John Linehan will go down as one of the greatest defensive players in Friar basketball history. The all-time NCAA career steals leader and two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year was the best on-ball defender I have ever seen. As Sports Illustrated’s Lars Anderson wrote in a feature on Linehan in February 2002, “Linehan’s defensive excellence is founded on a mixture of guile, intelligence, timing, and quickness. He’s listed at 5’9″, but he’s closer to 5’7″, and his low center of gravity helps him maintain body control as he zips around the floor like a water bug.
Video: Kobe Bryant vs. John Linehan in 1996
