บท 7: Chapter 6 Ping Pong Kid
On July 14th, Gan Guoyang rose early to help with various chores at Gan's Restaurant, scrubbing pots, washing vegetables, prepping food, and cleaning up trash.
The business was still struggling, but until the restaurant was sold or a new direction was found, they still had to do their best to maintain it.
In the morning, some white-collar workers would pass by for a quick breakfast, and around noon, there would be calls for orders of several stir-fried dishes. Then either Gan Guoyang or Gan Guohui would need to pack up the meals and deliver them to the addresses provided by the customers.
Recently, Gan Guoyang had been particularly enthusiastic about delivery jobs. He would leave holding the meal boxes in one hand and a basketball in the other, dribbling the ball through the streets towards his destination.
A Chinese delivery guy nearly 2 meters tall, bouncing a basketball while darting through the streets of San Francisco, attracted quite a bit of attention.
San Francisco is a city of hills, with winding, uneven roads that are not easy to navigate. Making sure both the ball and the food boxes stayed in hand was no small challenge.
Fortunately, Gan Guoyang's hands were large enough that he managed to regain control of the ball with one hand just as it was about to slip away, or save the meal boxes from falling when encountering obstacles. These skills prevented the disaster of spilled meals and a runaway ball.
"The initial points added to ball control were few, but if you want to mix it up on the streets, ball handling is a must. You have to develop all-around skills."
Though risky, Gan Guoyang found joy in it. Through such training, he was developing his feel for the game, making up for the lessons he had missed earlier. He was already far behind his peers.
Today he successfully delivered three meals without any trouble. Upon returning to the restaurant, he tossed the ball to Gan Guohui, who was sitting at the counter taking orders, and said, "Guohui, shall we go? At this time, we won't get any more orders."
However, Gan Guohui's face showed hesitation. "Are we... really going to play the game?"
"Of course, what's there to be afraid of? I'm with you."
The three had agreed to go to Hunter's Point today to play a game. They would earn money if they won, but would also have to pay up if they lost.
Gan Guohui was apprehensive. Even though he loved basketball, he was aware of his limitations. Facing off against Americans, he felt entirely out of his depth.
"Guoyang, how about I just lend you the money? I can sell a few more straps and make up the 150 bucks."
Gan Guoyang noticed his brother's lack of confidence, patted his shoulder, and said, "The best way to deal with fear is to face it head-on. It's just basketball, not war. Losing is no shame. Come on, if you don't go, Chen Xing will tease you."
Thinking of Chen Xing mocking him for being a coward, Gan Guohui didn't hesitate. He changed his clothes and shoes and left with Gan Guoyang.
"Hey! Where are you two going? Playing basketball again! Can you eat basketball for dinner?"
Gan Youtang saw the two sneaking off again and chased them out of the restaurant, but they were already too far to catch, only their receding figures in sight.
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The two brothers took the bus from the Tenderloin District to Hunter's Point by the bay. It is a well-known sports center in San Francisco, home to many skilled basketball players.
Chen Xing was already waiting for them at the entrance of the sports center. Seeing Gan Guohui following Gan Guoyang, he laughed and said, "Guohui, you really did dare to come."
Gan Guohui replied, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a game. You won't die if you lose."
The reason they chose this place to start their team matches was not only because it was close to Chinatown, had complete facilities, and was safe, but also because it was the most friendly sports center toward Asians in all of San Francisco.
Besides basketball courts, there were also many table tennis tables around. In the summer, many table tennis camps were held here, mostly attended by Asian children, along with a few white kids.
Table tennis is very popular in San Francisco, with many amateur ping pong tournaments taking place here.
So when Gan Guoyang and his companions entered the center, the staff assumed they were there to play ping pong and even asked if they needed to rent paddles.
When they learned the trio was there to play basketball, the staff looked surprised and, after collecting a small fee, let them in.
Inside the gym were several courts, all occupied. Chen Xing led the two toward the northeastern court to find a white player named Jason.
The two met at a basketball camp last summer, and Chen Xing contacted Jason yesterday, saying he wanted to form a team for a paid game, so they arranged to meet this afternoon here.
Seeing Chen Xing bringing his teammates along, Jason and his fellow players stopped what they were doing and looked over at Gan Guoyang and his group.
Their team name was "Ripper," with two white players and one black player, the latter dressed in a green vest, while the white players' shorts were attention-grabbing.
Their heights were quite average, all above 180 cm; the tallest, Green Vest, almost reached 190 cm, and with his explosive haircut, he visually hit 195.
However, in terms of height, they were all shorter than Gan Guoyang, which caused everyone's eyes to linger on him now and then.
On the basketball court, especially at the amateur level, height is often the greatest natural talent and cannot be compensated for by effort alone.
Jason had been wondering why Chen Xing, this inconspicuous Chinese guy with glasses, thought to play a paid match against the Rippers.
It turned out they had brought in a strong reinforcement.
Still, the trio didn't take Gan Guoyang and the others seriously.
In America, basketball has become the realm of Black people, with some white players also claiming their space.
Asians, especially those with yellow skin, are nowhere to be found in professional basketball arenas, and very few make appearances in NCAA games, but none have made a name for themselves.
Plainly speaking, Asians, particularly Chinese, haven't even got a dollop of cream from the vast cake of American sports.
They're only suitable for playing Pong.
"Guys, did you walk into the wrong venue? The Pong courts are next door." Green Vest, the tall black man, joked, and the other two laughed as well, not taking Gan Guoyang and his group seriously.
Gan Guohui was nervous, while Gan Guoyang remained expressionless, doing some warm-up exercises on the sidelines before taking off his jacket and stepping onto the court.
Basketball was simultaneously familiar and strange to him; he had watched and studied countless high-level games but never truly played one.
He was like a virgin filled with theoretical knowledge, and now it was time to practice.
With no referee, the game started, and Gan Guoyang's team got the ball first.
Being the shortest, Chen Xing, who had decent dribbling skills, naturally took on the role of point guard.
At the beginning, he dribbled carefully, observing the play while his counterpart Jason didn't take him too seriously, keeping a distance of two steps as he watched him.
The three had done some basic coordination training at Cameron House.
Gan Guoyang stood near the three-second area, quietly raising his hand and pointing to the sky, which Chen Xing understood immediately.
Chen Xing sent a high lob pass inside, and Gan Guoyang suddenly turned and moved towards the basket.
Like Jason, Green Vest hadn't defended seriously and was quickly outmaneuvered by Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang leaped high, caught the ball in the air, completed an alley-oop, and gently dropped the ball into the basket.
Turning, jumping, catching, scoring, and landing—the whole process was done in one fluid motion and was quite perfect.
Gan Guoyang looked at the astonished Green Vest and shook his head slightly, pointing to his eyes with two fingers and said, "Stay focused, Pong kid."
Green Vest felt hugely insulted, and his already dark complexion looked even darker.
Since it was a paid game, after scoring, they switched ball possession. Green Vest immediately wanted the ball to go one-on-one and overpower Gan Guoyang to reclaim some respect.
After receiving the ball facing the basket, he tried to use his momentum to force space but bounced off when contact was made.
It was like hitting a steel plate; Gan Guoyang's physique, though not appearing bulky, was as solid and tough as iron.
He still attempted a forceful shot under the basket, only to have it swatted away by Gan Guoyang's big block!
The ball flew out of bounds, an astonishing block.
"Whew, you're right, I do quite suit for playing Pong," Gan Guoyang said.
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