Jeremy Lin's Former Coach Bought Linsanity.com in 2010
Long before Jeremy Lin's name was splattered across news headlines, his high school coach believed that he would be a star and that it was only a matter of time before "Linsanity" hit America.
Andrew Slayton, who coached the first Asian-American player in the NBA when he was a student at California's Palo Alto High School, revealed that he is the owner of the domain name Linsanity.com in July 2010, which he uses to sell Lin-inspired t-shirts.
"Having long ago been declared terminally LinSane, we have followed Jeremy Lin's career since his days at Palo Alto High School always firmly believing that his time would come and that the world would know our LinSanity," says the website. "And, if you're as truly LinSane as us, these TEES are just what the doctor ordered. Welcome to LinSanity.com... the home for all your LinSanitees."
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The 23-year-old Chinese-American has led the New York Knicks to its five consecutive victories, the latest being against the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night.
In an email message to Guyism.com, Slayton says, "We are just trying to enjoy the Jeremy Lin Show and have a bit of creative fun at the same time – as a writer, the T-Shirts and The Book of Jeremy that I am writing on the site are a blast for me but not nearly as much fun as watching Jeremy deal on Deron Williams."
Slayton also praises Lin for working his "tail off to get where he's at … and he definitely deserves the Linsanity. Jeremy is going GLOBAL!"
Like the evangelical football star Tim Tebow, the Harvard graduate openly talks about his Christian faith.
After the Knicks' win on Saturday, Lin – a non-denominational Christian who still sleeps on the couch of his brother's apartment in New York City's East Village – tweeted, "Gutsy win...5 in a row! This team is so unselfish and has so much heart. Love playing with them!" And he added, "God is good!" He uses the phrase "to know Him is to want to know Him more" as his bio on his Twitter account.
Lin says he's inspired by Tebow. "Actually a lot of inspiration just because [Tebow's] such a polarizing figure but I think the things he says in interviews, his approach to the game is just unbelievable and I respect him so much," Lin told 95.7 The Game last Thursday.
"I want to be able to do some of the things that he does in terms of the amount of charity work and the nonprofit work, and the way he impacts people off the field. I think that is what is most inspiring to me about him."
In 2010, Lin told Sports Illustrated that he would try to resist the temptations that come with being in the NBA. "I am not saying I am better than anybody else, but I am going to try to live the way I have always lived and try not to change just because I am in the NBA." He also said he wants to become a pastor after his basketball career, and lead non-profit organizations.
Lin's Facebook page carries Romans 5:3-5 under his personal information, reading, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." It also features Colossians 3:23, which reads, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
Besides the domain name Linsanity.com, Slayton is also the owner of TheJeremyLinShow.com.
