Jeremy Lin Says Harvard Is Shedding Nerdy Stereotype With NCAA Win

Jeremy Lin says Harvard is no joke.

After Thursday’s upset in the NCAA Tournament, it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone doubting him.

As one of the most famous basketball alums of the historic university, Jeremy Lin said that Harvard is shedding its stereotype as a collection of nerdy intellectuals rather than a squad of tough ballplayers.

Now a guard with the Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin shot into the national spotlight last year with his meteoric rise on the New York Knicks. His stellar play to lead the team into a playoff spot set off Linsanity and made him the most famous athlete from Harvard (apologies to Ryan Fitzpatrick).

Now that the No. 13 seed Harvard Crimson pulled off one of the 2013 NCAA Tournament bigger upsets with a 68-62 win over New Mexico, the rest of the nation is seeing what Lin did all along.

“There’s so many stereotypes about Harvard,” Lin told reporters in Houston before last night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “You could tell, even last night, just everyone saying nerd, geek, whatever. Yeah, it’s a joke, but eventually people will realize even though you go to Harvard you can still hoop.”

Even if Jeremy Lin believed in Harvard, few others in the nation did. Less than 6 percent of the more than 8 million people entering ESPN’s bracket challenge picked the Crimson, and even Harvard Law School alum Barack Obama penciled in New Mexico on his bracket.

Lin was clearly euphoric after the game ended and Harvard moved on to the round of 32. He tweeted:

YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you…. #threepointgoggles #bracketbusters twitter.com/JLin7/status/3…

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) March 22, 2013

Even though he’s three years removed from playing for Harvard, Lin was still sharing in the victory.

“It felt like college again,” Jeremy Lin said of his Harvard days. “They did a good job, man. I’m happy for them.”