The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 267 - 9: The Ultimate Match

Having only joined the NBA for a single season, Gan Guoyang had already grown accustomed to flying around the skies.

Sometimes, if he stayed in one place too long, he even felt uncomfortable and thought he needed to get out and run.

Coach Cap conveyed John Wooden’s invitation over the phone, asking him to participate in a basketball exchange event in Los Angeles.

By the third day, Gan Guoyang received the mailed invitation card, with the event located at the familiar UCLA, and the mail came with a one-way plane ticket.

Bobby Berman received the same invitation and ticket, but his was a more formal invitation letter: the Pete Newell and John Wooden Basketball Coaching Forum.

It turned out to be a pre-season academic conference for coaches, where Bobby Berman and Gan Guoyang said that the NCAA had started to implement a 45-second offensive rule, and rumors were circulating that the three-point line would soon be introduced—a series of changes were expected in college basketball, and the coaches wanted to come together to exchange ideas.

"The NBA is the same, this coaching forum is likely to host many NBA coaches, and each year everyone tries to organize some events, to sum up and exchange the latest tactical changes and trends in basketball, and to propose new ideas for basketball tactics," Berman added.

Gan Guoyang could see that Beelman was excited; after all, those who could attend such forum meetings were well-known coaches in the American basketball community.

The two coaches headlining the forum, Pete Newell and John Wooden, were two of the most prestigious elders in American basketball.

Newell retired from his coaching position early and became an NBA manager, tirelessly running various training camps during the offseason to promote basketball.

Wooden became a saint in the NCAA, retiring to similarly run various training camps, becoming an evangelist for basketball and contributing to the further rooting and sprouting of the sport.

However, in the 1960s, the two were arch rivals, with stark differences in coaching style, which led to the establishment of the "pace control" and "fluid offense" schools of thought that still deeply influence basketball today.

Now with age, the two naturally let bygones be bygones, and past competitive tensions were turned into topics of a good laugh.

This time, the coaching forum they led had a significant impact in the basketball community, with famous NCAA and NBA coaches converging at UCLA.

In the fall of 1985, the exchanges and clashes of ideas among these basketball minds would certainly determine the direction of development for the sport to some extent.

On September 17, the two arrived in Los Angeles, and the next morning they attended the opening ceremony of the forum at UCLA’s step hall.

The entire hall was filled with coaching elites from the American basketball scene, with Gan Guoyang recognizing more than half of them.

Coach K from Duke, Coach Lewis from Houston, Bob Knight from Indiana, Beelman’s mentor Phillips from the University of Notre Dame, Tarkanian from the University of Las Vegas, Dean Smith from North Carolina, Thompson from Georgetown, and in the NBA, Pat Riley, Chuck Daley, Lenny Wilkens, Hubie Brown, including Coach Ramsay who was also present.

Gan Guoyang had no doubt, if he detonated a bomb in the hall, the level of basketball theory in America would probably regress by five or six years.

Coach Ramsay was surprised to see Gan Guoyang arrive, and asked, "Sonny, what brings you here? Are you planning to become a coach? Seems like it’s time for me to retire."

Gan Guoyang replied, "It’s Coach Wooden who invited me! It must be my charm on the court that won him over."

While speaking, Gan Guoyang looked around but didn’t see Bill Walton, whom he had thought would also attend.

Looking at this group of famous coaches, Gan Guoyang always felt he was there to be studied, like a lab rat.

Bob Knight came over to greet Gan Guoyang, "Hello Sonny, long time no see. Have you grown taller?"

Gan Guoyang said, "It’s you who’ve gotten shorter. Actually, it’s because I’ve lost weight, I’ve slightly reduced my weight."

Bob Knight, puzzled, asked, "Most big men entering their second year in the NBA choose to gain weight, and yet you’ve lost weight."

Gan Guoyang replied, "They gain weight because they can’t handle the physicality; I lose weight for the same reason, because they can’t handle the physicality."

Gan Guoyang was also well-acquainted with Pete Newell, having been Bob Knight’s trusted assistant at the Olympic Training Camp.

For Knight, Newell was like a father, their collaboration seamless and their relationship very deep.

Knight was also good friends with Stu Inman and took a keen interest in Inman’s recent team moves, asking, "Your Trail Blazers need a good substitute big man, why hasn’t Inman made a move?"

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, I’d like to know that too, I came to Los Angeles to see if Walton was interested in returning to Portland.

But until Wu Deng appeared at the venue, there was no sign of Walton, so Gan Guoyang had to find a spot at the back to sit down and figure out what exactly this forum was all about.

Due to his brilliant record in college basketball, Wooden was a saint-like figure in American basketball.

But in reality, he wasn’t particularly old; born in 1933, he was not even 60 years old yet, 7 years younger than Jack Ramsay.

The reason he left coaching was twofold: firstly, he had achieved enough success, and secondly, his heart wasn’t good enough to withstand the immense pressure of being a basketball coach.

Therefore, he announced his retirement in 1975, right at UCLA’s peak when he had won 10 championships, departing the stage without giving his rivals an opportunity to defeat him.

From this point, it could be seen that Wooden was a man with an extremely strong desire to win; he did not allow himself to fail. Later, the media always portrayed him as a kindly old grandfather, which was clearly inaccurate.

In fact, all the famous NBA coaches had bad tempers. When this bunch of hot heads gathered together, Gan Guoyang quickly realized there was no need to plant a bomb; they were about to explode on their own in no time.

After a simple opening ceremony, Wooden got straight to the point and identified the theme of the forum, which was to discuss the future direction of basketball after 1985, including both the NCAA and the NBA.

The main points of discussion were the development of future defensive strategies and whether the role of the three-point shot in offense would become increasingly important.

Everyone spoke freely, expressing their own views and opinions, but it didn’t take long for two different camps to form around these two major issues.

One group believed that defense would become more important and would soon surpass offense as the decisive factor in winning and losing.

Another group believed that offense would always be the main theme of basketball. They argued that given the average scoring in the ’80s NBA and the NCAA’s introduction of a 45-second shot clock, the basketball world would enter an era of offensive prevalence, especially with the extensive development of three-point shooting.

Yet another faction believed that, regardless of how defense or offense evolved, the three-point shot would not become mainstream and should be eliminated from basketball.

Another group pointed out that while defense would become the main theme on the court, it was precisely because defense was becoming more stringent that the three-point shot would become a breakthrough in offense.

The participants didn’t simply divide into two factions but rather held a mix of different opinions. Every attendee was a renowned figure in the basketball world, with solid records and championship endorsements, which made their disputes all the more contentious, with no one willing to back down.

At first, discussions remained relatively friendly, but it wasn’t long before someone got heated and began to include barbs in their words, turning the debate increasingly volatile.

Gradually, the conversation shifted from these two directional issues to discussions of basketball philosophy, and then to attacking each other’s tactical and strategic approaches.

The notoriously temperamental Bob Knight directly targeted John Wooden, opposing some of Wooden’s principles and opinions. He said, "That’s just one aspect of basketball. Basketball is a sphere, made of eight panels sewn together. We can send the ball into the basket from any direction, position on the court, to score and win. I don’t believe there’s a universal rule that suits any team and anyone."

His comments clearly deviated from the topic and escalated to an attack on Wooden’s basketball philosophy.

Knight had never been one to accept Wooden, partly due to Newell. He had a grievance against Wooden’s experiences in California.

Many believed that if Newell hadn’t retired early, UCLA would never have gotten such great recruits, like Alcindor and Goodrich.

The players wanted to play for Newell, not Wooden; otherwise, UCLA would never have built such a great dynasty.

In the head-to-head matches between Newell and Wooden, their win record was 8:7.

Wooden always presented himself with the face and demeanor of a gentleman, but that didn’t mean he lacked temper.

He replied sarcastically, "Any direction and position, does that include the coach’s bench as well? Perhaps what you’re throwing isn’t a ball, but a chair."

The auditorium erupted in laughter, and Knight’s face turned a shade of red, as he obviously couldn’t shout in anger at his peers and seniors.

Suppressing his temper, he said, "If John’s philosophy is so useful, why aren’t his successors any good? It shows that it’s not those philosophies that work, but rather John’s other methods."

The oldest among them, Newell, then stood up and said, "Bob, this is not the topic of our forum this time. Today is the opening ceremony. We’ll have a simple discussion, and over the next three days, we will have various focused seminars. Let’s have our sharp debates then."

Gan Guoyang watched these famous coaches bickering and sniping at each other like market hags, thinking to himself that this was indeed interesting. Sitting in the back and watching the show, he found it quite amusing.

Younger coaches like Bobby Berman and Pat Riley didn’t dare to speak much afterward.

Ramsay was one of the veterans among these coaches. He then said, "I have a player who is the best defensive player, but he can also shoot threes. I think his opinion might be worth considering."

Gan Guoyang took a moment to realize that Dr. Jack was talking about a player under his wing; then he realized that player was himself!

Everyone’s gaze turned to Gan Guoyang, sitting in the corner. He felt like a student being stared at by dozens of seasoned professors, the discomfort prickling at his back.

The pressure had never been so great.

John Wooden said, "It was I who invited Sonny to this forum. His experience in games is indeed very representative and enlightening. Sonny, please share your thoughts with us."

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, had he known he was here to attend a public class, he wouldn’t have come; he could have just gone to find Walton. Coach Wooden was cunning, luring him in.

He cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts before speaking, "Looking at the trends of the NBA in the next ten years, defense will become the main theme, because the NBA is a commercial league. The league will change rules to guide the direction of game styles, and increasing physicality is the trend. However, from the perspective of the sport itself, offense will always be mainstream, and three-point shooting will become an important tactic."

"Because the ultimate game is about mounting an offense no matter where the ball is, starting from the place you get the ball."

Gan Guoyang’s remarks left the coaches pensive. Bob Knight asked, "Who taught you that last sentence? The ultimate game?"

Gan Guoyang responded, "It was Dr. Naismith who said that."

Dr. Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball.