NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2 July
"Fosse:
I'm sorry I didn't meet you in Los Angeles; my trip to UCLA was so rushed that I didn't have a chance to get in touch.
I'm now back in San Francisco, and your letter from June 15th has been on my mind, but for a while, I didn't know what to write back to you.
Some things have settled down recently, and I felt like there were some things I wanted to say, so I'm writing you this letter, sorry for the long gap.
It's already July in the blink of an eye. When I last received the letter you wrote me, I was just about to go with my younger brother to Los Angeles for a UCLA basketball team tryout.
I was received by a big guy named Mark-Eaton, I'm quite tall myself, and I have met others taller than me.
But Mark-Eaton is really a giant, a true giant. I felt small in front of him.
He's a good person, and the reason he received me was because of Wilt Chamberlain's trust (I have mentioned my interaction with Chamberlain in a previous letter to you and you mustn't tell anyone else, he can be petty, and if he found out I let it slip, he'd definitely be mad at me. He has been really good to me.)
Eaton told me he is still playing basketball because he was inspired by Chamberlain.
Chamberlain told Eaton during a warm-up game to do what he's good at and to be a solid inside defender.
He graduated this year and at the end of June, he got picked, chosen by the Utah Jazz Team. That day he even called me to share the news; we've become good friends.
However, on the phone I told him that I probably wouldn't go to UCLA for school and basketball, he was surprised, but he also said he understood.
I'm now writing you this letter to also tell you about this, UCLA is a famous basketball school with a long tradition, it's very attractive, but I feel it's not the right fit for me.
That day, during the tryout, I waited a long time in the school's gym. I drove there myself, over five hours, and I was impatient.
The gym was empty, so I played ball with Eaton for a while. His body and strength are really great; it's very difficult to score over him with ordinary moves. I'm kinda short.
I asked him if he got a lot of playing time at UCLA, but Eaton told me he barely got on the court.
He said when Larry Brown was coaching in '81, he had an average of 8 minutes of playing time per game.
This year when the team switched to coach Larry-Farmar, his playing time was cut down to 3 minutes.
Three minutes is too short, like taking off your clothes, rolling in the water just to end up damp, not clean enough for a bath, nor satisfying for a swim.
Eaton said coach Farmar doesn't like White players; he only has a preference for Black players. Not going to UCLA is the right decision for me; he probably doesn't like Chinese people either.
I haven't paid much attention to the issue of skin color; in California, the people I've met aren't too sensitive about race since there are so many different ethnicities here.
That's also why I considered UCLA among my top choices, although many schools from the Eastern and Southern parts of the country invited me, they are too far, or the racial climate isn't very good.
I'm not afraid of any racists, but I don't want to waste too much time fighting with idiots; I'd rather focus on basketball and life.
What really made me unhappy with UCLA was that Coach Farmar's basketball philosophy doesn't align with mine. He doesn't offer me the freedom to play like my high school coach did.
When the interview ended, he set so many rules for me, including how to tie my shoelaces, the length of my shorts, how much time I'd get to play in each game as a freshman, and so on.
I've heard the stories about John Wooden, a truly incredible coach, but Mr. Wooden has retired, and his methods don't necessarily work for every coach or every player.
I'm not a kid; I don't need someone to teach me how to play or how to discipline myself, I need to improve further.
So, I decided to turn down UCLA, after all, they weren't that keen on me either.
I'm sorry for going on and on about basketball and introducing some negative thoughts and words, I got a bit carried away as I wrote.
It's always about me, let's talk about you..."
"Hey! Gump! What the fuck are you doing? Writing a letter?"
Gan Guoyang, who was writing the letter, got startled by the voice behind him and turned around to see Bernard King walking into the gym.
Today is July 4th, America's Independence Day. Gan Guoyang spent an hour practicing basketball at the YMCA training center in Chinatown.
During a moment of rest, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't replied to Wang Fuxi's letter, so he took out some paper and a pen and squatted on a bench by the court to write a reply.
It was only when Bernard King interrupted him that he remembered he had arranged to practice with King at the gym today, but the guy was late.
Gan Guoyang quickly folded the letter and stuffed it into his sports backpack, saying, "You're late, King. That's not a good habit."
King, with a mischievous smile, said, "My God, Gan, you're not writing to a girl, are you? Are we back in the forties or fifties, needing to express feelings through letters? Make a call, drive your Ford to her place, pick her up, go for a drive, have a big meal, watch a movie—I'm telling you, that'll get everything sorted. You're the California champion, be confident."
Gan Guoyang didn't feel like explaining much to King, so he said, "Let's start training. You said yourself, every offseason you should add a new offensive trick to your game."
King shook his head and said, "You really are romance-averse. You might as well sleep with the basketball at night."
Bernard King went to the locker room to change. The two had reserved the court for themselves for the afternoon.
Ever since kicking his drinking habit, King had set higher standards for himself. He aimed to add a new offensive move each offseason to boost his firepower.
This year, the Golden State Warriors were just one step away from the playoffs, but in the final battle for a playoff spot, they were defeated by the Phoenix Suns, missing the playoffs by a slim margin for the second consecutive year.
For the Warriors, blessed with talented roster and united in their ambition to become a strong team in the League, this was a significant blow.
Bernard King's contract is up this summer, and as of now, there's no news from the Warriors about signing a new contract with him.
This has left Bernard King somewhat anxious and upset. His performance during the season has been outstanding, with averages of 23.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, and he even made his first All-Star appearance.
Lately, he's been training and playing basketball with Gan Guoyang to calm his mind.
Bernard King is amazed at Gan Guoyang's exceptional learning ability; the guy has already mastered about seventy to eighty percent of his quick turnaround jump shot.
He has a fast pivot on his heel, small turning radius, and his movements are smooth and sharp—something most big men simply can't achieve.
They're mostly slow, requiring a larger space to pivot, and they lose their shooting space when double-teamed.
Although Gan Guoyang plays center, he is learning offensive moves from a top-tier small forward.
When he found out Gan Guoyang wasn't going to UCLA, Bernard King said the decline of UCLA wasn't without reason; they were really foolish not to offer Gan Guoyang enough benefits.
King even asked Gan Guoyang if he was interested in going to the University of Tennessee, but Gan Guoyang simply smiled and shook his head—he didn't want to go to the South.
"We've been practicing the turnaround jumper for several days now. What's new today? What's it going to be?" Gan Guoyang was even more eager to learn new basketball skills.
"You really are a basketball junkie... Today, I'll teach you how to do a left-hand layup."
"What? A left-hand layup? Brother, everyone can do that."
"I know, but it's not the ordinary left-hand layup. It's when you jump off your left foot, ready to shoot with your right hand, but have to switch to your left hand because of the defense. You should still be able to make the switch smoothly. Or, the defender might predict your layup based on your footwork, and you do the opposite, making it hard for them to interfere or block you."
Generally, when players layup, if the left foot jumps, the right hand shoots; if the right foot jumps, the left hand shoots.
This way, the body maintains balance and coordination. Using the same hand and foot to shoot can be awkward.
Some NBA players solve this by jumping with both feet, allowing the use of either hand.
But there are also some players with exceptional coordination and skills who ignore the left and right feet/hands, adapting as needed and shooting however they like.
This presents a great difficulty and challenge for the defenders.
Gan Guoyang was now interested; he knew that Bernard King must have a special training method—after all, the guy had his own personal trainer.
Taking advantage of an NBA player's training plan is indeed a great way to improve oneself.