fuxi had already turned his back and run away, not daring to look back at all.

Gan Guoyang wiped his face and thought to himself, "Not bad jumping ability, no wonder she's a women's basketball player."

(End of this chapter)