The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 92 Wrestling
After settling into their accommodations, the players arrived at the gymnasium at 4 p.m. for physical testing, measuring basic data such as height, weight, and wingspan.

Charles Barkley's weigh-in became the most sensational ceremony of the day's physical fitness test, with everyone crowding around the scale, speculating about Barkley's exact weight.

一般6尺4、6尺5也就是后卫的身高，标准体重在220磅左右。

But with Barkley's large buttocks and rounded shoulders and back, it's impossible that he only weighs 220 pounds.

Everyone placed their bets.

“250 pounds!” Ewing was rather conservative and kind.

He thought that Barkley was so short, he couldn't possibly weigh more than him, right?
“260 pounds.” Chris Mullin stared at Barkley’s butt for a long time before making an estimate.

“275 pounds.” That was Rabbis and Allari’s answer; that’s quite a weight.

“280 pounds,” Michael Jordan said, adding, “I’ll bet twenty dollars.”

“I’ll bet twenty, 284 pounds!” Gan Guoyang chimed in, specifying the number down to the single digit.

300 pounds!

A voice came from outside the circle, and everyone turned to look. It was Bob Knight, the protagonist of this training camp. He had finally appeared.

His first appearance dealt Barkley a heavy blow.

A 300-pound weight gain put immense pressure on Barkley, considering that was Wilt Chamberlain's heaviest weight in his later years.

Everyone knew Knight was joking, and many people covered their mouths and laughed.

With everyone's expectations in mind, Barkley stepped onto the scale with the physique of a bodybuilder.

Charles Bradley, who was in charge of the physical measurements, glanced at the pointer and said, "Barkley's weight... God, 284 pounds!"

It was exactly the same as what Gan Guoyang said. Bradley thought to himself, "This guard is taller and heavier than the center. Can this guy even play basketball?"

Gan Guoyang, who had guessed correctly, pointed at Jordan and said, "You owe me twenty."

Then he patted Barkley on the shoulder and said, "I'll treat you to a hamburger."

After everyone finished the physical fitness test, they were still immersed in the joyful atmosphere of guessing each other's weights.

Coach Knight's comment, "300 pounds," made everyone think he was a good guy with a sense of humor.

But soon, Knight had everyone line up, and the 73 people were divided into four groups, and the entire stadium fell silent.

Coach Knight circled around like an officer, demanding that everyone stand at attention.

He didn't say a word; his suffocating silence allowed everyone to hear their own heartbeats.

No one dared to make a sound, because making any sound or doing any movement at that moment would give the impression that you would be executed immediately.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you guys, you bunch of stupid college students who have no redeeming qualities other than playing basketball. Watch your every word and action. Starting tomorrow, all the trash and useless people will be weeded out of here. Of course, if you feel you can't handle the upcoming training, you can say goodbye and leave quietly. I'll give you some money for your travel expenses and a bag of tissues to wipe your tears!"

Knight's voice was deep and resonant, and it was easy to imagine that the days to come would be difficult for everyone.

After the physical fitness test, everyone went to the school cafeteria for a meal and then had free time. These were their last carefree days before their arduous training began.

When Gan Guoyang returned to his room, he did not see Bob Knight. He took the twenty dollars Jordan had given him and went to a nearby fried chicken shop to buy a few hamburgers, intending to deliver them to Barkley's room.

After several encounters with Jordan, Gan Guoyang discovered that off the court, Jordan was just like any other college student, giving off an immature vibe. After dinner, he would call his parents to report on his situation.

I wonder what will be different on the court.

When I arrived at Barkley's room, I was surprised to find it was very lively. Chuck Paison, Alford, Anthony Karl, Jon Concaco, Michael Jordan and a whole bunch of others were there, making the already small room feel especially crowded.

The other people were playing cards, a card game called Tonk.

Meanwhile, Barkley and Paison, teammates from Auburn University, actually moved aside the coffee table and other clutter and started wrestling on the empty floor. Barkley is very strong, but his teammate Paison is not to be outdone, and they were able to go toe-to-toe in wrestling.

Seeing Gan Guoyang bring over the hamburger, Barkley waved to him and said, "Gan, let's have a contest!"

Gan Guoyang placed four hamburgers on the coffee table and asked, "What kind of competition is it? Wrestling? Greco-Roman wrestling, or freestyle wrestling?"

Upon hearing this, Barkley asked, "You've trained before?" He hesitated for a moment and replied, "Freestyle wrestling!"

Classical wrestling only allows the use of the upper body; it prohibits grabbing legs or tripping opponents, and demands extremely high upper body strength.

Freestyle wrestling is more free; it allows for leg grabs and tripping, and tests a wider range of abilities.

Gan Guoyang took off his shirt and got into a fighting stance; he had actually practiced wrestling in Gonzaga.

Gonzaga's wrestling was famous throughout the United States. At that time, the wrestling team coach asked him to try out and discovered that Gan Guoyang had great wrestling talent.

First, he possesses immense strength; second, he has a rich and well-developed core muscle group; and third, he has excellent flexibility, all of which are crucial for wrestling.

The wrestling coach was very envious of Gan Guoyang and hoped that he could play basketball and wrestling at the same time.

Gan Guoyang participated in training for a period of time, but found that he still needed to focus his energy on basketball, so he gave up wrestling.

However, he would occasionally go to the wrestling team for a game, because wrestling is an excellent exercise for flexibility and core strength, which is very helpful for playing basketball.

When Barkley saw Gan Guoyang's posture, he felt even more flustered.

At this moment, the card players all put down their cards and watched Gan Guoyang and Barkley wrestle.

Barkley approached, and the two probed each other. Suddenly, Gan Guoyang dove down and slammed Barkley to the ground, grabbing his bulky body.
The entire building seemed to shake. Gan Guoyang, having received some training, quickly subdued Barkley with a rear-naked choke. Barkley roared like a pig being slaughtered, "Fuck you! I lost!"

Gan Guoyang immediately let go, patted Barkley's round head, and said, "Hurry up and eat your hamburger, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"How the hell are you so fast? What kind of move is that, crouching down and charging at me?"

"This is the simplest dive, just like shooting a basketball. You just need to practice more. I've trained in wrestling, you haven't, so beating you isn't a big deal."

Barkley and Paison usually wrestle using brute force and experience gained from fighting as children, unlike Gan Guoyang, who has had proper training.

While munching on a hamburger, Barkley asked Gan Guoyang to teach him, saying he would make Paison smack his teeth in the future.

The others in the room then realized that Gan Guoyang was a wrestling expert, and that if they were to have a conflict with him on the court in the future, they would better be careful, as they would definitely lose.

Gan Guoyang stayed in Barkley's room for a while, then played cards with the others.

Jordan kept playing cards with Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang's card skills were mediocre, and he lost twenty dollars to Jordan.

Jordan then let Gan Guoyang go back to his room to rest.

Barkley finally found an opportunity to mock Gan Guoyang: "You're worse at cards than Jordan, you're utterly pathetic!"

When I opened the door to my room, Bob Knight was sitting at his desk, holding a bunch of index cards and booklets, reading them carefully under the lamp.

Hearing the door open, Knight didn't even look up and said, "I won't be staying here tonight. I'll be going home. You'll be more comfortable living alone. But I'll come over sometimes to chat with you and get your thoughts on the players. I hope you don't mind."

Gan Guoyang said, "You're too kind. Please feel free to ask me anything, and I will answer honestly."

Knight looked up at Gan Guoyang and asked, "How did you know that Charles weighs 284 pounds?"

"Just a guess. I was lucky."

Knight gave Gan Guoyang a deep look, then lowered his head to continue reading the documents.

(End of this chapter)