Former Harvard athlete making splash in NBA

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- From playing in the Ivy League to climbing the NBA ranks, a Harvard basketball player has had success in his start as an NBA player.

From Madison Square Garden to Harvard Square, Jeremy Lin is making quite an impact on the basketball court and his fans are thrilled.

Lin is the first Taiwanese-American player in the NBA and the first player from Harvard since 1954 and he is starting to make headlines playing for the New York Knicks.

Recently, Lin thought he might get cut from the Knicks’ roster.

“It’s pretty amazing. We feel proud, everything is exploding,” said Howard Zhang, a Harvard student.

“Everyone is talking about it. The most read story in the Crimson is about Jeremy Lin. It’s definitely a buzz,” said Jacob Feldman, a Harvard Crimson sports writer.

Lin was undrafted out college and had no success with the Warriors but when he got a shot to play with stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire on the Knicks he took advantage of the opportunity.

Lin lead the Knicks to three straight wins with 25 points, 28 points and 23 points, respectively.

“I think he’s inspired a lot of Harvard athletes and athletes in general to pursue their dreams,” said Sophy Lee, a Harvard student.

Lin is also Christian and vocal about it; leading some to call him basketball’s Tim Tebow.

“Everyone is just so pumped to see what he does in the next game,” said Tim Schmoll, a Harvard student.

Harvard students said they would be paying attention when the Knicks play the Lakers Friday night. The Knicks will not play the Celtics until March 4, 2012, so it is not clear if Lin will still be playing.

(Copyright (c) 2012 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)