Chapter 48: Purple Lightning

The schedule for the CIF Northern California Championship was announced in February.

The CIF comprises six sections in Northern California. Based on the rankings from each section tournament, along with the committee's evaluation of team records and on-court performance, over sixty teams advanced to the state championships.

The strongest batch of teams was placed into Division 1, with games held in San Jose; the second tier went to Division 2, hosted in Sacramento; and the remainder fell into Division 3, playing in Redding.

The tournament adopted a single-elimination format, cutting the number of teams in half after each round. Winners advanced toward the finals, while losers packed their bags and went home.

Once the tournaments in both Northern and Southern California concluded, the Northern and Southern champions would face off in two games on March 1st to determine the overall state champions (Division 3 had no state championship game).

The Division 1 state title was the most anticipated, as it was the first North-South showdown for a state championship in sixty years, and television networks planned to broadcast it live.

On the morning of February 10th, the Ellwood team boarded a bus from San Francisco and arrived at their destination, the San Jose Civic Auditorium, a little over an hour later.

In the 1980s, many modern sports arenas had not yet been built, and numerous basketball games were played in old-fashioned, multi-purpose auditorium-style venues.

These facilities were relatively outdated, with poor ventilation and lighting, and atrocious air conditioning. Freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer was the norm, making for a rather unpleasant playing experience.

The tournament schedule was also unforgiving, requiring four rounds of games to be played within a single week—a severe test for players' stamina and team depth.

All players were lodged at the Sheraton Hotel directly across the street from the Civic Auditorium. This hotel was as old as the auditorium itself, a product of the urbanization boom of the 1920s and 1930s.

The flip side of a rich history was, of course, comparatively poor conditions: cramped rooms, antiquated facilities, and a standard of cleanliness that could only be described as mediocre.

Its sole advantages were its location in downtown San Jose, decent food, and convenient walking access to shopping and relaxation.

While dining at the hotel's buffet, Gan Guoyang ran into players from Washington High School and Fremont High School, both of which had also advanced to the Division 1 state championships.

Upon seeing Gan Guoyang, the players from both teams instinctively gave him a wide berth or avoided eye contact with him as much as possible.

The intimidating aura Gan Guoyang projected on the court had spilled over into everyday life; when these high schoolers encountered him, they acted like herbivores on the savanna spotting a lion.

Gan Guoyang had actually been quite pleased to see old acquaintances, but why were they all shunning him? He had always been easygoing and friendly.

Finally, he spotted the round-faced Quentin Stephenson in the dessert section and proactively stepped forward to greet him.

Stephenson's eyes wore a slightly panicked look as he glanced left and right, searching for his teammates.

"I... I got separated from my teammates. I... you... where are your guys?"

"I was just working out in the gym for a bit; they've already finished eating. Why don't we sit together?"

"Uh... I have to... you know... that guy..."

Stephenson's eyes darted around frantically, utterly failing to find any teammates to serve as an excuse for escape.

With no other choice, he allowed Gan Guoyang to pull him over to a table. Stephenson currently had zero appetite; Gan Guoyang gave him mild PTSD.

Athletes possessed enormous appetites, and Gan Guoyang was eating heartily. Noticing that Stephenson had barely touched his food, he asked, "Quentin, eat up. What's wrong with you today? Not feeling well?"

Hearing Gan Guoyang's question killed Quentin's appetite even further; he felt slightly nauseous.

"If your stomach isn't feeling well, I recommend you try my family's restaurant. My dad is an amazing cook. Of course, provided you're interested in Chinese food—authentic Chinese food, that is."

Gan Guoyang tried to chat with Stephenson to help him relax, but it seemed to have little effect, his gaze remaining somewhat vacant.

It wasn't until a group of people wearing purple athletic warm-ups walked past the table that life returned to Stephenson's eyes, staring fixedly at them until they exited the dining area.

"You know them?" Gan Guoyang asked.

"Yeah, Sacramento High. We played them last year and lost."

"Are you afraid of them?"

"Oh no, I'm not afraid. But they play like maniacs, kind of like you... well, they just run a crazy offense."

"Are they your main target?"

"Doesn't matter. High school rosters change every year, and team strengths fluctuate wildly. But their point guard is incredible—he's the top scorer in California."

Hearing Quentin put it that way piqued Gan Guoyang's interest. The top scorer in California, and a point guard to boot. Who could that be?

"What's his name?"

"Kevin Johnson. He's fast. Blazing fast. We call him the Purple Lightning."

-----------------

The Purple Lightning, Kevin Johnson, quickly made his reputation known in San Jose.

During the first round of the tournament elimination games on February 11th, Kevin Johnson led the Sacramento Dragons to crush the De La Salle Spartans of Concord.

In that game, he single-handedly poured in 37 points, almost single-handedly piercing the Spartans' defense and smoothly carrying his team into the next round.

In the second round, Kevin Johnson put up another 35-point performance, leading his team past Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School of Alameda to march into the semifinals.

Their opponents in the semifinals were none other than the North Overseas Chinese High School.

The North Overseas Chinese team had not won either of their first two rounds easily.

Due to poor living conditions and eating expired food, Chen Xing and Wu Zhihao had suffered from diarrhea, depleting the team's core rotation.

Relying on substitutes, Ellwood developed defensive vulnerabilities, conceding over 70 points in back-to-back games.

Fortunately, Gan Guoyang anchored the interior and the offense, securing the boards.

Among those, the second-round match against Bishop O'Dowd High School of Oakland went into overtime.

In February, the high temperature in San Jose hovered around 16 degrees Celsius—a rather pleasant climate.

However, air circulation inside the Civic Auditorium was poor, and combined with high humidity, players felt stuffy and oppressed after intense exertion.

The stifling heat accelerated the decline in players' stamina. Only Gan Guoyang seemed immune; in overtime, he actually ran faster and faster, scoring in transition repeatedly to lock down the victory.

Observing from the sidelines after the game, Quentin—who had become friends with Gan Guoyang—asked him, "How come you can run even faster in overtime? Aren't you tired?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "Tired, but it's too hot. If I run faster, I create a breeze to cool me down."

"...... You guys play Sacramento next. I heard people saying Kevin Johnson wants to drop 40 points on your head."

"Who did you hear that from? You didn't make that up just to stir up trouble and reap the benefits, did you?"

Washington High had also successfully advanced to the semifinals; in truth, their team was very strong, they had simply underperformed in the section finals.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that. I really heard people talking. Everyone's staying in the same hotel, rumors travel fast."

"Well, wish him luck then. If he doesn't get 40 points, I'll help him out."

[...In my brief life, there are three things I have strived to accomplish but have yet to achieve: the first is winning an NBA championship, the second is dropping 40 points on Gan's head, and the third is becoming the Mayor of Sacramento. Of these, I set my sights on the second one earliest, yet it seems the hardest.]

———————Excerpt from Kevin Johnson's 2008 Sacramento mayoral campaign speech.