The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 101 - 8 Splendid

After a few days of rest, the remaining 37 players gathered once again in Bloomington for a four-day mini training camp.

This training camp would conduct the third selection, reducing the number to around 20 people, retaining the most elite part.

From those 20, the selection may no longer be about capability, but the coach’s needs for team assembly, or factors such as the players’ characters and their relationships with the coach, among other things.

The intensity of the mini training camp decreased slightly over the four days, while the precision was further enhanced.

Because the Olympics used FIBA rules, at that time FIBA had stronger physical contact and higher shooting demands, due to the wider trapezoidal three-second area making it more difficult for interior players to initiate low-post attacks than in the NCAA (which has a narrower three-second area than the NBA).

Therefore, at the training camp, Knight placed great importance on the players’ perimeter shooting ability and increased the amount of shooting practice.

They only practiced twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, with no evening sessions, giving the players free time for their own activities.

Charles Barkley was unquestionably the best performer at meals, eating the most, the fastest, and the fiercest, devouring the food on the table like a whirlwind.

Moreover, eating did not stop him from talking; he chatted away as he ate, and he was very familiar with everyone at the camp, including Coach Knight’s son Pat Knight.

The little guy loved hanging out with Barkley, playing basketball, wrestling, and talking nonsense together during breaks.

After dinner, which should have been rest time, these young people had no desire to return to their rooms for card games early; there was nothing better to pass the time than playing ball on the court.

They split into several groups to play scrimmage games, ten points each, with the losing team stepping off and the next group coming on to play the next ten points.

Gan Guoyang teamed up with Stockton, Joe Dumars, Terry Porter, and Anthony Carl.

The reason for this grouping was that they all came from obscure small schools; Gonzaga only soared to prominence this year, having previously been an unheard-of little team.

Joe Dumars was from McNeese State University in Louisiana, which joined NCAA Division 1 in 1972 but had never made it to the NCAA National Tournament, completely unknown nationwide.

Terry Porter was from Santa Clara University in California, in the same situation as McNeese State, having joined the NCAA in 1908 but with zero record in the national tournament.

Anthony Carl fared slightly better; Wichita State had some reputation and produced several NBA players, yet the team had no achievements in the national tournament and couldn’t compare to those famous powerhouses.

Without Gan Guoyang, Gonzaga University would have needed another decade or more to come into national prominence.

However, these players were very capable, proving that playing at small schools did not eclipse their talent and highlighting Coach Knight’s extensive efforts in scouting for new talent; he wasn’t just focusing on players from prestigious schools.

Since taking over the Olympic task in 1982, Bob Knight began scouting young players all over America.

He used his connections to get hold of numerous school coaches’ numbers, called them one by one to inquire, and went to watch these players in action himself.

After spending more than two years, he selected this group of exceptional talents, most of whom would not make it onto the Olympic team roster and would be eventually eliminated.

But, participating in such high-level national training camps, receiving guidance from renowned American coaches (almost all famous college coaches came to instruct and consult), and training and competing alongside same-age geniuses, would undoubtedly have a positive and significant impact on their basketball careers.

Gan Guoyang led these four players to win many consecutive games under FIBA rules.

They defeated all five other groups once, completing a round, staying on the court for an hour without substitution.

Porter, Dumars, and Stockton were the type of players who didn’t show off but had strong shooting abilities and tough, calm personalities.

Anthony Carl was physically strong, the only power forward who could contend with Charles Barkley—Karl Malone couldn’t handle Barkley’s big backside.

With Gan Guoyang anchoring the inside, his defense, and Stockton’s pick-and-roll, along with efficient solo-ball handling, became the cornerstone of this lineup.

Paired with Porter and Dumars’ precise jump shots, combinations like Ewing+Karl Malone+Mu Lin, Barkley+Person+Curry, and Jordan+Perkins+Dawkins all lost to them.

Jordan almost singlehandedly overturned Gan Guoyang’s team. He scored consecutively with rapid moves, breaking through like the wind, bringing the score to 9:7, one more basket and it would be over.

He was really fast, with astonishing explosive power. For the first time, Gan Guoyang felt he couldn’t keep up with the smaller Jordan, being half a step slow.

But Gan Guoyang first scored with a hook shot, then cooperated with a teammate to force Jordan to take a shot on defense, which didn’t succeed.

Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound, dribbled past half-court, spun past Perkins, and scored with a layup, leaving coaches and journalists on the sideline agape.

Then, in an extremely critical defensive play, Guoyang and Stockton double-teamed Jordan early, forcing Jordan to pass the ball to Perkins.

Perkins had the chance to end the game, but unexpectedly, Guoyang managed to turn around and block Perkins’ layup—even though he committed a foul, sending Perkins to the free-throw line.

Regrettably, Perkins made only one of two free throws, giving Guoyang’s team a chance for a game-winner.

Astonishingly, Guoyang took just two steps over half court and from around 45 feet, he hoisted up an incredibly long shot that banked in!

After the basket, Guoyang raised his arms high; they had triumphantly breached another round, undefeated. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Jordan stood at the top of the key, hands on hips, still thinking about how he was going to block Guoyang the next time.

Seeing Guoyang make such a shot, and then for it to actually go in, Jordan wore a look of disbelief and swore under his breath, "Damn!"

He thought that such a shot would have gotten him killed by Coach Dean Smith if it had been at North Carolina, where such a shot would never be allowed.

And there was Coach Dean Smith, sitting courtside as a member of the Olympic selection voting panel, along with people like John-Thompson; they were all incredulous at Guoyang’s last-second performance.

They felt their entire basketball philosophy was being rewritten. Could a center really play like this?

Guoyang’s last extraordinary long-distance shot made them think of Jerry West’s 60-foot game-tying shot in the 1970 Finals. Even though the Lakers ultimately lost that game, the impact of that shot remained unforgettable years later, surpassing the significance of any championship.

Jordan left the court with immense frustration. He had done his best, but it still wasn’t enough, and could only watch as Guoyang’s team continued on the court.

He approached Dean Smith and said, "That guy’s just flailing around. I can’t believe he had the guts to take that shot. Damn lucky."

However, Smith shook his head, contradicting his former player’s words, "No, he wasn’t flailing. He had to do it. Apart from him, everyone else was out of energy. If they had played conventional set offense, they were sure to lose. He made the right call, making you shoot, Perkins going to the line, and taking a deep shot. Luck was involved, but you guys really didn’t seize your opportunity whereas he did."

Jordan was profoundly moved by Smith’s words. Could it be that the kid hadn’t been shooting blindly but had actually calculated his move?

By this time, Guoyang’s team was struggling with their conditioning and was taken down 10 to 5 by Ewing, Mu Lin, and others, finally ending their defense of the court.

Knight and John-Thompson stood together, watching these young men compete.

Without any hesitation, Knight said, "If Gan were American, I wouldn’t have kept Ewing."

John-Thompson, wanting to defend his pupil, said, "Ewing has some qualities that Gan doesn’t possess."

"What? His looks?"

"Bob, Patrick is an excellent player. He has a lot of potentials."

"I’m not denying Patrick, but to be honest, John, you’re being too protective of him. He has another year in school; you should give him more freedom and allow him more creativity."

In Bob Knight’s view, Ewing was undoubtedly a great center, very great indeed.

But compared to Guoyang, he seemed too rigid, lacking imagination on the court.

Guoyang, on the other hand, dazzled on the court, his brilliance built upon his natural talent, hard training, and profound understanding of basketball.

At the end of the evening, when the players’ matches had finished, Knight said to Stu-Inman of the coaching team, "Stu, you have to draft Ah Gan this time."

Stu-Inman looked at Knight with a strange expression for three seconds and replied, "Bob, do you think I’m an idiot? Do I need you to remind me of this? Right now, I’m just praying that Houston picks Olajuwon and doesn’t take Ah Gan."

Just a few days ago, Stu-Inman, representing the Trail Blazers, went to the NBA office in New York to decide through a coin toss who would get the first pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.

The Rockets had an unbelievable stroke of luck, securing the number one pick for the second year in a row, and their primary target was naturally Olajuwon.

Although the Trail Blazers were pleased with getting the second pick, whether it was Ah Gan or Olajuwon, they would just choose whomever the Rockets left for them.

But after seeing Guoyang’s performance at the training camp, Stu-Inman now only hoped that Houston would take Olajuwon, leaving Ah Gan for them.