Jeremy Lin: Harvard's One Success Story

Jeremy Lin: Harvard’s One Success Story

Two weeks ago, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin slept on a couch every night. It’s hard to believe that the man who dominated the covers of both the New York times and the New York Post in the same week didn’t have a room to himself in the city. Lin, the NBA’s American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, was living like a struggling actor trying to make it big on Broadway.

In a way, Lin’s rise to success is nearly identical to every Cinderella success story we hear about young actors trying to make it big NYC. Like all loveable protagonists, Lin came from humble beginnings.

A Palo Alto native, he was overlooked during college recruiting. He didn’t receive a single athletic scholarship offer so he decided to ball at Harvard University. Harvard, usually known for distinguished scholars, top businessmen and douchebags, does not have a reputation for churning out professional athletes. Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is a rare example and even he had a hard time establishing himself in the NFL.

At Harvard, Lin set numerous records and is the first person in the Ivy League to ever record at least 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals. He was the standout player in a surprisingly good (and very underrated) league and was on the radar of numerous NBA scouts. Did I mention that he graduated with a 3.1 GPA from one of the best schools (that’s not named Dartmouth) in the nation? Despite the accolades and the proven success, Lin wasn’t drafted.

Like all Cinderella stories, Lin had to overcome adversity. He was perceived as an outsider in the world of basketball and had to prove his value before anyone gave him a fair shot. He played in the NBA summer league for the Dallas Mavericks where he lined up against 2010 number one draft pick John Wall. Fans cheered wildly for Wall when he entered the game but the audience shifted their support to Lin after the young guard’s exhilarating style of play generated 13 points.

At the end of the summer, Lin was signed to his hometown favorite Golden State Warriors; however, his experience was far from ideal. Lin was sent to the D-League three times. Being sent to the D-League is like hearing, “we need to talk” from your girlfriend. It means your coach is telling you that you aren’t good enough to play right now and that he’s ready to explore other alternatives. In the D-League, Lin always dominated the competition but never received many opportunities to excel in an NBA game.

After a turbulent first half of the 2012 NBA season, Lin had no idea if his tenure in New York would last most than a couple months. He had already been cut by two NBA teams this year so he figured it would be cheaper to stay with his brother, a New York University grad student, instead of finding a place for himself. His contract wasn’t guaranteed so he knew that he could have been cut at any moment.

Like all success stories, Lin’s rise can be defined by one moment. In this case, Lin’s moment happened over the course of the past six days.

In early February 2012, an entire nation witnessed the true talent of Jeremy Lin. On Saturday night, Lin dropped 25 points off the bench. After the game, an entire nation was ready to call his performance a fluke—it was a onetime success from an average player who just got lucky. Two days later, Lin dropped 28 points in his first ever NBA start. Now, people were saying “maybe he didn’t get lucky, but there’s no way that he’ll keep this up.” Lin proved them wrong too by putting up a double-double (23 points, 10 assists) two days later.

This kid is special.

If you don’t believe Jeremy Lin is a good basketball player, you’re in denial. Over the past week, he’s made Deron Williams and John Wall look silly. His dazzling control of the pick-and-roll is mesmerizing. His chemistry with his teammates is off the charts. He’s finding open shots, creating great passing lanes, and driving to the basket with athletic and acrobatic moves that remind me of Steve Nash and Allen Iverson. Did I mention that he can dunk? He’s the complete package.

Watching Jeremy Lin is like watching Ben and Cam in HBO’s cancelled (by the way, I’m really pissed that this got cancelled) How to Make it in America. Ben and Cam are two loveable guys who are trying to start their own clothing label in the mean streets of NYC. Neither of them has anything other than their creativity and their drive. You love to root for them because they’re great guys. They love and enjoy what they do and will do anything to achieve their dreams.

Jeremy Lin has the exact same effect on his audience. I don’t consider myself a Knicks fan but I can’t help but root for Lin. He has an incredible presence that makes everyone in an arena cheer. Even when he plays outside of The Garden, opposing fans cheer him as much as (if not more than) their own team. Lin has a certain type of swag that inspires people. He’s confident and not cocky and he always shows how much fun he’s having on the court.

Like any NBA star, Lin needs his own NBA nickname. Since I’ve never been good at making nicknames (my own name “Hollisto” was given to me by my football coach), I’ll borrow one from my boy Rembert Browne, a Dartmouth classmate of mine and a blogger extraordinaire.

Browne said that Lin should now be referred to as “The Violin” because “if everyone shows up at Madison Square Garden with violins, and every time he does something awesome the entire crowd starts aggressively doing bow work, it will be the greatest sports phenomenon of all time.” I agree completely—just imagine the posters. Lin would get rich from the merchandising and an entire generation of New Yorkers would learn a classic musical instrument. Everybody wins.

- Chad Hollis
Twitter: @DJHollisto

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February 10th, 2012 | Dan | Comments Off |