Fischer: Block Party
January 16, 2004 02:01 PM | General
Return to Mountaineer Illustrated
Issue 3
WVU junior center D'or Fischer appears to be reinventing the meaning of the phrase "block party."
While older fans may remember the definition of the term as a large neighborhood get-together, Fischer is changing the meaning to his sheer dominance of swatting away opponent shots when they try to float them over his 6-11 frame. Although it may seem difficult, Fischer says that his physical assets lead to his inside dominance.
"It's just timing and knowing when a player is going to let the ball leave his hand," says Fischer. "I credit my length. A lot of people see me and of course I'm 6-11 but my arms are a lot longer than normal so with that and timing I use both of those two things I am blessed with."
One may think that a player who finished his sophomore season second in the nation in blocks per game with 4.43 a contest would have plenty of experience on the court growing up; however, in actuality it was only his second full season of organized basketball.
Fischer began high school in Maryland and says that he didn't play his freshman year because he wasn't interested. After moving to Philadelphia for his sophomore year the sport grabbed his interest and he began playing only to quit due to conflicts with his job. By his junior season he had moved back to Maryland and was ready to give basketball another try but another road block kept him off the court again.
"I tried out and made the team but I had to take a test and my godparents told me that if I didn't make a certain score I couldn't play; if I did then I could," says Fischer. "I didn't, so I didn't play."
His senior season he made the team again at another high school. However a lack of playing time led Fischer to call it quits yet again. After graduating in the spring of 1999 his sister, who was stationed at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, would give him a gift that would ultimately change his life.
Fischer had never been down south and his sister invited him to come stay with her. Once down there her husband and Fischer began playing basketball and his talent was seen immediately. One of the commander's sons also began playing with Fischer regularly and with him he went to the Itawamba Junior College Showcase to try to see if he could get a chance to play on a college basketball team.
This was no small time showcase. Fischer remembers seeing coaches from Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. One coach saw a diamond in the rough when he laid eyes on the lanky center with no high school experience.
Assistant coach Dave Simmons of Northwestern State, a small school in Natchitoches, La., was able to convince head coach Mike McConathy and his staff to take a chance on Fischer. McConathy and the rest of the staff may have been wondering if Fischer was a wise investment in his first game in 2000.
"I was at the end of the bench joking with one of my teammates," says Fischer. "The coach yelled at me ‘D'or, get in now.' And then everybody yelled to go get on the floor. So I just ran on the court. Coach started yelling ‘No son, no, no.' Everybody there started screaming ‘No.' Luckily it was an exhibition game and it was at our place so the referee explained that I had to check in before going on the court."
Fischer admits the incident was pretty embarrassing. "It's not as bad as it seems, well, yeah it is," laughs Fischer.
His learning curve proved quick as he established himself as a force in the Southland Conference in less than a year. He helped lead NSU to the Southland championship and first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. Fischer earned all-Southland Conference honorable mention by averaging 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.43 blocks per game.
Despite his success at NSU, Fischer was troubled by something for which there is no cure.
"I came home in the summer and told my mom I was getting homesick and I talked to her and told her I need to be closer to home and to have a better place to be able to showcase my skills," says Fischer.
That summer he began visiting schools closer to Maryland. He looked at national basketball powerhouses Maryland and St. Joseph's, but did not feel they were the right fit. However, one school just west of Maryland offered all he and his mother wanted - WVU.
A culmination of location, opportunities, but especially the coaching staff led Fischer to Morgantown.
"He's (Beilein) the type of guy you want to be coached by," says Fischer. "He treats you like a person."
And so Fischer's success has continued into this season. The junior leads the Mountaineers in field goal percentage, rebounds per game and, no surprise, blocks per game.
"I'm just blessed," says Fischer.
Scott Castleman is a student assistant in the West Virginia University sports communications office.
