Nick Lindner: Mentally Tough on and off the Court

Forty seconds remain in the 2015 Patriot League men’s basketball championship and Lafayette is up by one.

Lafayette is hosting American University in Kirby Sports Center Arena. The stands are packed with Lafayette students, all geared up in white for the “whiteout” theme.

The crowd has been rowdy all night long, but at this moment, they are quiet.

All eyes are glued on Lafayette point guard, Nick Lindner, as he tries to put the game away for the Leopards.

Lindner controls the ball on the left wing of the court.

Using a screen from center Dan Trist, Lindner drives to the right side. Lindner drives right past the American help defender and finds the angle to get off his shot.

With his eyes focused on the rim and while getting bumped by an American defender, Lindner scoops the ball softly off the backboard and through the net.

The basket counts and the ref calls a foul on American.

Lindner stares at the Lafayette student section as the crowd erupts.

Lafayette 63, American 60. Thirty-Eight seconds left.

Lindner calmly walks to the free throw line and makes the free throw to give Lafayette a four-point lead.

Lafayette ended up winning the game 65-63, and it was the first time Lafayette had made the NCAA tournament since 2000. Lindner was awarded Patriot League Tournament MVP, and his basket at the end of the game clinched the championship for the Leopards.

Succeeding in high-pressure moments is nothing out of the ordinary for Nick Lindner. When the team has needed a basket at the end of games in his four years, more often than not, Lindner has come through in the clutch. 

The U.S. military hopes that Lindner will continue his success in high-intensity situations for their team when he joins the special operations unit after graduation.

Before joining special operations, Lindner will have to pass the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). If he passes the SFAS, then he will join special operations.

For Lindner, working in special operations has always been a “dream” of his. To him, the job does not seem scary, like it would be to the average college student, but exciting.

“Ever since I was a kid, it seemed like the coolest job in the world,” Lindner said. “Jump out of planes in the middle of the night and go snatch up a bad guy. It always seemed like the coolest thing in the world to me.”

In addition to the “danger” that draws Lindner to the military, he also said that his family and his mentor also fought for their country.

Physique aside, working for the armed forces requires a certain level of mental toughness, and thanks to playing basketball for a division 1 school for four years, Lindner says that he has it.

While Lindner’s play on the court was exceptional, as he was the first Lafayette player to score 1,500 points and record 500 assists, the mental aspect of Lindner’s game has been the most impressive.

“He's the sort of person you never want to get going because if you say something to him he's gonna try to destroy you on the court,” former teammate Nate Musters said. “He has a fierce mentality like that.”

If you watch Lindner play on a daily basis, there is one concept that comes to mind: mental toughness.

Whether Lindner himself or the team is performing well or not, Lindner always continues to play with the same competitive passion. Whether that means playing high-intensity defense for the entire game, attacking the hoop on offense relentlessly, or simply getting his teammates involved, Lindner’s passionate play is always consistent.

In addition to how he plays, Lindner’s constant positive body language and stoic facial expression always send the same message to anyone watching that he is not rattled by the moment in the game.

As the starting point guard for the Leopards for four years, Lindner’s job was to consistently bring the ball up the floor, while defenders are grabbing at him, double-teaming him, and trying to steal the ball.

While doing all of this, Lindner’s demeanor doesn’t change.

Unlike LeBron, you will never see Lindner sulk or complain to his coaches when things are not going well.

Unlike LeBron, if Lindner’s teammates screw up, you will never see him publicly yell at them.

As a two-year captain in high school and in college, Lindner thinks displaying a cool confidence during the ups and downs is crucial for being a leader.

“If things aren’t going my way, and I show that, the team will hurt from that,” Lindner said. “But if I’m the same person whether I’m doing well or doing bad, then they will notice that and hopefully calm down from that.”

Lindner was not always this mentally tough, however. When he reached his first year at Lafayette College, Lindner’s biggest challenge was the “mental aspect.”

“Getting that mental toughness was the hardest thing,” said Lindner. “It’s a big burden. A lot of these guys depend on their livelihood on you and adjusting to that pressure [was difficult].”

The moment where it started to change for him was very early on his freshmen season in 2013 when they played against Villanova and then Robert Morris.

Lindner was “really nervous” when he was playing against Villanova. Despite these nerves, he played well and Lafayette had a lead in the second half before losing the game. But when Lindner played against Robert Morris, it was the “worst game of [his] career.”

“I played horribly,” Lindner said. “The next practice after Robert Morris I was sulking around and so coach kicked me out of practice and I didn't start against Princeton. I knew then that I had to grow up and that showing emotions after a game was not in my benefit, so I didn't do it again.”

Lindner explained that because he had to deal with a lot of failure and pressure moments early on in his career, he got “comfortable with failing.”

“I have become comfortable with losing, and getting back up and doing it again… Whether we lost by 2 or loss by 30, I always come back the next day and am the same player.”

Lindner learned that failure is “inevitable” and that “it’s how you respond to it that matters.”

Lindner’s new mindset led the Leopards to a Patriot League title in his sophomore year.

“It was one of the best days ever,” Lindner reflected. “It was everything you would expect and dream about your whole life, and then it happens. Everyone is just so happy. It was just a really cool moment, and something I will cherish forever.”

The moment Lindner remembers most is being in the locker room after the game.

“Coach walks in and starts dancing,” Lindner said with a laugh and a smile. “It was a good time man.”

Another big moment that changed for Lindner was the transition from his sophomore season to his junior and senior year. Lafayette lost most of their veteran players, and Lindner went from leading veteran scorers who knew how to win to leading “young guys.”

Lafayette struggled to win in their next two seasons, but Lindner explained how he grew as a person and a leader during those two years.

“It’s your job after losses to keep morale up, and make sure we come to practice the next day,” Lindner said. “I learned more in these last two years than the rest of my life… You learn more from failure. People say that all the time.”

Was it a burden to constantly keep everyone together during losing seasons?

“It wasn’t a burden,” Lindner said. “It’s just something you do, just lessons you learn from sports. Hopefully, I carry that ability the rest of my life.”

Musters also saw this growth in Lindner.

“When he came to Lafayette he was a bit of a kid at times, now I'd say he's a man,” Musters said. “It's a big difference in terms of how he carries himself, how he talks, how he presents himself…  I think at the start he got really frustrated with other people easily, now he will talk to them and talk them through how to do what he or the team needs.”

In addition to his leadership abilities, Lindner also showed his impressive work ethic in his time at Lafayette.

“I have never had anyone put in the time and the work necessary to competing at such a high level,” Lafayette College Men’s Basketball Head Coach Fran O’Hanlon said. “No one outworks him.”

Whether it’s going to the library after playing a game to write a 10-page paper until midnight or doing ball handling drills for an hour and a half every morning to prepare for the season, Lindner’s philosophy has always been to work your hardest and see what happens.

So when does he sleep?

“Sleep is not my forte dude,” Lindner said. “I don’t get much sleep.”

Lindner describes himself as an “insomniac” because he goes to sleep at 4 every morning and does not nap during the day.

Musters reflected on Lindner’s intense schedules and often “obsessive nature.”

“He's the sort of person who never does anything by halves,” Musters said. “When he was all in on basketball he would work out like 2-3 times a day sometimes, lift as well, go for a run, just an insane amount of activity.”

His odd sleeping habits, along with all of his other attributes, should be useful in his late-night missions in the future.

Lindner hopes that his time at Lafayette has prepared him well for the military.

“I’ve learned a ton from playing basketball, whether its leadership, how to fail, how to fight through adversity and do things I don’t want to do,” Lindner said. “I’m just accustomed on being uncomfortable, so I hope that translates well.”