[Stu: In Bruce’s assessnt process, there are 13 dinsions to the inner core of a champion, and almost no one has all of these dinsions. Except for Ah Gan.]
———— Excerpt from an interview with Stu-Inman in Clyde Drexler’s autobiography "Clyde The Glide," published in 2004.
Dr. Ogilvy handed the report to Ramsay and Yin Man for review; before even looking at it, Ramsay said with an incredulous tone, "What are you talking about, perfect? The greatest perfection in this world is imperfection!"
"Gan is certainly not perfect, but as far as this report is concerned, he is perfect. You know this test is designed to evaluate a player’s true condition, aid at asuring whether he is a person with an inner champion. It involves a person’s malleability, curiosity, perseverance in achieving goals, resilience in the face of hardship, his personality, and so on—many, many aspects. Summarized into 13 dinsions, no one in the past has been able to simultaneously possess these dinsions, unable to score high on each one. My test is quite precise, even if so people think they can elevate their scores by guiding it, it’s impossible. Roger Staubach was previously the highest scorer I tested, Drexler was the second highest. Now, the highest is Gan, who has high scores on all 13 dinsions. He is soone with the heart of a champion."
Ogilvy’s tone was excited; he had not expected Gan Guoyang’s scores to be so high.
He had always wanted Walton to take this test, believing Walton would certainly score the highest.
But even he didn’t think Walton could fully possess all 13 dinsions, his obstinate nature ant he was bound to have flaws in certain areas.
Yet Gan Guoyang had done it, surpassing Roger Staubach in test scores—the superstar of the 70s NFL Dallas Cowboys, the Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP.
After reading the report, Ramsay’s eyes filled with distrust, saying, "Ever since your test allowed Drexler to get the second-highest score, I’ve been doubting its reliability. Now, I’m even more certain!"
Ramsay seed sowhat vexed not to get the test results he wanted; he had hoped the damned test would prove that Gan Guoyang might not be a champion player.
After watching Gan Guoyang’s ga tapes, Ramsay acknowledged his talent but, whether it was bias or stereotyping, he always felt averse to the increasingly "unrestrained" play of the post-60s in the 80s.
Especially Gan Guoyang’s love of long shots, which Ramsay absolutely detested. In 1979, when the NBA introduced the three-point line, Ramsay, like most traditional coaches, was opposed.
He considered the three-pointer rely a gimmick; Suns Coach McLeod described it as a boring way of playing, Bullets Coach Dick Motta claid the League hadn’t sought the coaches’ opinions, and he refused to let players practice threes during training.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the teams shooting the fewest three-pointers since the 1979-1980 season, never averaging more than two per ga.
Unlike Ramsay, Stu-Inman seed to treasure the report, poring over it repeatedly, saying, "Bruce, is he... is he really that perfect? During the test, are you sure he didn’t... intentionally guide you, or lie?"
Asked in this way, the Doctor hesitated, saying, "Actually, I’m not entirely sure, because I feel that by the end of the test, I had lost control of the situation. I don’t an we had an argunt or that it was unpleasant. On the contrary, we had a great chat, but that was wrong, I talked too much, and he was carefully listening."
Ramsay said, "You haven’t been manipulated by this kid, have you? Instead of you testing him, did he test you?"
Ogilvy shrugged, saying, "If he has such ability, then he’s even more perfect than perfect."
Whatever their opinions were, the results of the test were as such.
Of course, this didn’t prove anything, as the Trail Blazers would never determine a player’s ability based on this test.
Stu-Inman was still very rational; he knew that basketball primarily depended on the body and talent, psychology determined the height, but it had to be built on a solid and reliable foundation.
A person with a handicapped body and weathered by life may have the mind of a champion, but they will never be able to stand on the NBA court as a champion player.
Yin Man decided to temporarily seal the report, not to make it public, nor to let anyone else on the team know about it.
He explained, "A test result that is too perfect brings not support and cohesion, but doubt. If other players or the dia were to know, trumpeting it would only bring bigger public opinion trouble. His current public image in Portland isn’t too good. We’ll leave it for later."
Stu-Inman might say this, but dia leaks and releases were all approved by you.
Ramsay said, "You managers like to play these kinds of tricks. Ah Gan is my player. If I think he’s not good enough, I will try my best to coach him and make him a better player. Yet, you always indulge them, letting them think they have it all, only to strip everything away from them in the end—just like Bill!"
Stu-Inman spread his hands and said, "Jack, that’s because we have different positions, positions..."
Ramsay didn’t listen to Yin Man’s explanation and had already left the office. Yin Man sighed, leaned his forehead on his hand, and sat down in the chair.
Dr. Ogilvy watched the two arguing, thinking about what Gan Guoyang had said during yesterday’s test discussion.
When asked to evaluate Yin Man and Ramsay, Dr. Ogilvy thought he would like Yin Man and dislike Ramsay.
Yet Gan Guoyang said indifferently, "The people who support you won’t necessarily do you good, because they just want to get sothing from you; and so of those who oppose and dislike you might actually be urging you to improve. They keep an eye on your flaws and problems because they hope you will get better."
Dr. Ogilvy asked Yin Man, "Stu, where has Ah Gan gone? Is he still in Portland?"
Yin Man replied, "He went to Beaverton; his shoe sponsor, Avia, invited him to visit and participate in an event. You know, in one month, Avia sold 15 million US dollars’ worth of rchandise, all thanks to this kid. He’s really a money-printing guy."
"So, will he stay in Portland? I’d like to see him this afternoon."
"He has already done the tests. Do you still need to see your perfect tester?"
"My friend from San Francisco called yesterday, asking to give him so pointers if I get the chance."
"Give it a rest, Doctor. With the way things are now, it’s hard to say who should be giving advice to whom."
That afternoon, Dr. Ogilvy still t Gan Guoyang, who had returned from Beaverton.
He told Gan Guoyang the results of the tests, and Gan Guoyang remained very calm, saying, "I told you, sotis tests are quite absurd."
Dr. Ogilvy did not dwell on the test results, but instead asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, do you know what ’visualization training’ is?"
Gan Guoyang said, "I know! Our high school and college coaches used it. Now that I rember, they said Coach Ramsay used this thod of training. Bernard King also used this training for practicing his turnaround jump shot."
"Your coach was Beelman, right? He did consult . So, what do you think of the effects?"
"Not much, it seed there was no substantial improvent."
"That’s because you haven’t hit a physical limit yet. When physical training reaches its limit, the power of visualization is key to making a breakthrough."
"Then I probably really haven’t reached a physical limit yet. I never feel tired, never feel like I’ve practiced enough, or that I’m not in the right state."
Dr. Ogilvy marveled at Gan Guoyang’s excellent physique and said, "Gan, I want to create a very long-term psychological and physiological training plan for you, spanning five or even ten years. This is both for your improvent and my research project. My visualization training isn’t just about improving free-throw percentages. It has many uses. It can enhance your technical movents, producing twice the results with half the effort."
After hearing Dr. Ogilvy talk like this, Gan Guoyang was very tempted. In the eight NBA All-Star vs Olympic Team gas, he had the opportunity to learn from various masters, and the range of signature basketball moves was dazzling.
Gan Guoyang had sneakily learned a trick or two and had asked for their advice. Sadly, due to a lack of focused training, these moves were okay for show but very difficult to use in actual gas.
For example, Bird’s turnaround jump shot from mid to long distance on a single leg support was a move Gan Guoyang couldn’t master well. He managed to learn its form but not its essence.
There was also his own Move hook; after a year of practice, he could only say it was under control, not at his beck and call. He rarely used it in gas against the Olympic Team.
It was too easy for the ball to be stolen, or to make mistakes after being double-tead. He had to focus a lot of energy on ball protection, and since the defense in the NBA was more intense than in college, he had to strengthen it.
"Are you serious? You can’t fool . If we’re going to train, I’ll start tomorrow."
"Don’t be in a rush. I will prepare everything by the start of the sumr training camp."
"It’s a deal then. Don’t wait for the sumr training. I’ll co back to Portland to find you after the Olympics."
The heart of a champion, the dinsion of a champion, Gan Guoyang had no interest in that. Championships were not his decoration; they were just a harvest on his journey forward.
Solid basketball training and technical improvent, however, were the itch he was eager to scratch.
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