Middletown’s Eli Pemberton learning from Jeremy Lin, hoping to inspire the next wave of Connecticut hoopers in G League

Eli Pemberton is grateful to be where he is. The Middletown native and Hofstra star is about to start his first season of professional basketball with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League says it over and over and over again.

Thankful. Appreciative. Blessed.

Chasing a professional basketball career is not for the faint of heart. Opportunities are slim, especially for those who don’t hear their name called during the NBA Draft. Count Pemberton as one of the many college players who went undrafted this past fall.

There’s often no roadmap for those who don’t land a guaranteed contract. Opportunities are slim — even for those who are selected in the first and second round of the draft. And if you’re like Pemberton, the trail to the NBA can often be challenging and unforgiving.

But Pemberton has a guide with him at all times, just a few lockers down.

Jeremy Lin.

“Nobody understands that moment of ‘Linsanity,’ how much hope he brought to New Yorkers, how much hope he brought to the culture,” Pemberton said. “Guys like me, when you see people who really get it out the mud — good people — get what they deserve, it gives you a lot of confidence.”

‘Linsanity,’ happened during a stretch in the 2011-12 NBA season. Lin, after being claimed off of waivers by the New York Knicks, set the basketball world on fire, scoring triple-doubles, 30-point games, game-winning shots and the cover of Sports Illustrated. For weeks, he was the biggest story in basketball.

An undrafted guard out of Harvard, Lin played in the G League, then called the D League, before securing his chance to shine in Madison Square Garden. Now, Lin is looking to work his way back into the NBA with the Warriors’ G League team — the same organization he began his pro career with over 10 years ago.

Pemberton wants that.

“I’m just so blessed,” Pemberton said. “He’s been teaching me a lot, he put me under his wing and he’s been helping me with the game. It’s really crazy. I look at him in practice and I’m like yo, I’m still a fan. But you’re competing against him, you’ve got to chill. I’ll never forget ‘Linsanity.’ That was the best two weeks of basketball, you had to lock in. ... me being a sponge, I try and get as much information off of him because I want my ‘Linsanity’ moment.”

Pathway to the pros

Pemberton starred at Xavier High in Middletown from 2011-14 before playing at Cheshire Academy and The Masters School in Simsbury. He picked Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association with the hope of getting early playing time.

Pemberton started in his second game as a freshman and was a three-time CAA Rookie of the Week. He was named to the All-CAA second team as a junior and senior and averaged 17.6 points in his final season. He played his best basketball down the stretch in 2020, and believed Hoftsra was bound for the NCAA Tournament.

With the tournament canceled due to COVID-19, Pemberton and Hofstra never had a chance to shine on college basketball’s biggest stage.

“You know with mid-major guards, when you make it to the NCAA Tournament, that’s where you really make a name for yourself,” Pemberton said. “The team and I, we were on a crazy confidence high, and we felt like we could have made a little run in the tournament. That kind of took a shot to my confidence.”

Pemberton struggled after basketball — and the world — paused. He was frustrated. He cried. The uncertainty of the future left him in a difficult spot, but he spent the summer improving himself. He read multiple books, bible verses and daily affirmations, He worked out with Danny Lawhorn, a point guard from Hartford who played professionally overseas, as well as Chris Prescott and Steve Samuels from Hartford-based Impact Training, and Guss Armstead, a pro trainer in Sacramento.

On Dec. 19, he was signed by the Warriors.

“I’ll never forget this, it was one of the last few Fridays. At 11:59, last minute before the deadline, I see my name on Twitter, and they just picked me up,” Pemberton said. “Honestly, it was just a great feeling. It wasn’t a feeling of relief, because I have so much work to do. I’m in a position where I know I’ll be able to get better. I’m going to have an opportunity to show my skillset. When I get that opportunity, I’ve just got to be ready.”

Now he’s in the G League bubble in Orlando . The Warriors open their season Wednesday against G League Ignite.

His days are filled with basketball, reading and COVID-19 tests. Lots of COVID-19 tests.

Although he misses his 7-month-old Rottweiler, Kobe, Pemberton has the chance to play for the Warriors, a franchise that won three NBA championships over the past decade. It is an opportunity Pemberton never could have envisioned, and he’s focused on sharpening his NBA-ready skills — defense, athleticism and hitting open shots.

“You couldn’t tell me that a couple of years ago I’d be plying for the G-League affiliate of the Warriors,” Pemberton said. “I’m just embracing every moment.

“I’m listening, because I know what I can be in the future. I talk to the coaches all the time, and they know the player I can become. And their focus is on making me that next-level combo guard.”

And working with Lin is a boon to his development.

“With so much experience, you can just tell J Lin is still an NBA player,” Pemberton said. “Before he was in the G League, he was even telling me that he used to question himself a lot.”

While he’s chasing a return to the NBA, Lin understand the impact he can have on younger players

“I just want to enjoy experience,” Lin said during availability last week. “In terms of the younger players, it’s just leading by example. In general, as a player I’m pretty vocal when I get on the court ... I just want to use leadership, use my voice and use my experience just to lead.”

An inspiration for next generation

Pemberton hasn’t forgotten his roots. He hopes his experience chasing a pro dream can be useful to the next wave of Connecticut basketball players.

“My story is to inspire the next kid,” Pemberton said. “I love where I’m from so much. For me, to rep the area code 860, it means everything to me. It gives me a different motor to go so hard. A lot of guys from our area don’t get this chance.”

He keeps close tabs on those who have recently graduated. He’s in constant communication with players in middle and high school now. He knows he has information to share.

Pemberton thinks Jaden Delaire, a Granby native who plays for Stanford, could hear his name called in the NBA Draft. He loves what he saw out of Windsor’s Primo Spears and Corey McKeithan last year and thinks they have bright basketball future. He thinks Middletown senior Elijah Wilborn could have a similar trajectory as he did coming out of high school.

“I don’t want the next guy to go to the G League,” he said. “I want them to go to the league right away. Hopefully my experience, I’m just one of the first of many. Hopefully it’s the same thing for the next kid behind me. That’s why I’m here, to inspire and get better.”

Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.