The annual Rookie-Sophomore Challenge at the NBA All-Star Game has a new format this year: Teams will be selected by former superstars Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal from a pre-selected group of first and second-year players. With “Linsanity” sweeping the nation, it seems certain that Jeremy Lin ’10 should be one of the first guards picked—but there’s a problem. The Harvard alum wasn’t chosen as a candidate for the game, and, therefore, cannot be selected to play for either team.

As Lin has continued to set record after record this week, the snub seems a bit unfair, at least according to Cheng Ho ’10. Ho, just hours after Lin and his New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, created a Facebook event in the hopes of convincing the league to let Lin in on the game.

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Day eight and no signs of stopping yet—114 points in that time-span and no hints of slowing down. Three games started and the only thing bigger than the stats of Jeremy Lin ’10 on Friday night was the smile on his face after hitting yet another shot.

When the final buzzer sounded and the New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-85, the Madison Square Garden crowd chanted and chanted “MVP”, held up masks of Lin’s face and signs reading “Nothing is Linpossible.” And for the night, that slogan held true for the Harvard alum, as he posted a game-high 38 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals, leading his team to its fourth-consecutive win.

In just the two hours following the win, nine topics relating to Lin trended worldwide, including “Legend in New York [LIN]” and “Super Lintendo”.

“I am really not too worried about proving anything to anybody,” said Lin in his post-game interview. “As a team, we are growing and I think everyone is buying into it and that is why we are becoming more dangerous.”

Modesty aside, his game was nothing short of record-breaking. Lin has scored 89 points in his first three games starting for the Knicks, a number that proves to be the most since the ABA/NBA merger in 1976.

This game was anticipated by many as a test for the second-year guard, who would, for the first time, face one of the league’s leading defenses. The Lakers boast of two seven-footers in their front-line, making their height a formidable challenge for many opponents—but, in this game at least, L.A.’s bigs could not stand as tall as the 6’3 guard, who topped his previous career-high by 10 points.

Prior to the game, when the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was asked about Lin, the NBA veteran’s response equated to a shoulder shrug and a shake-off of the question: “I know who he is, but I don’t really know what’s going on with him. I don’t even know what he’s done.” After more prodding from reporters, and having acquired Lin’s recent stats, Bryant added: “He’s averaging 28 and eight? No [expletive]. If he’s playing well, I’ll just have to deal with him.”

After tonight’s game, Bryant was a little more complimentary.

“It’s a great story. It’s a testament to perseverance and hard work and a good example for kids everywhere.”

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni agreed with Bryant’s sentiments, emphasizing Lin’s big plays down the stretch.

“What he’s doing is amazing,” said Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. “He answered a lot of questions tonight. Can he make an outside shot? Can he pull the trigger in a big moment? He hit two 3s that just broke the game open. There’s so much stuff that he’s doing."

With the Knicks’ website now advertising a new “Lin-Sanity” iPhone app and ESPN finishing a Harvard alumni montage that included the likes of John Adams and JFK with Lin’s smiling face, the entire league is awaiting for his next move. Fans won’t have to wait long, however, as Lin and his Knicks take on the Linnesota Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Lin-ning and grinning. Lin-tensity. Lin-ning streak.

We've heard all the nicknames and wordplay, but none captures the hype surrounding Jeremy Lin ’10 better than Lin-sanity. Sports fans around the nation—and especially in New York—have a huge case of it, and it's pretty clear why.

Before the season started, huge expectations were placed on a team that features two NBA All-Stars and a defending NBA champion center. The Knicks were supposed to vie for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference and make a big run in the playoffs, but for the first 23 games, New York fans watched incredulously as their team moved into 10th place and lacked the chemistry needed to win it all. Critics blamed it all on the lack of a true point guard, and though rookie Iman Shumpert played well at the one spot in his first few starts, Shumpert was not consistent and exposed his tendency for playing as a combo guard.

New York coach Mike D'Antoni had already tried Toney Douglas, but he was clearly not the answer. D'Antoni also gave veteran Mike Bibby a try, but he couldn't get a fluid offense going. The Knicks then signed former All-Star Baron Davis, hoping that once back from a herniated disc injury, he could save the team from a losing season. New York also picked up Lin off of waivers in December to reinforce an inconsistent backcourt, but the second-year player was primarily kept on the bench, and in his limited time on the court, Lin didn’t do so well, to say the least.

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With the Harvard men’s basketball team visiting Penn on Friday night, we caught up with The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Calder Silcox over email to get the inside scoop on Penn basketball. Check out what Silcox had to say below.

The Harvard Crimson: What can Harvard expect from Penn on Friday?

Calder Silcox: The question isn't what Harvard can expect from Penn, but rather which Penn Harvard can expect. Lately we've seen a Penn team that has depth and a real drive to win. This is the Penn that swept its first Ivy weekend against Columbia and Cornell, beat St. Joe's, manhandled Princeton, and dispatched Brown (I've got a few more synonyms for 'won' in case you need them). This team also showed up to New Haven and played 35 minutes against Yale, only to relapse into the other Penn for the final crucial possessions and lose to the Bulldogs.

This other Penn, who we had gotten accustomed to seeing throughout December and early January, relies heavily on one player (you guessed it, Zack Rosen), and when his shots don't fall, Penn doesn't do very well. But lately we've seen a much deeper Penn team, with wingmen Tyler Bernardini and Miles Cartwright contributing much more, and freshman big man Henry Brooks is peaking. I'd expect the more competitive Penn to show up, looking to defend its home court on Friday. Penn's season essentially hinges on a victory over Harvard this weekend, and after last year's gut-wrenching loss here at the Palestra, I would be surprised to see the lesser version of this Quakers team show up.

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It’s official: “Linsanity” has taken ahold of the NBA, causing Facebook and Twitter feeds worldwide to blow up. After posting three consecutive 20-point games for the New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin ’10 has received coverage from ESPN, The New York Times, and The Atlantic—and even has a rap song devoted to him.

But it wasn’t that long ago that Lin was suiting up in a Harvard men’s basketball uniform. As a senior during the 2009-10 season, Lin led the Crimson to a 21-8 finish while averaging 16.4 points per game.

With Lin now turning heads in the NBA, we caught up with some current Harvard men’s basketball players to hear their thoughts on Crimson grad’s recent success.

How excited are you to see Jeremy’s recent success in the NBA? Are you surprised by his success?

Oliver McNally: “We were 100 percent confident that he was a legitimate NBA backup. I don’t want to lie. I thought he could definitely play in the NBA, but I don’t think anybody saw this happening. It’s pretty unbelievable….I couldn’t be happier. He’s by far the hardest worker I’ve ever been around. All he cares about is his family, his friends, and basketball. No one is more deserving.”

Keith Wright: “I’m really excited for him; I’m not surprised about it at all. He’s an extremely hard worker. He just needed a chance.…I think he made the most of [that] chance on Saturday night [a 25-point, seven-assist, five-rebound, two-steal effort against the New Jersey Nets]. He’s continued to work on his game, and it’s just nice to see his hard work pan out.”

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