Coming of Age
March 09, 2004 03:50 PM | General
March 9, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University junior center D’or Fischer is coming of age right before our eyes.
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| Junior D'or Fischer pulls down a rebound during West Virginia's 58-53 win at Miami last Saturday night. (AP photo) |
A 6-foot-11 transfer from Northwestern State who sat out last season, Fischer has come on strong down the stretch for the Mountaineers in his first season of Big East play, scoring 19 points in back-to-back games against Syracuse and Miami.
“His skill level offensively in the Syracuse game was outstanding,” said West Virginia coach John Beilein.
Fischer, who has made 15 of his last 20 field goal attempts, proved to be the difference in the Mountaineers’ win over Miami last Saturday. Two of his 19 points came at a critical time in the game when he instinctively went to the basket and tipped in Patrick Beilein’s missed layup attempt.
That basket gave West Virginia the lead and helped the Mountaineers snap a season-long four-game losing streak.
“That was the first time I saw him put together both defensive and offensive rebounding,” said Beilein. “He’s playing with much more confidence.”
Fischer admits there were times this year when things went awry and he didn’t have the experience to handle it.
“There were things thrown in there that I didn’t expect but that’s how life is,” he said. “I’ve been playing more relaxed and not letting anything bother me. Before I would get real frustrated with things and now I’m just playing through stuff.”
Despite a midseason slump when he was fouling more frequently and spending less time on the floor, D’or has managed to remain the team’s top scorer averaging 10.8 points per game.
He has already obliterated Marcus Goree’s single season shot-block record of 70 with 102 at the end of regular season play, and he has also pulled down 171 rebounds for an average of 6.3 per game. Fischer is shooting 57.8 percent from the floor and also ranks as one of the best free-throw shooting big men in WVU history, converting 75 percent of his charity attempts.
Fischer has reached double figures in points 15 times this season and is averaging 14.5 points over his last four games. The center has produced three double-double games against IUPUI, Howard and Providence and has shot better than 50 percent in all but eight games this season.
Fischer’s scoring average is higher in Big East games (11.4 ppg.) and in West Virginia’s 15 victories (11.2 ppg.).
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| Fischer is averaging more than 14 points in his last four games. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
Now because of Fischer’s strong inside play there’s hope for West Virginia when it faces No. 7-seeded Notre Dame in an opening round Big East tournament game Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m glad we get to play against Notre Dame because we lost to them earlier in the year and now we get a chance to redeem ourselves,” said Fischer. “We’re a totally different team and I know they’re a totally different team.”
Fischer is also a totally different player.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that he has only really played about four years of organized basketball, two of which came at lower level Division I. In high school his family moved four different times causing him to attend four different high schools. In fact, the first time Fischer entered a college game he ran directly from the bench out onto the floor instead of first checking in at the scorer’s table.
That is how far Do’r Fischer has come in such a short period of time. He is simply grateful for having the opportunity to play college basketball at the highest level.
“I’m blessed and by me coming to the Big East I’m getting to play in a lot of great arenas, “he said. It’s just a privilege to be playing basketball right now.”
“Because he hasn’t played a lot of organized ball, it sounds crazy but there are a lot of instinctive things that he still has to be taught that do come natural once you know it,” said Beilein.
“There are several times this year when I say, ‘Why did he just do that?’ Now he doesn’t do that as much. He still has his moments but I’ll take those moments for all of the times he’s changed games with his presence,” Beilein added.
With another year of improvement in the Mountaineer program, the Philadelphia native could find his way on NBA draft lists because of his impressive wingspan, outstanding jumping ability, impeccable timing and smooth outside shooting touch.
Perhaps Fischer already realizes that, “He watches tape on his own more than anybody on the team,” said Beilein.
Having a strong performance in the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden will help Fischer get noticed.
“I don’t know how I’m going to play in the Garden because they say that’s the Mecca of all basketball courts. I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can so we can try and win,” he said.
John Beilein will certainly take that.
Notebook: West Virginia failed to land a player on any of the three all-Big East teams announced Monday … the last time WVU failed to have a player picked on any team was in 1999 … the Mountaineers come to New York looking to snap a couple of losing streaks … West Virginia has lost six straight Big East tournament opening round games dating back to 1998; the Mountaineers’ lone Big East tournament victory came in 1997 against Seton Hall … West Virginia has also lost nine straight to Notre Dame dating back to 1996 … Irish coach Mike Brey is a perfect 7-0 against the Mountaineers … Wednesday’s game will be the first time these two teams have met in the Big East tournament … Notre Dame has been playing without center Torin Francis who has undergone surgery for a herniated disc in his back … Francis was averaging 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game when he was sidelined during Notre Dame’s win over Connecticut on Feb. 9 … Francis scored 17 points in Notre Dame’s win over West Virginia earlier this season … Notre Dame is 5-2 without Francis in the lineup … realistically, Notre Dame (16-11) is the only Big East bubble team with a chance to make the NCAA tournament … six Big East teams are virtually assured of making the tournament and a strong showing by the Irish in the Big East tournament could make it seven …Notre Dame has won six of its last eight games … the Mountaineers planned to work out at Queens College earlier today before attending the Big East banquet at the Grand Hyatt in New York City tonight when the conference will announce its players and coach of the year.
