The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 75 - 15 Listening

Gan Guoyang jogged all the way from the corridor of Memorial Coliseum into the arena.

The coliseum had drawn a large crowd tonight, dominated by teenage fans.

The event was born in 1956, initially just a small invitational held by Oregon State University at their own campus.

Later, they invited the University of Oregon to co-host in hopes of using a major event to expand the influence of basketball and attract and nurture local youth enthusiasts.

The number of teams expanded from the original 4 to 8, with an intense schedule of playing 3 games in 4 days, implementing a ranking-based system that eventually determined the 1-8 places of all teams.

The flourishing of this event effectively developed the basketball market in Oregon and eventually led to the Trail Blazers setting up in Rose City.

Young fans with season tickets could watch several games in one day, and over four consecutive days, the "Far West Classic Basketball Game" tickets could be considered one of the best Christmas gifts for local children.

The game on the court was underway, with the score at 37:55, Gonzaga University trailing Oregon by as much as 18 points.

Beelman stood on the sideline watching the situation on the court, hands crossed over his chest and a serious expression on his face, completely unaware of Gan Guoyang’s appearance court-side.

The situation was extremely unfavorable for the Bulldogs; they clearly thrashed Oregon during their long trip in August, but come the Classic, the University of Oregon’s team seemed like a completely different team.

After all, the Classic was different from the warm-up games. The Ducks Team’s winning rate and number of championships in this event were only second to the Oregon State Beavers, and with the home advantage, the venue was filled with fans cheering for the Ducks.

"Bobby, sub me in."

Gan Guoyang called out, and Beelman snapped back to reality, realizing Gan Guoyang had returned.

"I thought you froze to death on the road. What’s the point of you going in now?"

"Nonsense, of course there’s a point. We’re just 18 points behind, it’s salvageable."

While speaking, the University of Oregon scored a mid-range shot, widening the gap to 20 points again.

Beelman called a timeout, and the Bulldogs players returned to the bench. Seeing Gan Guoyang’s return brightened everyone’s mood considerably.

"Who said I wasn’t needed? Who told me to head straight back to Spokane? John, let me see your stats..."

Sweating, Stockton said, "Gan, take care of number 40, we can’t handle him."

Gan Guoyang glanced at the Ducks’ bench and saw a tall white center standing there, number 40, Blair Rasmussen, Oregon State’s core inside player.

Gan Guoyang had clashed with him before; he was another typical tall white guy, 7 feet tall, strong, with solid skills, and decent low-post offense.

However, last time Gan Guoyang scored 33 points over him and kept his scoring in the single digits.

Gan Guoyang hadn’t played for much of this evening’s game, but Rasmussen had performed well, already clocking up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, completely dominating the Bulldogs’ inside game.

The timeout ended, and Gan Guoyang subbed in, briefly warming up his body.

Rasmussen noticed Gan Guoyang coming in for the Bulldogs, and both his gaze and stature noticeably hesitated.

"Oh, Gan, you made it to the game. I thought you wouldn’t play today," Rasmussen said as he approached to greet him.

"You’d be quite happy if I didn’t play, wouldn’t you? Disappointed to see me on the court, aren’t you?"

"No, no, not at all, it’s great that you can play."

"Lying is not good, I’m about to dunk one over you."

"Don’t be like that, Gan..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Bulldogs inbounded the ball, and Gan Guoyang set a screen for his teammate, then ran to the right to catch the ball.

At the 45-degree mark, Rasmussen didn’t come up to defend him, afraid that Gan Guoyang might drive in for a dunk with the ball.

Gan Guoyang chose a mid-range jump shot, and his touch wasn’t bad; he made the two-point shot.

"Didn’t you say you were going to dunk?"

"Who lied first?"

Rasmussen had no choice but to take the ball out from the baseline, cursing under his breath at how annoying it was that this guy had come back.

The Ducks Team had been sure to win this game, with Rasmussen playing exceptionally well, almost assured of a 20+10 double-double by the end of the game.

But who would have thought that the Bulldogs demon would come back halfway through, with Rasmussen still remembering the painful memory of being blown out under the basket by Ah Gan in a warm-up match in August at home.

As soon as Gan Guoyang was back, there was an immediate huge change in the offensive and defensive situation of both teams.

To catch up, the Bulldogs started using full-court and half-court tight defense, pressuring the ball handler and disrupting Oregon Team’s first pass.

The downside of aggressive defense is that it is too rigid and easy to break, strong on the outside but weak on the inside; once the opponent endures one or two waves of your pressure, bypasses your perimeter defense through continuous passing and coordination, then your defense is likely to have huge gaps.

It could either leave a huge open space outside the three-point line or a thoroughly empty space under the basket.

Only with Gan Guoyang present, with his ability to cover up in the three-second zone, could his teammates confidently gamble on aggressive defense and put pressure on the opponent.

The Ducks Team, which hadn’t adapted, made a mistake, and Stockton stole the ball and passed it to Anderson on the frontcourt, who scored a layup, earning another 2 points.

Rasmussen could only take the ball out from the baseline again, while Gan Guoyang came over to interfere this time.

"I bet you’ll make a mistake. Be careful. If you do, you’re going to lose points," Guoyang warned.

Gan Guoyang kept applying psychological pressure to Rasmussen, knowing that he had just come onto the court in an average state and had to capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes to find his rhythm.

As expected, Rasmussen made a mistake on the pass and the ball was intercepted by Jeff Reinert. He passed it to Gan Guoyang, who slammed it home with both hands.

"I told you I was going to dunk! You really made a mistake. Don’t be nervous, Rasmussen; you’re still leading by 14 points. The scales of victory are in your favor."

Rasmussen didn’t want to talk to Gan Guoyang anymore. There wasn’t a center in the entire Northwest Pacific region who was as tormenting as Ah Gan.

Feeling uneasy, the Ducks Team’s coach called a timeout to reorganize offense and defense.

The young fans in the arena were fervently cheering for the Ducks Team.

If the Ducks Team won this game, they would be able to compete against the Beavers Team for the championship of the Far West Classic.

In Portland, teenagers who liked college basketball were either staunch Duck fans or die-hard Beaver supporters.

During the timeout, Gan Guoyang chatted with the little fans courtside, asking loudly, "Why don’t you support the Bulldogs? We play great! Did you know we are going to win this game?"

The young fans shouted back that it was impossible, and a few of them with better manners even gave Gan Guoyang the middle finger.

Gan Guoyang just smiled and shook his head. After returning to the court, he first delivered a big block to the Ducks Team, then on offense hit consecutive hook shots—three in a row, closing the gap to just 10 points.

However, as he passed those same kids, he got a technical foul from the referee for responding to their middle fingers, and sent a Ducks player to the free-throw line.

With three minutes left to go in the game, the Bulldogs Team played successful defense, and Stockton grabbed a defensive rebound, making a long pass to the frontcourt where Gan Guoyang, unguarded, caught the ball.

With his left hand touching the back of his ear and his right hand gripping the ball, he stretched his arm in an "I’m listening" slam dunk, tying the score at 66:66. Since Guoyang had returned, they had outscored their opponents 29:9.

Gan Guoyang’s dunk amazed the little fans at the scene. Although they were still verbally supporting the Ducks Team, many were secretly hoping the Bulldogs would win.

Ah Gan’s playing was just too cool; the dunk was simply stunning.

Many years later, when Karl Malone often performed the same dunking action, Stockton would always think, it was Ah Gan who did it first.