Editors’ Note: This piece, written by Palo Alto High School alumnus Jeremy Lin, originally appeared in The Campanile, Palo Alto High School’s student-run newspaper. It was later published on The Paly Voice April 17, 2006.
As I look back and reflect upon my four-year basketball career here at Palo Alto High School, I realize how perfectly everything worked out. Before this year, winning a state championship was a stretch of my imagination. After that goal became reality, my natural tendency was to give myself the credit for the win. However, the more I think about the experience, the more I understand that I deserve less and less credit. I realize I could have done absolutely nothing without the support of so many other people, and I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.
First off, I want to thank God for guiding me to Paly and blessing me with the experiences He planned for me. Everything happened for a reason and, in the end, I was blessed with lifelong friends and memories, topped off by a state championship. I could not have asked for more. Next, I want to thank my dad, mom and two brothers for their love, support and help in making me the basketball player I am today. My father raised me playing basketball, mentoring me even to this day. Meanwhile, my mom supported me with hundreds of hours of “team mom” work, and my brothers competed with me everyday and gave me a passion for the game.
Furthermore, the Paly basketball team would not be nearly the program it is today without the leadership of Coaches Peter Diepenbrock and Bob Roehl. Although Diepenbrock has instilled a competitive fire and love for the game in his players from day one, I will remember him most for teaching us important life lessons, namely in responsibility, dedication and integrity. Coach Bob has also preached hard work, discipline and teamwork since joining the program this year. Diepenbrock has spent nine years shaping this team into one of the elite programs in the state. His California Coach of the Year award is an understatement. He teaches more than just basketball. Although I ended up with the MVP award, I feel that the plaque should be divided into six pieces and distributed evenly to my senior teammates Steven Brown, Brad Lehman, Cooper Miller, Kheaton Scott and Kevin Trimble. I cannot thank them enough for being true teammates ever since we started playing together during our elementary school years. They picked me up for four years, notably after my season-ending injury last year, and showed me time and time again that no matter how many mistakes I made, I was still part of their basketball family. At the same time, it is equally important to recognize the contributions of Jonny Palmer, Adam Wandell, Connor Baskauskas, Brian Karvelas, Brook Seaman and Josh Bennett. Even though they did not receive the glory and awards, they were as much part of the team as any of the six seniors. Their competitive fire inspired the team in practice, embracing their distinct and essential roles with venerable enthusiasm.
Lastly, I am very grateful for the Paly students, staff and community. Paly boys’ basketball has not lost at home since March 2003, despite numerous overtime and one-possession games over the last three seasons. The reason is simple: the fans. The support and the love shown to the basketball team has been truly amazing, and the season would not have ended the same without the fans cheering us on and encouraging us to give our best effort every second. On behalf of the Paly basketball program, I want to thank everyone for supporting our team. Thank you for helping us win our state championship; a championship that we, as a school and community, can share together. It could not have been done without you, and that is not a stretch of my imagination.