The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 99 - 6 Wrestling

After settling the accommodations, at four o’clock in the afternoon, the players arrived at the gym for physical measurements, which included basic data like height, weight, and wingspan.

The weighing of Charles Barkley became the most sensational event of the day’s physical measurements; everyone gathered around the scale, speculating about how much Barkley actually weighed.

Typically, guards with a height of 6 feet 4 or 6 feet 5 have a standard weight of around 220 pounds.

But with Barkley’s ample rear and rounded shoulders and back, there was no way he weighed just 220 pounds.

Everyone started placing bets.

"250 pounds!" Ewing was somewhat conservative and kind-hearted.

He thought that with Barkley’s limited height, it couldn’t be possible for him to weigh more than himself, right?

"260 pounds." Chris Mullin stared at Barkley’s rear for a long time before making his estimate.

"275 pounds." That was the guess from Labis and Alari, which was quite a bit of weight.

"280 pounds," Michael Jordan announced his guess, adding, "I bet twenty US dollars."

"I’ll also bet twenty, 284 pounds!" Gan Guoyang joined in, pinpointing his guess to the exact pound.

"300 pounds!"

A voice from outside the circle rang out; everyone turned their heads and there he was, the main attraction of this training camp, Bob Knight, finally making an appearance.

The first time he appeared, he dealt a heavy blow to Barkley.

A straight-up 300 pounds put immense pressure on Barkley; after all, this was the weight of Wilt Chamberlain in his later years.

Everyone knew Knight was joking, and many people covered their mouths and laughed.

Barkley, with everyone’s expectations, stepped onto the scale with the poise of a Mr. Universe contestant.

Charles Bradley, in charge of the measurements, glanced at the pointer and said, "Barkley’s weight... Lord, 284 pounds!"

It was exactly as Gan Guoyang had predicted, and Bradley thought to himself, with the height of a guard, heavier than a center, could this guy even play basketball?

Gan Guoyang, who had guessed correctly, pointed at Jordan and said, "You owe me twenty."

Then he patted Barkley on the back, "Let me treat you to a burger."

After everyone had completed the physical measurements, they were still immersed in the fun atmosphere of the weight-guessing game.

Coach Knight’s "300 pounds" made everyone think that he was a humorous and good guy.

However, soon Knight had everyone line up in formation, with 73 people divided into four groups, and the entire gym fell silent.

Coach Knight walked around like an officer, surveying and demanding that each person stand meticulously.

He didn’t say a word, and the suffocating silence allowed everyone to hear their own heartbeat.

Nobody dared to make a sound because doing so at that moment felt like you’d be executed on the spot.

"I will be watching you, you bunch of foolish college students good for nothing but playing basketball. Mind your manners, because from tomorrow, the trash, the waste, will be weeded out from here. Of course, if you feel you can’t handle the upcoming training, you can discreetly take your leave. I’ll give you some travel money and a bag of tissues to wipe your tears!"

Knight’s voice was resonant and powerful, and it was clear that the days ahead would be challenging for everyone.

After the physical tests ended, everyone went to the school cafeteria for dinner, followed by free time, which was their last day of leisure before the start of grueling training.

When Gan Guoyang returned to his room, he didn’t see Bob Knight but took the twenty US dollars Jordan gave him and bought a few burgers from a nearby fried chicken joint to bring to Barkley’s room.

From his few encounters with Jordan off the court, Gan Guoyang realized that he was much like any other college student — a sense of not having grown up yet. After dinner, he would even call his parents to report on his situation.

I wonder what he’ll be like on the basketball court.

Arriving at Barkley’s room, it was unexpectedly lively, with Chuck Person, Alford, Anthony Carl, John Kangkak, Michael Jordan, and others all gathered together, making the already small room feel particularly crowded.

The other guys were playing cards, engaged in a game called Tonk.

Meanwhile, Barkley and his Auburn University teammate Person had moved the coffee table and other odds and ends aside to wrestle on the empty floor.

Barkley was very strong, but his teammate Person was a formidable opponent, able to give as good as he got in the wrestling match with Barkley.

Seeing Gan Guoyang carrying hamburgers over, Barkley waved him over and said, "Ah Gan, let’s have a go at it!"

Gan Guoyang set down the four hamburgers on the coffee table and asked, "Compete in what, wrestling? Classical wrestling, or freestyle wrestling?"

As soon as Barkley heard that, he thought, you’ve trained? He hesitated for a moment and said, "Freestyle wrestling!"

Classical wrestling only allowed the use of the upper body, with no leg-grabbing or tripping allowed, demanding extreme upper body strength.

Freestyle wrestling, on the other hand, was more liberal, allowing leg grabs and tripping, thus more thoroughly testing one’s overall abilities.

Gan Guoyang stripped off his shirt and got ready, he had actually trained in wrestling at Gonzaga.

Gonzaga’s wrestling program was well-known throughout All-America, and the wrestling coach had asked him to try out, discovering Gan Guoyang had a natural talent for wrestling.

First, he was incredibly strong; second, he had a rich and well-developed core muscle group; and third, he was quite flexible, which was very important for wrestling.

The wrestling team’s coach was very envious of Gan Guoyang and hoped he would take up wrestling while playing basketball.

Gan Guoyang participated in the training for a while but realized he needed to focus all his energy on basketball, so he gave up wrestling.

However, he would still sometimes play with the wrestling team because wrestling was great training for flexibility and core strength, which was very helpful for basketball.

Barkley, seeing Gan Guoyang’s readiness, became even more nervous.

At this point, those playing cards had put down their hands to watch Gan Guoyang and Barkley wrestle.

Barkley closed in, and the two tested each other out until Gan Guoyang suddenly performed a dive and executed a bear hug takedown, grasping Barkley’s hefty torso and slamming him to the floor!

It was as if the entire floor trembled with that move, and since Gan Guoyang had trained, he quickly performed a naked chokehold and subdued Barkley, who bellowed like a hog, "Fuck calamari! I lost!"

Gan Guoyang immediately let go, patted Barkley’s round head, and said, "Have your hamburger before it gets cold; it won’t taste as good."

"How the hell were you so quick? What was that move where you squat down and charge over?"

"That’s the simplest dive, just like shooting a basket. Just practice it a lot. I’ve practiced wrestling and you haven’t, so it’s no big deal to win against you."

When Barkley and Person usually wrestled, they relied on brute force and some experience from childhood fights, unlike Gan Guoyang, who had formally trained.

As Barkley bit into his hamburger, he asked Gan Guoyang to teach him, saying he would make Person look for his teeth on the ground next time.

The others in the room from then on knew that Gan Guoyang was a skilled wrestler and figured that if they ever got into a conflict with him on the court, it was best to be cautious, as they would surely not win a fight.

Gan Guoyang stayed in Barkley’s room for a while, then joined the others in playing cards.

Jordan kept Gan Guoyang playing, and although Gan Guoyang was not very skilled at card games, he ended up losing twenty US dollars to Jordan.

It was only then that Jordan let Gan Guoyang return to his own room to rest.

Barkley finally found an opportunity to tease Gan Guoyang, "You’re even worse at cards than Jordan, how pitiful!"

Upon returning to his room and opening the door, Bob Knight was sitting at the desk, holding a bunch of little cards and booklets, carefully reading by the lamp.

Hearing the door, Knight did not even lift his head and said, "I won’t be staying here tonight; I’ll be going home. You’ll have more space to yourself. However, I might come over now and then to chat and get your opinions about the players. I hope you don’t mind."

Gan Guoyang said, "You’re too polite, coach. Feel free to ask me anything; I’ll answer honestly."

Knight looked up at Gan Guoyang and asked, "How did you know that Charles weighs 284 pounds?"

"I guessed. I was just lucky."

Knight took a deep look at Gan Guoyang, then lowered his head to continue with his reading.