Nash’s high school coach tirelessly wrote recommendation letters to American universities, praising Nash to the skies, but most schools lost interest upon seeing he was a 190 cm tall, skinny white guard.
Until the coach of Santa Clara University in California, Dick Davey, decided to take a look at this guard’s performance and asked Nash’s high school coach to send a videotape.
After watching Nash’s game and training footage, Dick Davey’s heart was pounding. He had only one thought: Absolutely no other school coach should see Nash’s performance.
However, Dick Davey didn’t expect that he was already a step too late, as Gonzaga University, also in the WCC league, offered Steve Nash a scholarship invitation.
After weighing his options, Nash chose Gonzaga. Dick Davey, very unwillingly, called Nash to ask, "Why did you choose Gonzaga? Was it because of Ah Gan?"
Nash replied over the phone: "No, it’s because it’s close to home."
Gonzaga University is in Washington State, through Seattle, and it’s about a 8-hour drive away.
Santa Clara is in California, thousands of kilometers away from Victoria, taking four hours by plane.
Of course, it was impossible to say Gan Guoyang didn’t make an effort behind the scenes.
Before the start of the 1992 Summer Olympics, Gan Guoyang attended a "Gan Guoyang Day" event in Spokane.
Coach Fitzgerald kept pestering Gan Guoyang to recommend a good player to play at Gonzaga.
Gan Guoyang first introduced Ma Jian, and Fitzgerald was satisfied, saying he could come to play after the Olympics.
But Fitzgerald immediately added that it would be better to recommend a guard, as Ma Jian alone wasn’t enough for the inside.
Gan Guoyang looked around, and most of the guards from the China team weren’t willing to go to America to study and play basketball.
They were top players in their local teams and were not willing to leave easily or suffer in a foreign country.
After much thought, Gan Guoyang calculated and advised Fitzgerald to check the mailbox for high school player recommendations, and he would help review them.
Unexpectedly, as they flipped through the letters, they found the recommendation letter from Nash’s high school coach. Gan Guoyang immediately pulled out this recommendation, saying there’s no problem recruiting this guard.
"This guy will be the second John," Gan Guoyang remarked at the time.
Fitzgerald also watched Nash’s video and agreed with Ah Gan, stating that he was definitely an overlooked excellent guard.
Gonzaga and Santa Clara almost simultaneously extended offers to Nash, and ultimately Nash accepted Gonzaga’s invitation.
In the Northwest Pacific Coast Region, Gonzaga’s reputation and miracle stories have always inspired and influenced students there.
The story of Gan Guoyang leading an unknown school to win the NCAA national championship undefeated has become a legendary aspiration for many high school students.
But yearning aside, not many talented players actually wanted to go to Gonzaga to follow in Ah Gan’s footsteps.
Choosing college basketball is not a child’s play; it’s about both passion and future prospects, so most players are rational.
The options Nash had were limited, as the difference between Santa Clara and Gonzaga wasn’t too big, and Gonzaga was indeed closer in Washington State.
Thus, in 1992 Nash went to Gonzaga, becoming another outstanding white point guard at the school after John Stockton.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga had an inside player with yellow skin from China, as if it was a replay of the past.
In the following four seasons, Gonzaga entered the NCAA national tournament twice, with the best achievement being reaching the round of 32.
Except for the 1983-1984 season, this was the best NCAA tournament performance Gonzaga had achieved, and Nash’s contribution was indispensable.
In March of 1996, senior Nash led Gonzaga to crush the University of Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament, successfully entering the second round.
Although they lost in the second round, Nash’s four years at Gonzaga were successful, as he successfully entered the All-America view and was selected in the first round.
When he entered the draft, people called him the second John Stockton.
But scouts and managers soon realized that calling Nash the second Stockton was wishful thinking.
At first glance, the two did seem similar, both being small white point guards with strong organizational and assist capabilities and precise shooting.
However, upon closer inspection, since college days, there have been significant differences between Nash and Stockton.
Without discussing technical details, there were many differences. In terms of playing style, Stockton was more reserved and restrained, while Nash was more free and unrestrained.
Also, Stockton’s defense was solid, although individual defense was limited by physical attributes and sometimes he got overpowered in games.
Overall, Stockton’s defense level was above the league average.
Nash’s defense was unbearable to watch, and on his first day of training at Gonzaga, Fitz called Gan Guoyang.
He complained, "This guy’s passing and shooting are definitely fine, but his defense is fucking terrible!"
Nash’s poor defense was not only due to physical limitations, but also because his defensive awareness was just average; others might be half a beat slow on defense, while he was two beats slow.
Some speedy small guards could pass him as if it were as simple as crossing the street in the morning.
There was no such thing as tenacious defense, and he wouldn’t make up with dirty play like Stockton when lacking physicality.
Fortunately, Nash had this extraordinary quality, his mental toughness was great, with a strong sense of confidence, no matter what others said.