Jeremy Lin - Brown Players Talk About the NBA Phenom

Jeremy Lin - Brown Players Talk About the NBA Phenom

Little do many know, Jeremy Lin, the former Harvard All-Ivy basketball player and now NBA phenom, wanted to play at Brown. But, the coaching staff thought he was a little too thin for the rigors of the Ivy League. Former Brown players look back at their former rival with some insights and excitement.

Damon Huffman, Brown, All-Ivy Guard, now playing professionally in Europe

"As for me, I think when you see an Ivy league kid doing well in the NBA it validates the basketball competition from the Ivy League. It's great for the league, for the exposure, and for all the previous players who played against him or with him. With having a teammate here in Holland who also played in the Ivy League, Kareem Maddox Princeton '11, Jeremy Lin's success has created a huge buzz in the locker room.

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"A lot of hypothetical situations are being thrown out because both Kareem and myself both had success against Lin and Harvard. I think he has seized his opportunity and he deserves a lot of credit for being able to perform at a very high level when his number got called. Hopefully in future basketball debates the Ivy league gets a little respect because it looks like an Ivy League kid finally made the big show."

Mark MacDonald, former Brown starting center, former pro-player, and Director of Social Media for GoLocal

"Jeremy came for a visit at Brown and was a nice kid, very humble and quiet. He played with us and you can tell he had a great feel for the game and loved being on the court. I'm glad to see he has caught on in the NBA and found so much success as of late. I hope he keeps it up because with Cornell and most recently Harvard making so much noise, he is a great ambassador for Ivy League basketball." 

"Everyone who has played in the Ivy League is living through him right now. He is a special talent who refused to give up on his dream. Now he's got MSG on its feet and Magic Johnson comparing him Stockton and Nash, it's quite a story."

Scott Cordischi, Sports Editor, GoLocalProv.com and voice of Brown Basketball

"Jeremy Lin has taken the Super Bowl champion Giants off the back page of the New York tabloids. What he is doing for the Knicks is fabulous! His energy on the floor is contageous and his teammates are feeding off of it."

"He was a solid Ivy League player. But, if anyone who watched him in college tells you that they predicted this type of success, they're lying. No one thought he'd make the NBA much less be a star in the league.
Ironically, Lin wanted to attend Brown but the staff at the time wasn't too high on him because he was a scronny 6-foot guard. However, he grew 3 inches as a freshman at Harvard."

2007-08 All-Ivy Men's Basketball

First Team
Damon Huffman, Brown (Sr., G, Petoskey, Mich.)
*Mark McAndrew, Brown (Sr., G, Barrington, R.I.)
John Baumann, Columbia (Sr., F, Westport, Conn.)
*Louis Dale, Cornell (So., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
*Ryan Wittman, Cornell (So., F, Eden Prairie, Minn.)

* unanimous selection

Second Team
Chris Skrelja, Brown (Jr., F, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.)
Jeff Foote, Cornell (Jr., C, Lockwood, N.Y.)
Adam Gore, Cornell (Jr., G, Monrovia, Ind.)
Alex Barnett, Dartmouth (Jr., G/F, St. Louis, Mo.)
Jeremy Lin, Harvard (So., G, Palo Alto, Calif.)
Brian Grandieri, Penn (Sr., G, Media, Pa.)
Noah Savage, Princeton (Sr., F, Princeton, N.J.)
Ross Morin, Yale (Jr., F, Cincinnati, Ohio)
Travis Pinick, Yale (Jr., G/F, Orange, Calif.)

Player of the Year
Louis Dale, Cornell

Rookie of the Year
Tyler Bernardini, Penn