The North American Bells left Tiger Stadium and Oakland with a victory.
When the bus left Fremont High School, the eyes of those watching on the roadside were helpless and calm.
In the car, the players of the Water Bell suppressed their ecstasy. On the one hand, they were so tired and sleepy, and on the other hand, they did not want to irritate the people near Fremont.
When the vehicle left Oakland and entered the Bay Bridge, the team's emotions truly exploded and were released.
They opened the car windows and shouted loudly at the Pacific Bay outside the window, venting the mental stress of more than two weeks and the joy of victory.
The Bay Bridge spanning San Francisco and Oakland closely connects the two cities. At night, the lights on the steel cable bridge outline the outline of the bridge, seeming to illuminate the path forward of the Water Bell Team.
This iconic bridge in San Francisco is often confused with the Golden Gate Bridge. The red Golden Gate Bridge is more frequently photographed and was once the Warriors' team logo.
But many years later, the Bay Bridge also became a symbol of the Warriors.
Gan Guoyang sat in the front row, the sea breeze blew on his face, and an indescribable joy filled his body.
He understands that this is the meaning of his love for basketball. It brings greater fulfillment to life and gives ordinary life an extraordinary mission.
Basketball will give him a second life.
The day after the game, the Water Bells' victory was like an explosion, with shock waves quickly spreading throughout the Bay Area.
The "San Francisco Chronicle" devoted two pages to reporting on this qualifying match. The headline on the front page was of Gan Guoyang dunking on his opponent.
The title is written in bold and black font: Columbus Day Miracle - the Chinese team Beiqiao Shui Zhong defeated the Fremont Tigers to qualify for CIF San Francisco League membership.
The second edition introduced in more detail Gan Guoyang's rise on the streets of San Francisco starting in July, and his achievements in leading the team to a series of outstanding records after joining the Water Bells.
The article was written by Cap LaVine. As an eyewitness, he wrote many details. However, he did not know the relationship between Gan Guoyang and Nate Thurmond, otherwise the article would have been longer.
After the Chronicle was released, it aroused great repercussions in San Francisco. The sales volume of the newspaper increased sharply that day, and it was difficult to get one newspaper at a time. The printing factory worked overtime to print more copies to meet the needs of readers.
The reputation of Gan's Restaurant has become even greater. Many people come here because of its reputation. Some come in to order and eat, and some just come to say they want to meet the Chinese giant.
The punk band performing in the restaurant wrote a song specifically for Gan Guoyang and the Water Bells called "Columbus Day" to commemorate this victory that was like discovering a new world of basketball.
Because of the sudden rise of Gan Guoyang, his ethnic Chinese identity, and his special situation of just immigrating from China, horrifying rumors later spread that Gan Guoyang was a biochemically modified person in the socialist camp.
Chinatown, the home ground of the Water Bells, was certainly not idle. The China Endeavor Foundation held a lion and dragon dance parade throughout the district to celebrate the Water Bells becoming an official member of CIF.
From 10 am to 1 pm on the 13th, the streets were filled with gongs and drums and firecrackers blasting. The scene was as lively as the Chinese New Year.
The Water Bell team received the highest courtesy at Beiqiao Middle School, and the popularity of the players with girls has been on the rise.
The two players who quit before were extremely regretful. They knew they should have stayed with the team in the first place so that they could take advantage of the team.
But it was impossible for them to return to the team. The victory of Shui Zhong was hard-won. The sweat of the players behind it was unimaginable to others. How could deserters be qualified to enjoy this honor.
There are still two spots on the Water Bell team's roster, and Kap LaVine told Behrman that if necessary, he could also recommend some talented black players to the Water Bell team.
After some thought, Bellman declined Kapp's suggestion. He believed that the current team's chemical reaction and unity were very good.
Those black players on the street are indeed very talented, but they are also more egotistical, more disobedient, and often have some bad habits.
With one Franklin, Gan Guoyang can suppress him. If there are two more, three heroes in a gang, the team's balance of power will be broken.
At that time, the Water Bell team will change from a team with strict discipline and clear division of labor to a team that is disorganized and lacks cohesion.
"A Forrest Gump, paired with Franklin, is enough. We will do something good in the CIF competition."
Bellman told Karp this, and Karp didn't say anything more. He was also looking forward to what kind of performance the Water Bell team would perform in the CIF competition.
In late October, the CIF San Francisco League released the schedule for the new season. The first game will be played on November 13th.
After the Water Bells join the San Francisco League, there are a total of 11 schools in the men's basketball division, and they will have a 2-month regular season.
Each team plays a game against each other. After the regular season, the playoffs will be held in February next year, the new semester.
The top four teams in the regular season advance to the playoffs and are eliminated in a single game. The winner will enter the finals of the CIF 1981-1982 State Championship District 1.
The second-place finisher will be evaluated by the CIF Committee. If they pass the evaluation, they can enter the finals of the CIF State Championship Division 2.
The reason for this is that there are too many schools in California, the number of schools in different regions varies greatly, and the schedules are also different.
There are 11 schools in San Francisco, 6 schools in Oakland, and the Southern California League has nearly 500 schools spanning multiple counties and cities, so the schedule in Southern California is more complicated, and more schools will enter the finals.
Because of the large number of schools, CIF is divided into two final rounds, Level 1 and Level 2, this year, each competing in its own way.
In the future, as schools increase, the number of circles will increase until they are divided into six levels to reduce the complexity of the schedule.
After all, it is impossible for a high school team to travel long distances for a game like a professional team. Everyone is based on the principle of being nearby.
The San Francisco League does not have the worries of the Southern California League. All 11 teams are in San Francisco and 10 games will determine the playoff spots.
The enthusiasm for the Columbus Day Miracle has been going on for some time, and people's expectations for the Water Bell Team are getting higher and higher, especially Gan Guoyang, who has begun to have more and more reporters and scouts come to visit.
At the entrance of the YMCA gymnasium, there are often some people smoking while waiting for the training to end. Then they come up and give Gan Guoyang a note with his phone number, hoping to establish a personal relationship with him.
This has undoubtedly affected the training status of the players. Bellman does not want the children to be involved in public opinion prematurely, which is not a good thing for them.
A week later, Bellman decided to move the team's training location to an underground skating rink in Fisherman's Wharf. It can be used for basketball training from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and it will be converted into a roller skating rink and bar after 7 p.m.
In addition to being hidden and difficult to find, this skating rink has a gym attached next to it that can be used.
Unlike other coaches at the time, Bellman believed that proper strength training would not affect shooting touch and bone development, but would instead help improve players' confrontational abilities and enable them to play more aggressively on the court.
Gan Guoyang agreed with this, but Franklin refused to do strength training because he was afraid of affecting his flexibility. Bellman did not force it, and only asked him to stay away from the gangsters on the streets in the past, and was prohibited from going to the wild courts to make money by playing ball.
The Water Bell team began a month of intensive training to continue to strengthen their zone defense system and increase their mutual understanding.
Everyone has higher expectations for this year's championship, so the training has become particularly difficult. Gan Guohui has changed from a fat boy of 185 pounds to a substitute shooting guard of 160 pounds with a strong physique.
For the first time in his life, he received a love letter.
Chen Xing equipped himself with a pair of sports glasses, the same style as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Xu Xun’s father bought him a pair of Converse.
Gan Guoyang received a call from Nate Thurmond on October 30.
He invited Gan Guoyang to bring a few friends to the Oakland Arena to watch the NBA regular season after training. Thurmond would provide the tickets.
Gan Guoyang readily agreed. He happened to have some questions to ask his enlightenment teacher.
