Lee would like to see more people in the Asian-American community follow Lin’s lead and achieve success.

“It would be really sad to see Jeremy Lin being the only Asian-American athlete in this decade or this generation,” Lee says. “It would be really nice to see people take his lead and really change sports into something Asian-Americans can pursue so that they can feel sports is something that Asian-Americans have had success in in the past.”

Lin’s stories of persistence as an Asian-American athlete live on through New York University sophomore guard Ryan Tana, a fellow Asian-American basketball player from the Bay Area.

“I basically grew up with [Lin] because I played with his brother Joseph in AAU. It’s given me and a lot of other Asian-American players confidence in basketball and the things that they can get accomplished,” Tana says. “It makes me proud to be playing basketball at such a high level. You hear so much about it. Just this past season, on road trips the fans would call me Jeremy Lin and stuff like that, so you’re exposed to it all the time.”

Tana, a guard who excelled in both athletics and academics at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. admits that race may have been a factor during his college basketball recruiting process.

“There are definitely stereotypes about Asians, and coaches see them. I think that definitely plays a part in recruiting in terms of all Asian-Americans who are trying to play basketball at the next level,” Tana says. “Besides the coaches, other players would also not really see me as a legitimate threat. They would not really take me seriously. I had confidence that I could play at the D-I level, but that didn’t really happen, you could say, because I’m Asian.”

While Tana believes that there is still a long way to go until Asian-Americans are afforded the same respect during the recruiting process, he is heartened by the increasing prevalence of Asian and Asian-American athletes at the collegiate level.

“At my school, at NYU, they are starting to recruit more Asian players,” Tana says. “This year we have a freshman from Hong Kong, Adam Zhu, and next year we have a Korean player coming in. On our level, there are definitely more Asians. But there’s a lot more work to do. America in general has a long way to go in terms of race relations and how we perceive different people.”

LEAP OF FAITH

Yet another layer of Jeremy’s story can be found in his devotion to Christianity. Much like New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, Lin has very publicly and adamantly expressed his faith.

Sophomore Harvard College Faith and Action member Terrance Moore thinks that Lin is within his boundaries to express his faith on the professional stage.

“I feel like [Tebow and Lin] are doing exactly what we are called to do,” Moore said. “God put certain skills, certain distinctions and gifts, for us to use it for His purpose on earth. They are being very bold in that, it takes a lot of courage. It takes a lot of faith and trust to get all that money and all that fame but still remember what your purpose is.”

Lee seems to agree with Moore’s sentiments.

“For me, I see Jeremy as a role model as a Christian athlete more than as a role model as an Asian-American athlete,” Lee says. “It’s really encouraging for me personally to see someone who can hold on to their identity as a Christian so strongly as a professional athlete, in a place where I assume it is easy and tempting to be someone different.”

Harvard sophomore and HCFA member Christopher Cleveland is equally inspired by Lin’s expression of his Christianity.