Chapter Twenty-Nine: Conditions

Defeating Lihua High School gave the Bei Qiao High School basketball team a strong start. As September arrived, the school began balancing training with exhibition games. They started by challenging immigrant high schools around Chinatown, using games as a form of practice and combat as a means of growth, identifying weaknesses during matches and refining them in training.

Bellman was an incredibly thorough and strict coach. Coaching a team built from scratch was exhausting, but it was also filled with a sense of accomplishment. He had rented an apartment near the school and begun a new chapter in his life. He poured his entire focus into basketball, and teaching these children helped, to some extent, to heal the scars life had left on him. In his daily life, he became increasingly gentle and humorous, though, in turn, he grew even more rigorous and volatile on the court, determined to put Bei Qiao High School on the map.

With Gan Guoyang on the roster, Bei Qiao High School was unrivaled in the East San Francisco area. On August 30, they defeated Mary-Brook High School 58-48, with Gan recording 19 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 blocks. On September 7, they beat Stuart High School 53-47; Gan tallied 22 points, 20 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 5 assists. On September 16, they routed Bluff High School 67-30, where Gan showcased his playmaking ability with 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists. On September 25, in their most intense game to date, they edged past the French American International School 60-55, with Gan putting up 33 points, 21 rebounds, and 8 blocks.

Gan Guoyang’s performance increasingly drew the attention of the San Francisco basketball community. College scouts and newspaper reporters began appearing at Bei Qiao’s games to observe him from every angle. Truth be told, had Gan been a Black or white player, some college scouts would have already reached out privately to build a rapport. Although the NCAA prohibited schools from poaching talented high schoolers through bribes or personal influence, such practices were an open secret in the industry. However, because Gan was of Chinese descent—a demographic with no precedent for success in basketball—and because Bei Qiao was a bottom-tier school facing relatively weak opponents, everyone remained in a "wait and see" mode, observing this basketball star who had appeared out of nowhere.

Local San Francisco newspapers reported on Gan, with Chinatown’s Chinese-language papers naturally heaping praise upon him, hailing him as the new "Pride of the Chinese" following Bruce Lee. Other outlets remained skeptical, arguing that basketball was not a sport suited for Asians and that Gan was merely a flash in the pan who would soon vanish with the tide.

Gan was indifferent to all of this. He remained single-mindedly focused on his own improvement, paying no mind to the surrounding noise. In another month, by November, the CIF California State Championship regular season—the largest sports event in the state—would begin. That would be the true test for the team and for Gan.

However, just as the Water Clock team was preparing for the CIF tournament, bad news arrived from the school: the San Francisco League Committee had raised objections regarding their membership qualifications.

The CIF, or California Interscholastic Federation, was the governing body for high school sports in California. Founded in 1916, it organized the most authoritative and comprehensive high school athletic events in the state. Because California was vast and populous, it was divided into ten sections. Most of San Francisco’s prominent athletic high schools belonged to the San Francisco section of the Bay Area, which was exactly the league Bei Qiao High School sought to join.

During the previous season—the 1980-1981 season—the CIF had reinstated the all-California state championship after a 50-year hiatus. After each section determined its playoff teams, they were divided into North and South regions to crown champions, followed by a final showdown to determine the California state champion.

Initially, the Chinese Progressive Association had pulled the right strings. Once the team was established and vetted by the committee, they were expected to meet the standards for league entry. If approved, the Bei Qiao Water Clocks would be eligible to play in the San Francisco League’s regular season, and with strong performances, they might even reach the state championships—an immense honor for Bei Qiao.

Gan Guoyang and the Water Clocks did not disappoint Huang Shaohua. They kept winning, and given their record and performance, they should have been recognized. Yet, a member of the San Francisco League Committee argued that Bei Qiao’s athletic foundation was too weak, the basketball team had been assembled too hastily with an incomplete roster, and their opponents were all weak teams outside the CIF interscholastic league, casting doubt on the quality of their results. They argued that admitting them would only add a "minnow" to the league, offering no benefit to the quality of competition, and therefore the application should be delayed.

Huang Shaohua was stunned. He had spent the money and made the connections, only for someone to sabotage them at the very last moment. He immediately filed a protest with the CIF committee, demanding that the San Francisco League allow their entry, or at the very least, allow them to join the Pacific Coast Athletic League (PCAL).

After much wrangling and the use of various connections—including financial leverage—the CIF finally presented a condition: Bei Qiao High School must play a game against a strong interscholastic league team. If they won, they would be admitted to the CIF immediately; if they lost, the process would be deferred for further consideration. Huang Shaohua was so angry his blood pressure spiked, but there was no other choice. On American soil, people of Asian descent were constantly suppressed. The problem now was which high school they would face, as this would decide the fate of the Water Clocks for the season.

The opponent would not be chosen by Bei Qiao; it would be designated by the San Francisco League Committee. Eventually, the league declared that for the sake of fairness, they would not select a team from their own league, but instead contacted Fremont High School from the neighboring Oakland League. The game was scheduled for mid-October at the Tiger Gymnasium of Fremont High School, meaning the Water Clocks would have to play on the road.

Upon receiving this news, Huang Shaohua was furious but helpless. He relayed the result to the school administration and informed Bellman. Although Bellman was also angry, he said, "If winning the game is all it takes to get the application approved, then we will simply win the game."

Mr. Liu, the athletic director of Bei Qiao, sighed and said, "Mr. Bellman, it seems you don't understand Fremont High School at all. Playing an away game there isn't a question of winning or losing; it's a question of whether we can walk out of the Tiger Gymnasium alive."

"What? Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Perhaps not that extreme, but that is Oakland. The basketball atmosphere there is far more terrifying than in San Francisco. I worry about whether the children can handle it, and about their safety."

Mr. Liu explained the situation at Fremont High School. It was a public high school located in a Black ghetto in Oakland, and the players were all Black. Public safety there was abysmal, and street robberies and shootings were everyday occurrences. The Oakland League was the smallest of the ten CIF leagues, with only six schools registered in 1981. Yet, all six were formidable, and Fremont High School was known for its ferocious and aggressive style of play. It was said that in the Tiger Gymnasium, some white-dominated teams wouldn't even dare to win against Fremont for fear of being beaten up after the game.

"Coach Bellman, I think you had better explain the situation to the players so they can prepare themselves mentally."