Through Grit and Growth: The Journey of Noah Lin

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By: Andrea Aruino

Noah Lin was born in Atlanta but moved to the Bay Area when he was three years old, where he’s lived ever since. Growing up in a city with pride for its sports teams proved to be the perfect environment for Lin. With so many sports opportunities, Lin found himself focusing the most on basketball. He first picked up a basketball when his parents enrolled him into a local community center’s basketball team. Ever since then, he continued to attend summer camps every year until he landed himself a spot on an AAU team during his sixth grade season. Now as a sophomore in high school, he reflects on the five different AAU teams he has been on in the last four years. Each of them served a different purpose whether he was the leader or sixth man on the team, he knew how to execute each role in order to help his team reach their goals. 

In the eighth grade, Lin began playing for three different AAU teams. He found himself getting less playing time on one team and more on the other. Lin was not satisfied with only getting a solid amount of playing time from one team, and he knew he had the skills and determination to perform well. It was discouraging, but he used this as an opportunity to grow off the bench. 

“A lot of times it felt depressing. I felt like I was putting in a lot of work but I knew I just had to be persistent and make sure I was going all out during practices. It’s the only thing you can do sometimes, but I knew I had to remain confident in myself whenever I was called to sub in,” Lin said. 

It was during Lin’s eight grade season that he began attending UPBasketball’s group sessions. He loved being able to train with people alongside him outside of AAU and his school team’s practices. While he gained a lot of knowledge from group sessions, he had his eyes set on working with coaches privately to bring his game to a whole new level. Lin recalls being drawn to Coach Hannah’s coaching style and has been training with her privately since coming to UPB. 

“I was really drawn to Coach Hannah’s energy during a group session. You can tell she wants all of the players to improve and I wanted to work with someone who was ready to challenge me. We work on a lot of shooting and quick-release work but she’s also been huge in my mental game. She gave me breathing exercises that help to keep me mentally focused throughout games,” Lin said. 

Going into his sophomore year season, Lin recalls the transition between eighth grade to ninth grade being a shocker due to the level of basketball he began playing. He entered high school as a freshman on the varsity team and realized quickly that mistakes for a freshman had to be minimal if he wanted to get into the game. Working with Coach Hannah has allowed him to adjust when it comes to bigger and faster players. Knowing how to think quickly and improvise when needed has improved Lin’s game tremendously. 

“He’s improved at being able to score at any level and taking advantage of his strengths. We work a lot on his change of speeds, being able to elevate in his jump shot, and being able to read what the defense gives him. I’m proud of the way he’s grown on and off the court, he’s matured as a person and in his game. I know his consistency and determination will make an impact on his team this upcoming season and I’m excited to see that,” Coach Hannah said. 

Lin’s goals don’t stop growing, and he has a game plan on how to approach the next step towards becoming a better player everyday. Short term goals for Lin look like getting better at shooting while his long term goals include being an overall better teammate and leader for his team. Lin’s grit will undoubtedly be carried into his upcoming school year setting him up for success.