Meet Brandon Linton '09
innovation and entrepreneurship major
Clarkson basketball player
“It’s not everyday that you can travel to one of the greatest countries in the world just to play the game you love,” said Clarkson senior Brandon Linton.
He would know. Linton, an innovation and entrepreneurship major and Clarkson basketball player from East Elmhurst, N.Y., was chosen to play on a USA Athletes International basketball team that traveled to three cities in Spain over a 10-day period this summer.
Chosen upon recommendations from other coaches in the Liberty League, Linton joined a team composed of players from Williams, Green Mountain, Colby, and Hobart Colleges.
“I enjoyed playing with guys from other colleges,” said Linton. “Everyone had different ways of going about playing the game and we all learned from each other. It also brought the best out of me because I wanted to represent Clarkson and our program in the best way possible.”
While in Spain, the team played five games, finishing with a 3-2 record. Linton added, “The competition was tough, but the best part about the Spanish teams was that they would compete with all they had during the games and then at the end of the game they would take pictures with us or ask us to go out for a meal. The last team we played even asked us to trade jerseys with them, and we did.
The group’s journey began in Barcelona, where they visited the 1992 Olympic Stadium and the Sagrada Familia, the famous church built by Antoni Gaudi. The next destination was Valencia, four hours south of Barcelona, where the group enjoyed the coastal beaches and their biggest win.
Spain’s capital, Madrid, was the team’s last stop. The group had the opportunity to see a bull fighting ring, Real Madrid Soccer’s stadium, the Royal Palace, and several museums and cathedrals.
“The people in Spain were the best,” Linton exclaimed. “They treated us very well and we did the same. At the games, the fans would cheer us on as much and sometimes more than their home team. We would sign hundreds of autographs for the kids after the games. Moments like those made the trip one of a lifetime.”
Linton is also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and works in the offseason as an announcer for lacrosse and soccer games at Clarkson.