If you follow basketball at all, you have most certainly heard of the young phenom, Jeremy Lin. Playing for the Knicks, he attracted a flood of attention and had an immediate following of young players admiring him; as well as older players in awe of him. But who is this young man and where did he come from? It seems he just appeared out of nowhere... but that's not the case.
Born in Los Angeles in August of 1988, his parents had come from Taiwan to the US in the mid 1970's. They settled in Virginia, and then moved to Indiana where they both attended college. Now, since they were not especially tall, Jeremy's height was unique. His grandmother's family was tall and his mother encouraged him to play basketball. Even forming a junior program in Palo Alto when they moved there. Academics were number one, but basketball was very important to Lin.
Lin's high school basketball experience was stellar. He was the team captain at Palo Alto high and in his senior year they won the CIF Division II state title. He was named first-team All-State and Northern CA Division II player of the year. He averaged 15 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals when his senior year came to an end. With great attention poured on him in CA, athletic scholarships were the next goal.
Lin put together a resume and DVD of highlights of his high school play to all Ivy League schools, U of C, Berkley, Stanford and UCLA. The PAC 10 schools wanted him to walk-on... they didn't want to recruit him or offer a scholarship. Harvard and Brown would guarantee a spot on the basketball team, and Ivy League schools don't offer athletic scholarships. Lin had a good understanding of the recruiting system and the NCAA rules and regulations. And, he also understood that if a coach watched him play only once, he would not see all of his skills and potential.
With doubts about Lin's ability some schools interest waned. Many felt that Stanford would offer Lin a scholarship and because it was close to his home, he would accept. But, with a 4.2 GPA Lin had his eye fixed on Harvard. Coach Bill Holden was able to see Jeremy play in a tough, competitive game and saw his killer instinct kick in. He definitely wanted Lin. UCLA dropped the ball, too. Harvard got him!
On to the pros, agent Roger Montgomery and the draft. In 2010 he went un-drafted. After a summer of play he was noticed and some offers came his way. In July of 2010 he signed with the Golden State Warriors. With that he added a contract with Nike. And here's a noteworthy point... Lin became the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. He was an immediate fan favorite as chant and cheers for him were contagious.
As a professional, Lin didn't shine like he did in high school and college. His teammates and opposing players were great players... many better than he. So, he fit in but didn't stand out. There were many ups and downs while he was with the Warriors. Although he was an attention getter for the team he wasn't the star. He developed a huge fan following and the "Linsanity" was played on by the media. Some faux pas by reporters that bordered on racial slurs gained lots of attention. And many uncomfortable moments occurred when well-known's tweeted, blogged and otherwise put their foot in their mouths with inappropriate comments.
During the 2011 lockout, Lin rehabbed a knee injury. He played for the Chinese Basketball Assoc. And was courted by Yao Ming, former NBA player and Shanghai Sharks president. Once the lockout was lifted and the NBA got cranking again, Lin found himself free and he was picked up by the New York Knicks. He plays well, and has been an asset to the team. How long he will be there is unknown. Another injury to the knee sidelined him for the season and will limit his play.
His future is unknown at this point but with his agents help and some wise strategy he will shine again.
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