College of Staten Island Athletics

There are only a precious few collegiate basketball players, spanning any division, who can claim the kind of greatness that Ken Lam did during his college career, the first two years of which came at Staten Island Community College.  What Lam did at SICC was unprecedented and the footnotes he left behind continue to leave many in awe.  It set the stage for marked success that has surrounded SICC and CSI basketball to this day.

Lam’s basketball adventure started at SICC in 1968, and it was apparent from the very beginning that the team would be a force under his leadership.  If opponents wanted to stop the Dolphins, they had to stop him.  While SICC made progress through a 10-11 record, Lam would blow through three school records, amassing 577 points for an amazing 27.5 average with an enormous 426 rebounds, good for a 20.3 clip per game, and 55% of the team’s overall production.  Lam earned a Metro Community College Athletic Conference All-Star selection, and NCAA Division I suiters were starting to take interest.

But Lam chose to stay grounded and with the Dolphins for a second season, and it would pay huge dividends.  By the close of his sophomore year Lam broke the school’s all-time career scoring and rebounding record, and led the team to a 16-6 record and a berth into the National Junior College Region XV Tournament.  Lam finished with 547 points, good for a 24.9 average, and broke his own record with another 435 rebounds, finishing his two-year career with 1,124 points and 861 caroms.  A National Junior College All-American citation followed, and from there, Lam joined then NCAA Division I New York University to finish his career. 

Lam’s basketball story took an unfortunate turn, however, at NYU.  The 6-4 guard suffered an injury just three games into the season, derailing him for most of the year as the Violets struggled through a 5-20 record.  The next year, NYU withdrew the sport altogether, and just like that, Lam’s career was seemingly finished.  But a very persistent coach named Les Yellin from St. Francis College (Brooklyn) came calling, and Lam saved his senior year for the Terriers.  

What followed was another season for the ages, as Lam broke the St. Francis record, still standing, for field goals in a season with 256, good for 605 points, a 23.3 per game average.  Lam finished shooting a blistering 52% from the field and collected 206 rebounds, good for just under 9 per game, and giving him over 1,000 for his combined career.  The Terriers finished 12-13 that season, but more importantly, Lam closed his career at the very top of his game, carried by excellence that spanned three schools through two divisions.