A paid 3v3 confrontation quickly came to an end.
There was no audience, no cheering, it started and ended in silence.
Thousands of rivalries like this are played every day on courts in the streets and alleys of San Francisco.
Some street masters can support their families through these paid competitions, earning hundreds of dollars a day in bounties.
There are also some higher-level amateur competitions, such as the SanFrancsico Bay Area Pro-AM (San Francisco-Bay Area Professional/Amateur Basketball League). These high-level competitions are teamed up by top amateur players and semi-professional players. The level is higher than some The national professional league is even higher.
In today's ordinary teenagers' confrontation, each person bet $10, and Gan Guoyang and the three of them won a total of $30.
Chen Xing and Gan Guohui gave their share of the win to Gan Guoyang.
After this game, they understood that Gan Guoyang was someone who could make a name for himself in basketball and was the only hope for the whole village.
In the following week, the three people began to wander around various mid-level arenas and street courts in San Francisco, playing paid games to save Gan Guoyang's registration fee.
In fact, with Chen Xing's family background and Gan Guohui's pocket money, they could easily scrape together $150.
But for these three teenagers, it is obviously a more meaningful way to use the money from winning the game to sign up for the training camp.
At first, only Gan Guoyang wanted to sign up for the training camp. After playing two games, Gan Guohui said he also wanted to participate in training.
Even if he is unlikely to make any achievements in the basketball field in the future, it would be good to lose weight.
The demand for funds increased to $300.
The opponents for the competition are all carefully selected by Chen Xing.
Of course he won't compete with those famous expert teams, nor will he go to expert venues with many adults, or areas with poor security.
They go to the Dome at Sunset Rock, to the Potrero Hill Recreation Center, to the Panhandle Field in Golden Gate Park, Oak Street Field, and more.
These places have beautiful environments, more tourists, and better public security. Most of the people playing ball are young people aged 13-18 like them.
They only play 3v3, 10 or 15 balls, short and fast, and the winner can be determined in a short time.
Because Gan Guohui's physical fitness is weak, he cannot bear to play the whole game or for too long.
Chen Xing likes to pick guys who don't look very good but have high self-esteem.
If these people see that Gan Guoyang is a black man who is over 2 meters tall, they will most likely not dare to accept such a paid competition.
Gan Guoyang is a tall, thin man with yellow skin, a thin monkey wearing glasses, and a chubby guy who doesn't seem to be very athletic.
The appearance of three Chinese faces on the basketball court is like a big fat pig appearing on the grassland. Although it is fat, it is delicious food in the eyes of hyenas and wild dogs.
But they didn't expect that the leader here was not a fat pig, but a lion.
Gan Guoyang's defensive influence in the half-court 3v3 game exceeded the imagination of these amateur teenage players.
Guys with worse skills have no way to score on the court other than relying on long-range jumpers.
Gan Guoyang shows cunning beyond his years in defense. He is very good at using his blocking, strength and language to destroy the opponent's psychological defense.
Of course, he won't chatter like those black people, and his English level generally doesn't have that many vocabulary, but he can always hit his opponent accurately and gain the upper hand in the game of psychology and skills.
He has a very strong learning ability. In just one week, he can do all kinds of tricks on the street. He can complete almost all kinds of technical moves when the confrontation is not strong.
He never shows off or shouts on the court. He is reserved but not low-key. Instead, he gathers his emotions and energy to deliver a fatal blow to his opponents.
After playing more than a dozen games, they didn't lose a single game. They quickly saved enough money to sign up for Frank Alok's "Excel in Basketball" summer camp.
In fact, there are many excellent basketball training camps in San Francisco, or the entire Northern California area, and you don’t have to go to Oakland.
The reason why I chose this camp is not only because it is one that Chen Xing has participated in and recommended, but also because it is a new training camp founded by coach Alok this year. It has long training time, many projects, affordable prices and discounts.
However, even though he had saved enough money, Gan Guoyang still had to convince Gan Youwei to allow him to go to the training camp to participate in training.
Now the restaurant's business is as bad as ever, and it is already on the verge of bankruptcy. If there are two less unpaid child laborers, the restaurant's operation will be even worse.
The restaurant was closed in the evening. After dinner, Gan Guoyang helped take out the garbage and mop the floor in the kitchen, while Gan Youwei took care of the stove.
After arriving in this time and space, Gan Guoyang did not dislike working in a restaurant.
On the contrary, he worked harder than before because his physical fitness was so good.
Gan Youwei's father and his cousin's family were very caring to Gan Guoyang.
Although the restaurant is not running well and the atmosphere at home is a bit dull, the adults never vent their anger at work on their children.
There was a slight criticism about the fact that they often went out to play basketball, but they never stopped them.
Gan Youwei would cook some nutritious soup for his son every dinner to enhance his physical fitness.
In addition to asking for help in daily life, Gan Youwei also worried about Gan Guoyang's studies and future life. He often visited the immigration office and the education department.
This kind of family warmth makes Gan Guoyang feel particularly precious, something he has never experienced in the past.
Although the aunts in the orphanage are very kind and there are many kind-hearted people who help me, it is not a real home after all.
Now he is in the United States, but in a traditional Chinese family, his body and soul have been settled.
The more this happened, the more guilty Gan Guoyang felt towards Gan Youwei.
He knew in his heart that Gan Youwei's plan and expectation for his son was to inherit his cooking skills and the ancestral Gan family cuisine.
If Gan's cuisine can be promoted in a foreign country, his wish will be fulfilled.
But Gan Guoyang's talent and hobby is basketball, not cooking.
He can learn to cook with both hands, but he cannot jingle bells in the kitchen all his life.
How to make Gan Youwei accept that his son suddenly has a talent for basketball and wants to take the path of basketball, which makes Gan Guoyang very distressed.
As he mopped the floor, he rehearsed his words over and over in his mind. How should he say it to gain Gan Youwei's consent and understanding?
The kitchen is not big, and the floor has been mopped three times by Gan Guoyang. Every corner is clean and the water has been wiped dry.
Gan Youwei also took care of the stove and said to Gan Guoyang: "Guoyang, it's almost done. Let's rest. Don't be too tired."
Gan Guoyang put down the mop, scratched his face, and said, "Dad...I...I want to discuss something with you."
"What?"
"I...I recently saved some money and thought...I want to go to a basketball summer camp for professional basketball training."
"Oh, really."
Gan Youwei's reaction was unexpectedly dull.
He rubbed his hands and said, "Then you go ahead. I heard from Guohui that you are very good at basketball."
Gan Guoyang didn't expect Gan Youwei to agree so much, but he didn't know what to say.
At this time, Gan Youwei went to the room and took out a cardboard box and handed it to Gan Guoyang.
"This...what is this?"
"open to take a look."
Gan Guoyang opened it and found a pair of brand new basketball shoes quietly placed in the box.
"Dad bought it for you. Guohui said you need this for playing basketball. I don't know the brand, so you can just wear it."
Gan Youwei thrust the sneaker box into Gan Guoyang's hand without explaining much.
"dad…"
"Go to bed early at night, work and play ball. It's very hard."
After speaking, Gan Youwei patted his son gently, turned around and left.
Gan Guoyang looked at the shoes in the box, his eyes ached, and two hot tears fell uncontrollably, dripping on the cold floor tiles.
