In only two weeks’ time, Jeremy Lin and the “Linsanity-infused” media has breathed life into the New York Knicks organization.
Even without Carmelo Anthony, (and for a short time without Amar’e Stoudemire), Lin has single-handedly made the Knicks relevant again. He has, for the time being, saved Mike D’Antoni’s job as head coach and delayed the question of whether or not ‘Melo and Amar’e can play nice.
The 6-foot-4-inch Harvard grad is an NBA “Linsensation.” Yeah, I said it.
There have been attempts to equate his emergence to those of other sports players in the past, but his rapid rise to fame has been truly unique.
He was dropped by the Houston Rockets in December and signed as a free agent by the Knicks two weeks later, but didn’t played a game with New York until Feb. 4.
The impact he’s had over the last two weeks has been remarkable. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, “Linsanity” has spread from New York to the world at breakneck speed.
When evaluating how one player can change the mood of a city like New York, it’s not hard to imagine how the Binghamton University basketball team could use a similar spark.
That is not to say Binghamton needs culturally diverse players on its squad — though it would be nice — or even an All-Academic, but if any collegiate team in the country needs someone like Jeremy Lin, it’s our Bearcats.
The Knicks’ scouting staff deserves all the credit for Linsanity. As for Binghamton’s recruiters, they should be looking out for the dark horses in the Division I market.
The good news for the Bearcats is that they have nowhere to go but up, so there’s no better time to try some new recruitment tactics. The challenge for Binghamton is to impress potential Division I players and to persuade them to join a team that lacks talent.
Understandably, it might be harder for the Bearcats than the Knicks made it seem. While the Knicks play in the NBA, where the pond is smaller and all 30 fish are about the same size, the NCAA’s 342-team ocean — where disparity in skill is vast — makes it harder for BU to find and capture a diamond in the rough.
At the very least, Binghamton needs to find leaders, like Lin, who are driven by turning bad into good and improving the play of his teammates. Lin has done just that and more. Madison Square Garden has been a madhouse of excitement and, like Tim Tebow before him, Lin credits much of his success to his Christian faith.
Who cares if a player is religious and attributes his success to God and Jesus? These kinds of players are clearly driven and for Lin — and perhaps Tebow — it’s working thus far.
So, BU, let’s all take a knee, bow our heads and pray. Pray for a sensation, for someone who can rally our squad and lead us to victory. Let’s start with one.