From entering the basketball team to the official start of the California high school league, Gan Guoyang did not understand how California's high schools were divided and how the basketball league was scheduled.

There are more than 1,300 high schools in California, including private, public, and vocational high schools. Unlike other state leagues, where public and private schools are separated, all high schools in California compete together to form the California-Interscholastic-Federation, or CIF.

CIF is made up of ten districts, each with a different number of schools. The largest district, Southern California, has more than 500 schools. The number of schools in each district ranges from single digits to more than 500.

Palo Alto High School, where Gan is located, is a medium-sized district with 140 schools in the Central Coast District.

But this number is still too large, so there are still many small subdivisions in the Central Coast area. Combined with the small divisions of other regions, the distribution of high school divisions in California has become unusually large.

What's even more terrifying is that the more than 1,300 schools don't compete together, but are divided into five levels. The distinction is not based on the strength of the high school team, but on the size of the high school, and Palo Alto High School is placed in the second level.

As a result, the schedule of CIF basketball games is terrifyingly complicated. Non-professionals simply can't figure out who should play against whom, when to play, and where to play.

Gan Guoyang saw the complicated schedule rules and regional division map, and he had already given up trying to figure out who to play with and where to play, anyway, everything could be arranged by the coach.

The only thing he knows is that he can get the top spot in the division, plus a good record, and he can go straight to the state championship in the second division. If you don't get the first place, you have to wait for the CIF committee to select the teams that qualify for the state championships.

"Your destiny is in your own hands." This is Bellman's reminder to every player, so getting first is the best option.

Of course, the premise is to be strong enough. In the past, Palo Alto High School was underwhelming, and their only hope of making it to the state championship was to get permission from the committee.

The criteria for qualification evaluation are mainly based on the team's record and the record of the opponent. In other words, this is a comprehensive evaluation process, if a school has a good record, but its division is weak, then the team will not qualify. But if a school has a relatively average record, but it's in a very strong division, then that team has the potential to win the committee's favor.

One of the important reasons for this evaluation is that, in addition to playing regular matches with teams from the same district, teams from different districts occasionally play cross-district invitational tournaments. In this way, the strength of the region can be judged by the results of these invitational tournaments, as well as the regular season.

The biggest advantage of this is that it can ensure that the strongest teams can enter the state championships at all levels, and prevent some teams from taking advantage of the weakness of their region.

The small division where Palo Alto High School is located is a relatively average division, and even in such a division, Palo Alto has only an upper-average record in the past, and there is no way to win the first place in the division and the favor of the CIF organizing committee.

In the 6 games that have ended, Palo Alto High School has 4 wins and 2 losses, and has achieved a decent result. Especially after Gan Guoyang's return, the Vikings defeated the Wolverines of Flame High School at home, and the confidence of the whole team has been qualitatively improved because of the return of the core.

However, there are more than 20 games to come, and there is still a long way to go, and it will not be known until March. At that point, the California State Championship will be in battle with the NCAA.

At this time, Gan Guoyang was walking on the way to the training ground with a basketball, playing with his crotch dribbling while walking, and with the dance steps he learned from Michael Jackson, there was a sense of rhythm and swing, which made passers-by and classmates look sideways.

He is now a real star of Palo Alto High School, a foreign transfer student, a superstar recommendation, a halfway through the team, a half-time savior, a cross-border lore, and the return of the king. All of this is a wonderful legend.

It's just that Gan Guoyang is a Chinese, so his fame still only spreads in Palo Alto High School and basketball circles in the San Francisco area, and in other fields and regions, he is still just an ordinary yellow person.

This situation is still the same even in the United States in the 21st century, and Jeremy Lin was despised because of his Chinese identity, and finally went to Harvard without being invited by a famous basketball school.

"Hello, boogers!" Gan Guoyang walked and found a familiar figure, walking on the way to the stadium.

"Uh... Hello... Sweet. "This guy is Halek.

Since the last time Gan Guoyang went to watch a football game, inexplicably became the team's quarterback, and used a long-distance long pass to kill the opponent, Halek has not been embarrassed to appear in front of Gan Guoyang.

In the past, it was always Gan Guoyang who avoided Halek in the locker, but now Halek is hiding from Gan Guoyang.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, and rugby league has begun, right?" Gan Guoyang didn't hate Halek, although sometimes he thought he hated it. A bison rarely hates the gadfly on its back, and it really feels uncomfortable, just beat it to death with its tail.

Now, Gan Guoyang not only did not kill Halek with one tail, but also greatly helped Halek and his team, because the wide receiver who received Gan Guoyang's long pass that day was Halek.

"Yes, now we have won all three of our games, but the opponents are still weak. It looks like there's an invitational game against an Auckland team next week. "Halek is a racist, but he's also a strengthist. If you are better than him, he will respect you, on the contrary, he will become more arrogant.

"Auckland's team? Is it Auckland? Going to start playing invitational tournaments so soon? Gan Guoyang was surprised, the current schedule should be to play a home-and-away double round-robin match with the teams in this district, so soon the invitational tournament will start?

"Yes, there are only six schools in Auckland, and each school can play a few games with teams of the same level in the same district. So they've started to play invitational tournaments early. ”

It turns out that Auckland is a large district, but there are only six high schools, so the competition in the district will be played quickly. In order to make the competition in the region more intense and decisive, teams in Auckland usually go to an invitational tournament and then come back to play the rest of the regular season.

"Well, then you have to do your best! Hopefully you don't need my help anymore. Gan Guoyang said.

"Coach Hawkins is still harassing your coach and wants you to be on the football team." As soon as Halek said this, Gan Guoyang was startled.

"Oh no! I don't want to play the dangerous sport of rugby anymore! I'm sure you're already a very strong team and I was just lucky that day. ”

"Gan, luck is also a kind of strength." Halek and Gan Guoyang sprayed each other a lot together, and their language level seemed to have improved a lot.

"Also, in addition to the other team's football team, their basketball team will also come to play an invitational game with you." Some information that Halek revealed to Gan Guoyang.

"Really? Which high school team is it? Gan Guoyang asked curiously.

"Skyline High School."

After arriving at the gymnasium, Gan Guoyang learned from Coach Bellman that Skyline High School would indeed visit Palo Alto High School next weekend to play an invitational game.

Before that, though, they have four more games to play in the same division.

"Gan, tomorrow we're going to play at East Palo Alto Private High School, your back injury should be fine, right?" Bellman asked while doing individual confrontation training for Gan Guoyang.

"No problem! I'm feeling so good right now, I can't wait to kick their ass! ”

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang sank his shoulders, pushed his back against Bellman's big pad, gained space to make movements, and sent the ball to the basket with a clean turnover jumper.

"Look, my back is fine, right?" Gan Guoyang said after casting.

"You do seem to have improved a little bit on your feet, and you're a little more comfortable." Bellman said as he stared at Gan Guoyang's feet.

"Yes, I've had secret training!"

………………

East Palo Alto Private High School is located in the East District of Palo Alto, just a 10-minute drive from Palo Alto High School. So for the Vikings players, it's not so much about playing away as going to a brother school to play a friendly match.

"I have a lot of former classmates who attended East Palo Alto Private High School, and this past can surprise them!" Vicges said on the bus.

"Okay Virgin, how can those rich people who go to private high schools remember rotten poor boys like us. Maybe they'll take their girlfriends to the game and point at us and say, 'Look at those guys, fighting around the pitch for a wrecking ball, they're fucking sick in the head!'" "It was the Vikings' shooting guard, Mikari Williams, a black player with a lot of scoring power.

"Don't be like this, Mikari, aren't you looking forward to the pleasure of beating those boys? It's cooler than picking up girls. Gan Guoyang said as he munched on an apple in the car.

Most of the people who go to public high schools in the United States are people of color and ordinary people from ordinary families, while those who can go to private high schools are mostly the children of wealthy people.

Gan Guoyang does not hate the rich, but he knows that mobilizing some "hatred" at the right time is conducive to improving the morale of the team. Now Gan Guoyang has become the out-and-out on-court and spiritual leader of the Vikings.

"That's right! Kick their asses and assholes, I think it's definitely cooler than the big ass of San Antilles! "The San Antilles district is San Francisco's red-light district.

"Hey! It's like you've been to San Antilles, and with your little wealth, you can't even get a bitch on the street. ”

"Go-you-, I can tell you that I went to San Antilles one night two years ago......"

A group of hormonal-overloaded high school students start a conversation about life on the bus, and their coach, Bellman, doesn't care, hoping that the players can get excited and then vent their excess energy on their opponents.

"Alright ladies, we've arrived, it's time to come down and relax."

Ten minutes away by car, the Vikings arrived at East Palo Alto Private High School at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, where they will take on the East Palo Alto Bulldogs.

The architectural style of East Palo Alto Private High School is very similar to that of Palo Alto High School, with a predominantly white exterior and a strong Mediterranean style, giving people a fresh feeling like a sea breeze.

However, the Vikings were not going to show mercy to their pit bulls for that. Because in Palo Alto, these two high schools, one private and one public, one in the west and one in the east, are rivals in every way.

So after arriving at the school, the Vikings players drove into the gymnasium, went to the locker room to change into their uniforms, and went to the field to start the warm-up activities. And at this time, the players of the Bulldogs team had not even arrived.

"Those young masters haven't come yet?" Gan Guoyang looked at the players who only had half the court and the sparse crowd in the stadium and said.

Generally speaking, the home team arrives at the stadium one step ahead of the away team, and the spectators will arrive at the stadium early to build momentum for the home team.

"East Palo Alto High School has always been like that, the students here are wealthy, and basketball is not an essential sport. They weren't Indiana farmers. Virgin replied. Indiana is one of the most fanatical states in the United States for basketball.

"And what about their strength?" Gan Guoyang asked again, shooting the basket.

"In fact, the strength of the bulldog is quite good, because the school has money, so it will recruit many excellent basketball players. They are all very talented, but the team's results are always average, similar to the Vikings of the past. Diepenbrock accosted.

Speaking of which, Gan Guoyang somewhat understands that the bulldog team should be a basketball team with good talent, but not too strong fighting spirit. This doesn't quite match their team name, "Bulldogs".

Sure enough, after a while, the home Bulldogs arrived at the stadium, and they entered the stadium giggling and greeted the Vikings players very casually. Several of the blacks apparently knew the Vikings players and were supposed to be former high school classmates.

"Hey! Hello Vicis, your shooting position is still so ugly! "It was a tall, very strong black player.

"Get out of the way!" Vicges didn't talk much nonsense with him and continued to dive into the warm-up. This is Bellman's rule, and it is not allowed to exchange feelings with opposing players before the game.

"Who's that guy?" Gan Guoyang asked curiously.

"It's my former classmate, Bruce Carrier. You're a pretty good guy, you have to be careful, Gan. ”

The game started quickly, and Bruce Carlil did have two brushes, which Gan Guoyang realized when he was scrambling for the ball.

Gan Guoyang's bounce and strength are still quite good, even compared with blacks. Because of his rebounding skills, he also has a strong ability to fight for the ball.

But when fighting with this Carlil, Gan Guoyang clearly felt the strength of Carlil's body, and he was squeezed down by him when he collided in the air.

The Bulldogs won the ball.

In the opening game, Bellman arranged a "three-two defense" defensive tactic for the Vikings. That is, Gan Guoyang sits in the three-second zone, with strikers on the flanks to protect him, and at the same time two defenders at the horn position to form a barrier.

This tactical arrangement is mainly aimed at the Bulldogs players' outstanding individual ability, breaking through the sharp characteristics, hoping to strangle the opposing players on the flank.

But in this case, the top of the frontal arc is completely exposed, and the only person who fills this gap is the Vikings' interior defensive pillar - Gan Guoyang.

Sure enough, the Bulldogs' perimeter players were caught on both flank breakaways, and their baseline firepower was insufficient, so they had to move the ball to the top of the arc. After the shooting guard got the ball, he made a cover with the post player who was raised, and smoothly invaded the three-second zone from the top of the arc.

However, Gan Guoyang was prepared, he did not pounce on the pressing defense, but took two steps back slightly, and released a breakthrough path.

Seeing this, the opposing shooting guard did not hesitate to make a strong layup. But Gan Guoyang had already locked his steps, and he had already calculated the step point in his heart to avoid the time difference between the other party.

Gan Guoyang jumped up quickly, stretched out his long arm, and lightly touched the ball of the opposing defender, trying to avoid physical contact with the opponent and prevent fouls.

The ball is dislodged from the hands of opposing defenders because it is interfered with.

However, a strong body collided with Gan Guoyang in the air, pushing Gan Guoyang, who couldn't exert his strength, away, and at the same time, the ball in the air was held by a pair of big hands, "Bang! The ball was smashed into the basket again!

Bruce Carlile makes a dunk!

Gan Guoyang's defense just now had done a good job, but he still ignored the presence of Carlil and let him pick up a leak.

After Carlil's successful deduction, the gymnasium was jubilant, and he also looked at Gan Guoyang proudly and shook his head gently. Then he twisted his ass and ran back to his own half.

"Gan, do you want to teach him a lesson later?" Diepenbrock asked.

"No, play according to the coach's arrangement, I will let him understand." Gan Guoyang was unmoved and did not care about the other party. But he has decided to destroy the other party quickly and completely.