Hall of Fame
Jason Lang wondered what was wrong with the people at SUNY Potsdam when he made his first visit as a men’s basketball recruit from LaSalle Academy High School in New York City.
“I was used to the city, where it’s hustle and bustle all the time,” Lang said. “When I came to Potsdam, people on campus actually stopped and said hello. I thought, ‘what is wrong with these people?’ I guess it turns out there was something wrong with me.”
As it turned out, not much was wrong with Lang during his time at SUNY Potsdam. The 6-foot guard scored 1,220 points, which is 11th in school history, and was named to three All-SUNYAC teams. He was named second team All-East Region in 1999-2000 after leading the Bears to a 17-11 record, including a 13-7 mark in conference play.
Lang received the Maxcy Molnar award in 2001 just before graduating with a bachelor’s in political science and speech communication. His performance on the court was enough to earn him a tryout with the Roanoke Dazzle of the National Basketball Development League, where he was the only NCAA Division III player in the tryout and the last player cut.
As a 2010 Bears Hall of Fame inductee, Lang is excited to return to his alma mater.
“I had the best four years of my life at Potsdam,” Lang said. “I fell in love with the school. I experienced development as both a player and a man. I’m happy to make the pilgrimage back to campus (from the city), because I hold the school near and dear to my heart.”
Assistant athletic director Bill Mitchell, who coached men’s basketball from 1991-2003, will induct Lang at the ceremony.
“Jason Lang not only was one of the best players to ever play basketball at SUNY Potsdam in the post-Jerry Welsh era, but also one of the hardest working players ever to wear a Potsdam uniform,” Mitchell said. “Jason arrived at Potsdam as an unheralded recruit and made himself into a three-year all-conference player.”
Lang, who was also a resident assistant on campus, said he discovered just how far Potsdam was from New York City when he measured it out with a ruler on a map. Despite being a significant distance from home, Lang spoke of having a second family in a friendly atmosphere on campus.
“The interaction I had with my coaches and teammates felt like a family,” Lang said. “I think it made me treat my family back home that much better. Coach Mitchell made us part of his family, too, which was so important being far away from home.”
Lang recalled the campus reaction to a 1998 ice storm, a natural disaster that left much of St. Lawrence County without power. According to Lang, people from all over the county stayed at Maxcy Hall as staff, faculty and students on campus assisted the Red Cross and other volunteers.
“People were helpless,” Lang said. “Our team banded together along with other tams and pitched in to help. Everyone sort of just came together, and it was cool to be a part of.”
Lang, who currently works as a foreign affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Mission to the United Nations, held three internships, which he said were a result of taking advantage of everything Potsdam had to offer.
“It’s not a big campus, so you’re not just a number,” said Lang, 31. “I did well enough in one of the internships and eventually got asked back.”
In addition to his position as an RA, Lang served on several committees and participated in other student groups, including the Intercollegiate Advisory Board and the Yearbook Committee. He currently represents SUNY Potsdam as an alumnus working at college admissions fairs in the greater New York City.
Mitchell credited Lang for getting involved on campus and for his continued relationship with the university.
“Jason was heavily involved in numerous campus activities while an undergrad,” Mitchell said. “Both as a student years ago and still today, he is one of SUNY Potsdam’s finest ambassadors. He is truly deserving of attaining Hall of Fame status.”
