Benson Lin and his own version of 'Linsanity'

TAIPEI (Chinese Taipei) - People are quick to draw comparisons between Benson Lin and former NBA star Jeremy Lin. An article was straightforwardly titled "What it's like when people start calling you the 'next Jeremy Lin'," referring to Benson back when he was still in high school in 2017.

These comparisons are inevitably made. Jeremy made a name for himself as the star of Harvard in the NCAA Division 1 before making his way to the NBA. Benson had just wrapped up a successful freshmen year at Bryant University, also in the NCAA. It is also easy to proclaim the "next coming of Linsanity" when both players have the "Lin" surname.

Young Benson won't quickly dismiss the comps, but he knows he has to remain level headed.

"Of course, I feel honored [getting compared to Jeremy Lin]," he said in an exclusive interview with DongTW. "But I try not to think about it too much because I am so far away from his level, so I have to try even harder to reach my goals like him."

 

There's also the immense pressure that comes with the expectations of being "Linsanity 2.0".

"I think [the pressure] is good. I think I can use it to warn myself because my goal is still so far away."

Benson Lin, or Lin Ting Chien, might still distance away from his goal of playing in the NBA, but he's also covered a lot of ground headed in the right direction. Just based off location alone, playing in high school and college in the US is already half a world away from where his love of the game grew back at home in Chinese Taipei.

"Of course, it was my dad [that got me started playing basketball] because when I was a kid, he took me to the courts," Lin said.

His father, Lin Cheng-Ming, was also the coach of Chinese Taipei youth national teams.

 

"I got a chance to go to the court where my dad used to play. I started seeing all these players playing on the court, and I just started loving basketball more and more from there."

It didn't take long for Lin to shoot up the rankings and onto the radar as one of the most promising prospects in Asia. Lin played at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2015 in Indonesia, and on his 16^th birthday (October 31), he dropped a whopping 33 points on the hosts to announce his arrival.

Lin finished as the 4^th highest scorer in the tournament at 21.9 points per game. He led Chinese Taipei to a historic second-place finish along with a trip to the U17 World Cup the following year. It was at the championship game against Korea, where he faced against another Asian prospect residing in the US, Yang Jae-Min. That clash was one to remember as Lin scored 19 points to counter 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists from Yang.

"He's a good shooter and ball handler. I have a lot of respect for him," said Lin. Yang could also be playing in the NCAA D1 next year after receiving an offer from California Polytechnic State University.

Lin didn't slow down at the U17 World Cup later next summer either, going off for 21.3 points per game (3^rd most in the tournament). He had some big-time performances, whether it was the shoot out against Dzanan Musa or his 29 points in a close loss to Argentina.

"I feel really proud about playing in the U16 Asian Championship and the U17 World Cup. At the U16 Asia Championship, even though we got second place, the atmosphere in our team was memorable."

Since then, Lin has only gotten better and better, raising hope for the future of Chinese Taipei basketball. He's been the star on the Chinese Taipei national teams in exhibition competitions, serving as an appetizer for fans over the past two years. Those fans can expect a lot more in the future with how much he's learned in his first year playing with Bryant.

"I think in this first year, I got to experience a lot because it was my freshman season training and learning in the NCAA. It was the first year for me, both in college and on the basketball team," said Lin.

"I learned that proper preparation is the most important thing because the competition level is very intense. You never know when your next opportunity will come, so all you can do is prepare yourself as well as you can. When the opportunity comes, you just have to give it your all to take it. That's the most important thing I learned this season."

 

There was the obvious difference in size, and strength Lin ran into, going up against his opponents in the US. That's just one of the things that he has had to learn to overcome.

"I feel like physicality is a natural attribute that does create a difference, but we can find other ways to fill in the gap. No matter who we are, I think we can use our skills, techniques, and work ethic to minimize that disadvantage or nullify it completely."

"I think [gaining the trust of the coach] was one of the most important things of playing in the US to be able to be consistent and confident on the court," Lin added. "To gain the trust of the coach, you have to give it your all whether it's in-game, in practice, or even just in the weight room."

To help him overcome those obstacles, not only this past year, but throughout his entire time playing basketball, Lin has turned to some seasoned veterans he's familiar with for advice.

"Someone that anyone should learn from is Lin Chih-Chieh because he can always score in unexpected ways wherever he is on the court and his ball-handling skills. It makes me respect him very much," Lin said.

Benson has some similarities in playing position with Lin Chih-Chieh, but he also gets some hands-on help from players of other styles of play to get another perspective as well.

"Tseng Wen-Ting always helps me a lot in the offseason," added Lin. "When I come back to Taipei, I always go to talk about the game with him. Like last year, he taught me how to attack bigger defenders because he knew I would meet a lot in the US, and I had to go find ways to attack them."

Big brother Tseng's advice has helped the 1.90 (6'3") Lin so far throughout high school and his first collegiate season. He averaged 8.6 points per game for the Bryant Bulldogs, helping him earn a nod on the Northeast Conference (NEC) All-Rookie Team.

The 2⃣0⃣2⃣0⃣ ⛹ #AllRookieTeam 👇

🔹 Myles Baker, CCSU

🔹 Devon Dunn, FDU

🔹 Michael Green III, BRY

🔹 Benson Lin, BRY

🔹 Rob Higgins, SFBK #NECelite #NECMBB pic.twitter.com/2KWOYy5KEV

— Northeast Conference (@NECsports) March 3, 2020

The comparisons between Jeremy and Benson Lin will probably not be stopping any time soon, especially as Benson continues to rise at this rate. As honored as he is, Benson is just out there to make a name for himself. He seems to be right on track to do that.

FIBA