“It’s a talking point [during recruiting], but it’s a piece of the puzzle,” Telep said of Lin’s signing. “I don’t think it alters the landscape. You’re not setting out to recruit NBA players. You can’t get those guys…[But] it’s definitely something different than most guys in the Ivy League can say.”
Ultimately, the factors that have traditionally kept Ivy League schools from landing elite recruits—such as their lack of athletic scholarships, high admissions standards, and minimal national exposure—will interfere with the Harvard coaching staff’s hopes of landing its dream prospects.
Though Lin’s story may not necessarily cause waves of Crimson recruits to line up outside of Amaker’s door, his signing has certainly given credence to the training he received at Harvard. Lin said that his career “really took off” under the instruction of Amaker and his new brand of basketball. Lin pointed to Amaker’s encouragement of up-tempo style of play and non-conference contests against elite opponents as factors that helped mold him into an NBA prospect.
When Amaker arrived at Harvard in 2007, Lin had just concluded his freshman season, during which the rookie averaged 4.8 points in over 18 minutes per contest. The coach quickly implemented a number of changes to the program, including the recruiting of stronger players, playing at a faster tempo, and scheduling tougher non-conference opponents.
Lin thrived in the new style of Harvard basketball, averaging 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game during his first season with Amaker.
“He has a different brand of basketball in terms of he goes up and down a lot,” Lin said. “It’s a fun style and that’s very different from the rest of the Ivy League.”
While the up-tempo style of play helped improve Lin’s numbers, it was the Crimson’s contest against the likes of Michigan, Boston College, and UConn that increased Lin’s national exposure. Lin burst onto the national stage as a junior when the then-unknown Asian American guard carried the Crimson to an improbable victory over then-No. 17 Boston College.
Lin followed up on his career performance at BC a year later, leading the Crimson to another defeat of the Eagles, this time by racking up 25 points four assists and three rebounds. But it was Lin’s 30-point explosion as a senior against UConn that really put Lin on the national stage, as Lin was soon featured in articles on ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, and Time Magazine.
“[The non-conference schedule] was huge,” Lin said. “That’s what got Harvard and my name out there… Coach Amaker has done a great job with scheduling and getting those teams.”
While Lin’s signing may help bring in high-caliber players to Cambridge, it has also had an impact on players already in Crimson uniform—and some have expressed a renewed focus on training.
“It is just motivation,” said Wright, who is on campus this summer working out multiple times a day at Lavietes Pavilion. “He’s somewhere where every basketball player dreams to be. I just use that as motivation. He definitely changed the thought process of a lot of the guys on the team.”
“It’s definitely motivation,” said point guard Brandyn Curry ’13, who has been working out 12 times a week in North Carolina, on top of rehab four times a week for his knee. “Our dream is to play in the NBA. It just makes us realize that it’s definitely possible and we have to be working harder everyday just like [Lin] did.”