The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 268 - 10 Students

James Naismith, such a familiar yet distant name.

He invented basketball in 1891, over 90 years ago, nearly a century from 1986.

When he died, Germany had just blitzkrieged Poland, and China was engaged in an arduous resistance against invasion, with still seven years to go before the NBA would be established.

From 1891 to 1986, the sport of basketball had undergone earth-shaking changes. To most people, Naismith seemed like a quirky Doctor who had a stroke of genius in inventing basketball.

After all, as a basketball coach, he really didn’t have any notable records, let alone won any championships. At the University of Kansas, a renowned basketball school, his coaching win rate was the lowest. To later enthusiasts, he was like a basketball mascot, commemorated in passing.

However, when Gan Guoyang said, "This quote is by Dr. Naismith", not a single one of the renowned coaches in the UCLA auditorium laughed or raised doubts.

The auditorium was unusually quiet, only Pete Newell asked, "Who told you that the Doctor said this?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Mr. McLendon told me. He went to China with me in July, and he mentioned it during a meal."

John McLendon was a brand ambassador for Converse, primarily responsible for the global promotion of the brand.

In 1980, he was invited with the Converse team and Cameron University coach Nichols to Nanjing to conduct training for over 200 Chinese basketball coaches.

They also led college athletes wearing Converse sneakers to put on exhibition games in Nanjing’s stadium, where they received a warm welcome from the citizens.

Thus, it was only natural that he went along on this trip to China, engaging in promotional and exchange activities for Converse in several cities.

During a meal in Shanghai, the two sat at the same table, and McLendon took a liking to Guoyang, discussing many basketball-related topics with him.

In the exchange of basketball philosophies, McLendon told Guoyang that offense is always the soul of basketball. Of course, defense is also crucial; the two are indeed inseparable, and one should take an integrated view of offense and defense. Guoyang agreed with this philosophy.

McLendon informed Guoyang that Dr. Naismith, the inventor of basketball, thought the same way.

"You knew Dr. Naismith?" Guoyang was extremely surprised at the time; Naismith’s name felt too distant.

When he invented basketball, China was still under the Qing Dynasty.

"Of course, he was my teacher, my coach, the person who helped my basketball career the most," McLendon said.

"When I played, it was during the era of racial segregation. I was the first Black player at the University of Kansas. Dr. Naismith encouraged me to persevere and recommended me to become a basketball coach. Back then, Black players couldn’t be on the same team with White players, and Black teams couldn’t play against White teams."

"Let me tell you a little secret, still unknown to many to this day; I’ve only discussed it privately with close friends and never announced it publicly. During the crazy times of Ku Klux Klan activities, segregation was strict. The Eagles Team I coached was an all-Black team. Following Dr. Naismith’s principle of all-out offense and defense, we were very strong, but we had no way to compete against White teams. So, I organized a secret match, inviting the White team from Duke University to North Carolina. Duke’s players entered the school in robes, to disguise their intentions, and once inside the gymnasium, I locked the door and covered the windows, banning any spectators from watching. Then the game was played."

"Did you win?"

"Of course, we won by 44 points, 88:44. That was in 1944, when scoring was much harder."

Gan Guoyang was enthralled by McLendon’s story, and he spoke highly of Dr. Naismith.

Of course, his admiration was for the Doctor’s character and wisdom in looking at problems, not so much for his basketball skills—Naismith might have been one of the worst among his coaching peers nationally.

Gan Guoyang, noticing the many coaches who remained silent, added, "Mr. McLendon said he was Dr. Naismith’s student and that he played basketball at the University of Kansas."

After a brief silence, Pat Riley raised his hand, "I am a student of Dr. Naismith as well."

He played under Coach John Rupp at Kentucky, and Rupp was Naismith’s student in Kansas.

Following that, Dean Smith raised his hand, "I am too."

Smith studied at the University of Kansas under Phog Allen, who was Naismith’s assistant coach, student, and successor.

When Smith raised his hand, Larry Brown from Kansas naturally also raised his.

Coaches and players from the Kentucky and North Carolina factions, theoretically, were all students of Naismith.

Then, Ralph Miller, coach at Oregon State University, also raised his hand. He played basketball at the University of Kansas and was mentored by Allen.

John Wooden also raised his hand and said, "Although I’ve never been coached by the University of Kansas’ coaches, I come from Indiana. Reverend Nicolas McCay came into contact with the game of basketball invented by Dr. Naismith during his teaching tour at the YMCA and brought the sport to Indiana, where it took root, blossomed, and wildly proliferated. Dr. Naismith himself said that basketball was invented for Indiana. During high school, I was a faithful fan of the Franklin Wonder Five, and that’s where my basketball career began. All that madness originated from the Doctor, and I am one of his successors."

Indiana is indeed the state of basketball, featuring the most fanatical high school leagues. However, due to economic and geographical reasons, it could not compete with California and the Northeast in producing super teams.

Just as the forum was about to turn into a grand gathering of heritage acknowledgment, Pete Newell stepped forward to summarize, "Dr. Naismith’s greatness is beyond question. I still remember a saying of his that has kept me alert to this day, and I believe you’ve all heard it. He said, ’The game couldn’t be coached,’ which was his instruction to his senior, Phog Allen. He also teaches every one of us basketball coaches to never be arrogant, to never think we can control everything, to maintain reverence for the unknown aspects of the game, and to always keep the mentality of the ignorant. That’s the charm of basketball and the driving force behind our continual learning and exchange. He is all of our teacher."

Lively applause erupted in the auditorium, and just in time for lunch, the chaotic opening ceremony ended, allowing Gan Guoyang to make his escape and seek out Wooden to inquire about Walton’s situation.

Wooden smiled, pushing his glasses up, and said, "Portland people still hope he can return."

Gan Guoyang replied, "Of course, the whole world knows we’re missing a good center."

Wooden said, "Not just the Trail Blazers are missing a good center. Walton has had enough of the Los Angeles Clippers, and since last season, he’s often come to me to vent his frustrations about playing for Sterling. This year he wants to leave, but Sterling isn’t keen on letting him go easily. There’s some trouble there. The Boston Celtics have already extended an invitation to him; it’s a good place, but I see he’s hesitant. I think, perhaps returning to Portland is the real solution to his heartache."

Gan Guoyang said, "I agree with you. But I’m just a player for the Trail Blazers, I’m not the owner; I can’t just trade Walton over."

Wooden laughed and said, "I’ve already spoken with Larry Weinberg and Stu-Inman, and they are certainly willing to welcome Bill back. The key issue lies with Bill himself; he’s conflicted and in agony. He’s always like that in decision making, not easygoing enough, and when he acts impulsively, it causes headaches. He mentioned wanting to meet you many times and talked about you, but he doesn’t want to reach out himself. So, I took the liberty of getting you to come to the forum. Maybe you can find some time this afternoon to meet him."

Every giant has their inner contradictions, and Walton, once an avid anti-war protester and involved with the hippie movement, was no exception.

Gan Guoyang suggested, "Perhaps, it would be better if Dr. Jack had a good talk with him."

Wooden replied, "Dr. Jack has already reconciled with Walton; he came by Los Angeles to meet Walton not long ago. But to be honest, both Jack and I can’t truly understand Bill. Moreover, Jack is even older than me, and he’s losing his hair."

Gan Guoyang looked around; Coach Ramsay wasn’t nearby.

"Anyway, just treat it as meeting a friend. Let him follow his heart, go wherever he wishes. I don’t want to see him suffer like this. He’s endured too much pain over the years, physically and mentally. His professional career won’t last much longer, and I hope he finds a good resolution and ending."

Among Wooden’s two prized pupils, Walton and Jabbar, Wooden favored Jabbar more, both for his on-court abilities and off-court personality, which were more to Wooden’s liking.

Walton was faultless on the court, but off the court, the trouble he caused Wooden was just too much. In contrast, Jabbar, as a black man, chose pride and endurance off the court, making Wooden feel a sense of indebtedness.

Gan Guoyang nodded in agreement with Wooden, but thought to himself, "I’ve already come all this way, how could I possibly just let him go wherever he wants? Would I actually coax him to go to Boston?"

There is nothing more perfect than letting him return to where the dream began.

After talking about Walton, Wooden suddenly asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, what do you think of Dr. Naismith’s ultimate basketball philosophy? Is it really the ultimate in basketball?"

Gan Guoyang asked, "Uh... what do you mean by the ultimate in basketball?"

Wooden said, "It means that one day there will come a method of play that, as mentioned by Dr. Naismith, can initiate an attack from anywhere, forming a perfect system, invincible in battle."

Gan Guoyang immediately shook his head and said, "No, that’s not it, I don’t think the Doctor meant that."

Wooden stopped walking, and the two strolled through UCLA’s campus.

Gan Guoyang also stopped, saying, "If one day basketball discovers a final method of play and all teams start using it, then it would mean the sport is about to die. When everything converges and differences vanish, basketball loses its charm. Dr. Naismith did not mean that there is a final tactic that can win every battle, but rather he was telling people the fundamental principles of playing, to always remember to attack and to involve everyone. This is not the end of basketball; it’s the beginning."

"Besides, if Dr. Naismith knew some ultimate perfect tactics, how could his coaching record be so poor? I think, as the inventor of basketball, he was able to view the sport from a higher vantage point than others."

Wooden’s face broke into a smile and said, "No wonder Dr. Jack said you were suited to be a coach, I thought he was joking, but you are indeed suited to be a janitor."

"What? A janitor? Am I cut out to be a coach or a janitor?"

"A coach is a janitor, always cleaning up endless trash and dust. You clean up today, and it’s clean, but you have to continue tomorrow, there will always be trash and dust accumulating. There’s no such thing as a one-and-done cleaning method, so a coach is like a janitor, and before he retires, he’ll never finish sweeping up the trash."

"Even after retirement you still have to sweep up trash! Look at Walton, he wants you to continue sweeping up after him!"

"Hahaha, you’re right. To be honest, I really don’t want to deal with him, that guy has caused me too much trouble."

"I know, that’s why Dr. Jack has so little hair."

"I think he wouldn’t mind having a little less."