Knickerbocker “Lin-Sanity”

The best local NBA story is not the roller coaster season of the Boston Celtics but rather the “sudden emergence” of Jeremy Lin, an Asian American Harvard grad who is tearing the league apart as a member of the New York Knicks.

I use the phrase “sudden emergence” advisedly because after his senior season in high school, as California's Player of the Year, Jeremy Lin should have been able to suit up for any college in the country. A high-academic achiever from Palo Alto, California, Lin wanted to play for hometown Stanford, but Stanford coach Trent Johnson didn't offer a scholarship - nor did any of the other 300 plus schools in Division 1.

Lin took the hint. The son of two engineers, Jeremy Lin wasn't going to walk on just anywhere, so he sent a DVD of his highlights to all eight Ivy League schools, seeking a walk-on spot on their team. Only two coaches, at Brown and Harvard, offered him one. 

At Harvard, Lin dominated. Again, he didn't just compete, didn't just win, but dominated. As a junior he was the only player in the country to place in the top 10 in his conference in the following eight categories: scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocked shots and shooting percentage from the field, line and 3-point arc. As a senior he put up similar numbers (16.4 ppg, 4.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks). I watched in awe as he single handedly defeated Boston College in two consecutive years.

Lin went undrafted out of college and spent last year playing sparingly with the Golden State Warriors who later released him. The Knicks signed him after the second game of the season and at first relegated him to the bench. He finally got his chance against the Nets and scored 25 points. Since then the Knicks are 5-0, including a victory over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Lin has the led the team in assists in all five games, and in scoring in four of the five games. He’s brought the long suffering Knicks fans to a point of “Lin-Sanity”.

It was announced yesterday that Lin was chosen as Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 27.3 points and 8.3 assists.

Lin’s story is similar to other local players of note who have achieved stardom in spite of the “Conventional Wisdom of Sport”.

Wes Welker:(1) “Don’t waste a scholarship on him, he’s too small.” (2) “He’s too small to play in the NFL.”        

Doug Flutie: (1) “He’ll never make it as a college quarterback, make him a defensive back.” (2) “He’s too small to play professional football.”

Kevin Youkilis:    “So he gets a bunch of walks. What good is a walk?”

Jeremy Lin: (1) “Whoever heard of an Asian American playing college basketball?” (2) “Whoever heard of an Asian American playing in the NBA ?”