Take 5: The Damon Lynn Story (VIDEO)


NEWARK, NJ -- Damon Lynn, the Highlanders' all-time leading scorer, is now competing in the prestigious NBA G-League. The most storied player in the history of NJIT men's basketball has signed with the Texas Legends, minor league affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.

Lynn becomes the third NJIT alum to play in the NBA's official minor league basketball organization, joining Isaiah Wilkerson '12 (Tulsa 66ers) and Ky Howard '16 (Greensboro Swarm). The Hillside, N.J., native started his professional playing career when he signed with BC Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League back in December.

According to the Legends' official website, Lynn will be wearing jersey #3 -- significant for a marksman who ranks fifth in NCAA history in career three-pointers (434). Of note, Lynn will be a teammate of local product Jameel Warney -- a native of Plainfield, N.J., who starred at Stony Brook and is currently averaging 19.8 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game for the Legends this season.

This latest transaction begins yet another chapter in Lynn's career, which continues to be a story of beating the odds. He arrived at NJIT after receiving just one Division-I offer (from the Highlanders); and will now take the court having fought back from a season-ending Achillies rupture as a senior this past January.

Lynn's NCAA accomplishments are remarkable. He totaled an incredible 2,153 points over his four-year career -- shattering the school's D-I scoring record of 1,724 points set by Chris Flores '13 as well as the all-time mark of 2,028 set by Clarence Pierce '96 (D-III). At the time of his injury, Lynn was the D-I active career scoring leader (finished ranked fourth) in addition to being the D-I active career leader in three-pointers made at 434 -- which, as mentioned above, ranks fifth in NCAA history. During his senior season, he passed Davidson legend Steph Curry (414) and was on pace to pass Duke legend J.J. Redick (457) for second place all time before his career came to the abrupt end.

Lynn's senior season got off to a memorable start with many milestones. In the season opener on Nov. 11, 2016, he broke Flores' record. In the second game of the year, he tied his own program single-game record with 34 points on Nov. 14 at Utah State. He then reached he 2,000-point plateau on Dec. 17 at Temple and later broke the school's all-time career scoring record at all levels at Fleisher Athletic Center on Dec. 22.

More than just a scorer, Lynn was also on pace to become both NJIT's career assists and steals leader. Prior to the injury, he had started all 118 of NJIT's games during his career -- playing 89-percent of all possible minutes (4,225 of 4,745) despite a stress fracture in his left foot in 2014-15 and plantar faciitis in his right foot in 2015-16.

Lynn, an All-SUN First-Team selection as a junior, was a 2017 ASUN Player of the Year candidate before sustaining the injury on Jan. 21, 2017, at Florida Gulf Coast. He still wound up collecting Second-Team honors. At the time his season ended, the co-captain was leading the ASUN in three-pointers made (85), three-pointers per game (4.0) and free-throw percentage (.868) while ranking second in steals per game (1.9); third in both points (20.6) and minutes (34.2) per game; and eighth in assists per game (3.4). Lynn led NJIT in scoring in 15 of his 21 games last season, tallying at least 20 points in 12 affairs and at least 30 in another three. For this performance, he also garnered Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association All-Met third-team honors.

Lynn started his career as the first NJIT freshman to reach 500 points in a season. He went on to score at least 500 points in each of his first three campaigns (no other Highlander has ever recorded two in row) and then registered 433 in just 21 games in 2016-17.