Here Comes The Jeremy Lin Show
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

Harvard's Jeremy Lin isn't shying away from college basketball's most unlikely stardom.

It looks like I was a little early to jump on the bandwagon for the Jeremy Lin show because this kid is blowing up big time. I just joined a Facebook group titled “The Jeremy Lin Fanclub” or something to that effect. He’s getting his 15 minutes of fame right now and I really hope he can stretch it out further because really, it comes down to the fact that this kid has skills.

I’m from Connecticut and I’ve always followed UConn basketball, even after I moved to CA. UConn has always had a strong program, finishing (at least) in the Sweet 16 time and time again. Their coach draws the best recruits because they know they’ll get their shot at the NBA by going to the school as consistently successful as the Huskies. UConn is always mentioned with other basketball greats likes Georgetown, Duke, and UCLA.

And yet, Jeremy Lin made UConn look silly. How’s UConn gonna let a skinny Asian-American kid drop 30 points on them? They didn’t lose the game, I’ll give you that. But this game really thrust Jeremy into the spotlight. Sure, he had that insane game-winning 3-pointer a couple weeks back, but that was just a good basketball play in a game that didn’t mean anything. Jeremy’s stellar play in an upset bid meant a lot more. And a couple days later, he helped Harvard upset BC. Something he had accomplished last year. I can imagine the scenario; Jeremy comes out of nowhere to show the world how good he is and the editors of all the major sports networks scrambling to send reporters to get the story behind this kid.

What did they find? The story of an immigrant father, infatuated with basketball but never picking one up until he was an adult. The story of him learning the game from the greats through game film, and teaching his sons the game, investing the time to help develop the fundamentals and love for the game. Jeremy took flight after that, becoming a freshmen starter in high school and helping his team win the state championship in an upset bid.

It seems that being an underdog is a major part of Jeremy’s life. Because of his ethnicity, he’s not taken seriously. He was the runaway choice for player of the year and yet he didn’t get one offer from any Division 1 schools. He’s been fighting an uphill battle from a very young age, but he’s honed his game and is finally getting his due. And what does that speak of? Discipline. Consistency. Courage.

I find myself wanting a Harvard jersey. What is this world coming to?

12/11/2009, 9:55 AM