The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 65 Moon Hook
Gan Guoyang returned to the hotel after his date, which was already past 10 p.m. In the hotel lobby, he ran into Bellman, who was sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

Upon seeing Gan Guoyang return, he leaned forward and sniffed, muttering, "No smell of alcohol, no smell of cigarettes, no smell of perfume... What kind of date is this?"

"Watching a really scary movie."

“Gan, I know you have extraordinary energy, and you're young and full of desires right now. But I think if we want to make a name for ourselves this year, you'd better be patient and hold back.”

For athletes, the energy drain from sex is obvious.

In some major tournaments, whether in football or basketball, coaches will require players to abstain from sex to prevent them from getting diarrhea during high-intensity matches.

Gonzaga's away warm-up matches are long and involve many games. If Gan Guoyang develops some bad habits or becomes acquainted with women, Berman is worried that he will not be able to control himself and it will affect his performance.

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and said, "Is it okay if someone else kisses me?"

Bellman waved his hand and said, "Don't tell me what happened between you two. I'm just reminding you. Tomorrow is the game against UCLA, you need to be in top form."

"Of course I know, I've been prepared for this for a while. By the way, Bobby, do you think John and his girlfriend have ever... done anything?"

"John? I don't see it coming from his repressed nature. It's highly likely he's done it. But it's also possible he's still a virgin."

The two went back to their respective rooms, not forgetting to tease Stockton a little.

The next day, at UCLA’s famous Poly Arena, which witnessed UCLA’s most glorious years in the 1960s and 70s, winning 10 championships in 12 years, including a seven-year winning streak, growing from an ordinary NCAA school into the number one powerhouse in the United States.

Gan Guoyang was originally expected to begin his college basketball career here, inheriting the tradition of California's great centers and helping the Golden Bears out of the quagmire of the 80s.

But UCLA missed out on him because of their negligence and arrogance, a mistake that any established group or individual might make.

Once they reach the top, they lose their humility and patience, thus missing opportunities they would never have missed in the past.

The Los Angeles fans who arrived at the scene were not very friendly to Gan Guoyang and Gonzaga. During warm-up, some people kept shouting at Gan Guoyang, "Not coming to UCLA is the biggest mistake of your life," "UCLA doesn't need you," "Go back north, Southern California doesn't welcome you!"

Because of Southern California's loss in the CIF finals, the Los Angeles team still harbors resentment towards Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang wouldn't bother arguing with these people. He saw Wang Fuxi and her basketball teammates coming to watch the game from the sidelines.

Apart from Wang Fuxi, everyone else was wearing UCLA's blue and gold T-shirts, except for Wang Fuxi, who wore a white T-shirt and a pink baseball cap.

Gan Guoyang looked at the hat and felt it looked familiar. He asked, "What kind of hat is this? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

Wang Fuxi said, "This is a souvenir from your water clock team. I...I bought it a long time ago..."

Gan Guoyang recalled that when Shui Zhong was competing in various tournaments, he, like Gonzaga, produced a batch of T-shirts and hats with his logo printed on them, which sold very well in San Francisco.

I don't know when Wang Fuxi bought it.

Clearly, Wang Fuxi knew about Gan Guoyang much earlier than Gan Guoyang thought.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have recognized Gan Guoyang at a glance back at the school gymnasium.

"Yes, it's beautiful and suits you."

Gan Guoyang gave a compliment and then went back to continue warming up.

Wang Fuxi's classmates made strange noises at her, making her very embarrassed. She could only pull her hat down to cover her slightly red face.

During warm-up, Gan Guoyang spotted another familiar face: Reggie Miller, a newcomer who had just joined UCLA this year.

After Gan Guoyang left, Miller led Riverside Polytechnic High School to the state championship in 1983.

However, the scale, viewership, and influence of the victory were far less than those of last year.

In basketball teams during the 70s and 80s, freshmen had to start as substitutes, no matter how talented or promising they were.

Miller was no exception. While Gan Guoyang stood on the court preparing for the jump ball, Miller could only sit on the bench and watch blankly.

This UCLA roster is quite strong. In March, they entered the national tournament as seeded players, but were defeated by the University of Utah.

UCLA's roster remains largely unchanged this season. Center Stuart Gray is entering his senior year, and they have Brad Wright and Gary Malcolm on the wing, and Kenny Fields and Ralph Jackson on the backcourt.

These are all players who could make it to the NBA.

On the court, UCLA's biggest advantage is its height.

格雷身高7尺（213），莱特6尺11（211），马朗康6尺8（203），菲尔兹6尺7(201)，拉尔夫-杰克逊6尺2(188)。

This starting lineup's height combination is exceptional, not only in the NCAA but also in the NBA.

On the bench sits substitute Reggie Miller, who is also 2 meters tall. It can be said that UCLA is an absolute giant team.

Gan Guoyang was not highly regarded by UCLA in part because he is a small center. Last year he was only 6'9", and this year he has grown to 6'10", but he is still not as tall as the opposing power forward.

This is the challenge Gan Guoyang will face after entering university and the professional league. He will often encounter players who are much taller than him; the dominance he had in high school is gone. His weapons are speed, explosiveness, and skill.

Gan Guoyang also has long arms, big hands, and broad shoulders; his effective height is greater than that of many inside players.

At the start of the game, the Bulldogs launched a speed-based offensive. Gan Guoyang, who won the jump ball, quickly moved down to the low post under the basket, where Stockton delivered a precise and fast pass.

Gan Guoyang received the ball, dribbled it to the side, turned and jumped to test his shooting touch, but the ball missed.

He shot the ball very quickly, but Gray still managed to interfere with Gan Guoyang.

UCLA had possession of the ball, and they immediately slowed down and began a positional attack.

UCLA is known for John Wooden's UCLA System, which is not just a few or dozens of tactical routines, but a whole philosophy and set of principles about basketball offense that allowed UCLA to dominate the United States for more than a decade.

However, Wooden's successors do not seem to have grasped the essence of the UCLA system, or perhaps the UCLA system has become outdated and needs improvement in some aspects in the 80s when players were taller, faster, and stronger.

In short, the Bulldogs' defense remained intact despite UCLA's repeated ball movement.

Because the Bulldogs' defense adheres to one principle: the three-second zone is left to Agam, and everyone else stays at their posts as much as possible. Coupled with the players' strong physical fitness, this makes the Bulldogs' defense very resilient.

On the offensive end, Gan Guoyang began to showcase his new skills to everyone.

After missing two turnaround jump shots, Gan Guoyang stopped going to the low post.

He moved to the 45-degree angle on the wing to set a screen for Stockton, and then cut to receive the ball after the screen.

UCLA set up two lines of defense: Wright followed, and Gray waited in the three-second zone.

With Gan Guoyang's explosiveness, he could drive into the paint and dunk over Gray or force a layup, but he might also be double-teamed by Gray and Wright, missing scoring opportunities.

Gray was on high alert, and Wright stuck close to him. Gan Guoyang didn't dribble inside, but instead took two steps toward the baseline, followed by a move that UCLA fans are all too familiar with—a one-legged hook shot!

The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and fell cleanly into the net.

Gray stood motionless under the basket, unaware of what had happened.

Wright tried to interfere, but he couldn't keep up with Gan Guoyang's pace. Even if he had, with such a big hook, blocking with the left arm and raising the right hand, even if Gan Guoyang was 6 feet 10 inches tall, he wouldn't be able to interfere.

He easily hooked in two points, which the fans and UCLA players thought was an accident. After all, most players can do the hook shot, but no one uses it as skillfully as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, making it a regular scoring method.

But then, Gan Guoyang used a pick-and-roll followed by a hook shot to score repeatedly outside the UCLA paint.

He can hook with his right hand on the right side and with his left hand on the left side.

After a pick-and-roll, he cuts to the basket to receive the hook shot, faces the rim, drives in, and then suddenly adjusts his footwork to receive the hook shot from the outside.

They scored 10 points in a row, leaving UCLA's two tall big men completely bewildered.

Coach Farmar was furious on the sidelines, yelling at Gray and Wright, asking how they were defending.

Gray and Wright felt wronged. Why don't you try defending him? You can't keep up with him, and you can't block his shots. Whether he makes the shot or not depends entirely on his touch.

Farmar had to call a timeout to adjust his defense.

As he left the court, Reggie Miller yelled at Gan Guoyang, "Gan, you need to pay UCLA and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar royalties!"

Gan Guoyang retorted, "You're talking nonsense! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a sky hook, and I have a move hook!"

The Move Hook, a technique created by Gan Guoyang, involves a hook shot when others drive to the basket for a layup, but he releases the shot close to the rim without being too close, making it difficult for defenders to defend.

At the same time, it is different from the usual hook shot. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky hook is mostly a complex and slow sequence of receiving the ball with his back to the basket, dribbling, turning, and shooting.

The Move hook, used facing the basket, eliminates the need for back-to-the-basket and turning techniques. It's similar to a stop-and-shoot jumper, but requires less effort and is even harder to defend against.

This is a technique that Gan Guoyang has repeatedly studied and practiced to specifically deal with defenders who are taller and slower than him. His excellent coordination and flexible body make his hook shot elegant and natural.

Of course, he can also do a standing hook like Sky Hook; the techniques are the same.

As it was used more and more, the Move hook eventually became known as the Moon hook. This is because, due to his relatively short stature, the arc of the hook is higher and rounder, resembling the moon.

In previous matches, Gan Guoyang had not used this move, seemingly waiting for UCLA to come to the rescue.

During the timeout, Bellman asked him if he was specifically targeting UCLA to show them what's what.

Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "Rushing in to dunk is too tiring. I want to play more conserve energy in the warm-up games. There are still many games to come. UCLA, what's there to target?"

My editor asked me to publish it today, but I've had a bad cold recently and can only barely maintain a normal update schedule, so I didn't. I'll write more free content and publish it during the brutal national competition. By then, I'll be healthier and maybe able to write more. Also, for the move hook move, you can watch Kuzma; he used to use it very well.

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(End of this chapter)