Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
Abraham Lin, an exchange student from Taiwan currently enrolled at EGHS, is the latest Eagle Grove athlete to be named to an All-Conference team. The senior made an immediate impact on the boys basketball program in his first and only season representing the purple and gold.
Inspired by his older cousin, Lin began playing basketball at a young age. In ninth grade, he even guided his team to Taiwan’s “Final 8.”
“It hadn’t been done at my school in 30 or 40 years,” he said with a grin during a recent interview with The Eagle.
Lin spent some time in southern California before moving to Iowa, so he wasn’t a complete stranger to the United States. Still, he’s grateful for the hospitality the people of Eagle Grove have shown him and for a seamless transition into his temporary home.
“Everyone was really nice and so welcoming when I first landed here.”
This winter, Lin put the Top of Iowa Conference on notice in twenty electrifying games. In 2024-25, he had the fourth best points per game average in the entire conference, scoring 17.8 a night while shooting an efficient 51% from the field, 71% from the free throw line, and 31% from distance. He also averaged 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 2 SPG on his way to a First Team All-Conference selection in the TOI-West.
“I just wanted to have fun this season because I haven’t played basketball in the States in a while,” Lin commented. “I just wanted to experience it and see what Iowa basketball was like.”
Although the 6’1” guard/forward admits he wasn’t actively pursuing All-Conference before the season started or even aware of how important the distinction was, he still feels “honored to have that recognition.”
Now that the season is over, Lin says he’s “probably done with basketball” and has no plans to play collegiately, but he does intend to further his studies. While he waits to hear back from the American schools he’s applied to, Abe is tickled by the prospect of participating in more high school sports here in Wright County. In Taiwan, high school athletes typically only choose one sport, so Lin is looking forward to potentially competing in track and field this spring and baseball in the summer.
