[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement:
Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor
of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users'
privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your
privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket
to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we
also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.
Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your
contribution is not tax-deductible.)
PayPal Acct: 
Feedback: 
Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):
| Sunday, May 10, 11:15:18pm |
[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search |
Check update time
| Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, [8], 9, 10 ]
|
[ Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message ]
Date Posted: 15:12:39 07/03/04 Sat
Author: NTKHC64
Subject: Re: Fingleton Gone (From US Basket-Coll. BB 5/7/04
In reply to:
regis stumper
's message, "Re: Fingleton Gone" on 00:09:23 07/02/04 Fri
Fingleton to return to Europe - May 7, 2004 - by Mitch Smith
(Check last sentence!)
He has another year of college eligibility remaining, but the British big man on campus (literally) is ready to move on. But despite some talk, don’t expect to see Neil Fingleton (228-C-80) at next month’s NBA draft.
“It’s true that I have my sights set on the NBA, but I also have a long-range plan and a realistic sense of how things need to proceed for me,” said Fingleton, whose college career didn’t work out as he had hoped it would. “At this point, I think I have gotten as much out of the college game as my particular situation is going to allow, and I’m just ready to move on. Obviously with a British passport, all of Europe is open to me, and I definitely see myself playing in Europe while I continue to bring my game to a higher level.”
When Fingleton, now 23, first came onto the college scene four years ago, he got a lot of ink. But from the time that Neil first decided to leave his native England for the U.S. nearly eight years ago, nothing has just fallen into his lap.
Already 2.26 meters tall at age 15, Neil was guided by an American basketball coach in his native Durham, England, to Holy Name high school in Worcester, MA. Adjusting to life far from home in a strange new country, away from family and friends, wasn’t always easy, but the dream of someday playing at the highest levels helped the young student to persevere.
Chosen as a MacDonalds All-American and as Massachusetts high school player of the year propelled Fingleton into the spotlight. He was recruited by Coach Bill Guthridge, Dean Smith’s successor at North Carolina.
However, between his senior year of high school and enrolling at North Carolina, Neil experienced back problems that required surgery, and kept him, literally, on his back for an extended period. Meanwhile, Guthridge announced his resignation from North Carolina, and one-time Tar Heel Matt Doherty, former assistant to Coach Roy Williams at Kansas and with one year of head coaching experience at Notre Dame under his belt, was named the new head coach.
Neil redshirted his freshman year, working out with the team and in particular, getting in shape for the rigors of the college game. In his second year, Fingleton looked forward to getting more playing time, particularly with the graduation of veteran post player Brendan Haywood (213-C-79, college: N.Carolina). However, Fingleton had been recruited by Guthridge, and it seemed that Doherty did not have the same plans for Fingleton that his predecessor had. So Neil decided to transfer to Holy Cross College, located in the same city where he had spent three years of high school and had established many friendships.
After sitting out another year as dictated by NCAA regulations, Fingleton once more looked forward to seeing action, but once again things didn’t work out, and in one and a half seasons at Holy Cross, the big Brit has seen limited action on the floor.
“At this point, I am just two courses short of my college degree, so I am going to finish up this summer and graduate from Holy Cross in July.”
“Then I am planning to take part in some camps in Europe. I know that arrangements are being made for me to attend some camps being run by individual teams in Greece in July. I have heard from my representatives in the UK that there has been some interest shown.”
“It’s strange – I can’t explain it exactly – but the fact is that even though I haven’t gotten to play much, it hasn’t had any impact on my self-confidence. I really believe in myself, I know what I can do,” he noted. Fingleton thinks of himself mainly as a defensive threat, one who can take up space in the paint and block or alter shots, something that even in his limited minutes at Holy Cross he gave strong evidence of. “Beyond that, I have an offensive game, if the team is looking for that as well, but I really think that my main contribution is on defense.”
Meanwhile, Fingleton is maintaining a workout regimen to stay in shape. And he relishes in the fact that he has made his parents back in Durham, proud of the degree that will soon be bestowed upon him. Fortunately, the school will be relieved of the need to come up with a graduation gown to fit the big Brit: since he will be finishing up over the summer, the plan is to have his diploma mailed to him. By the time it arrives, Neil hopes to be one step closer to his ultimate dream. Considering the determination that has taken him thus far, in face of many unanticipated obstacles, chances are that America hasn’t seen the last of Big Neil.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Replies:
[> [> [>
Re: Fingleton Gone (From US Basket-Coll. BB 5/7/04 -- MHMD, 21:48:12 07/05/04 Mon
While I very much appreciate Fingleton's character and wish he and his family well, the kid clearly was nothing more then a very soft 7 ft. 5 local kid HC HAD to take. His skills were D2 at best and if he plays anywhere they better have a seat on the bench at least every other game... he may want to play but has as much feel for the game as Herman Munster.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [>
Fingleton Gone (From US Basket-Coll. BB 5/7/04 -- sader1970, 22:06:00 07/05/04 Mon
Having seen most of the minutes that Neil played in a HC uniform, I disagree that he had no talent. While there was no doubt he was rough and wasn't a natural born BB player, I thought he was athletic the few times he wasn't hurting. The one game I did not see him play, might have been his best from those who did watch - against BC. Listening to the game on the radio, he blocked shots in two successive BC possessions against their highly touted big men. At least one source from the athletic dept. said to me that they felt that was his big game and that they thought Neil was coming into his own and then the injuries came back.
If Neil can keep himself healthy and get some regular playing time against good competition, I think a lot of people will be surprised. But I'll be the first to admit, there are a lot of "ifs" and "caveats" in my comments.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [> [>
Re: Fingleton Gone (From US Basket-Coll. BB 5/7/04 -- Jimbo, 22:47:24 07/05/04 Mon
And, don't forget the Princeton game at home 2 seasons ago.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [> [>
Re: Fingleton Gone (From US Basket-Coll. BB 5/7/04 -- MHMD, 21:35:45 07/06/04 Tue
Hey.. the kid may be 7 foot 5....a great person... terrific student... have a love for the game.... but has the athletic ability and athletic toughness of a flea...let's remain realistic here...the kid will not be missed in this program-basketball wise that is.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [> [>
Fingleton Gone -- sader1970, 06:04:11 07/07/04 Wed
MH, as far as his consistent impact on HC basketball, I agree with you. However, whenever he made an appearance, there was an impact on the fans. Neil was especially loved by the Worcester fans and you could feel the excitement and that the whole Hart center was rooting for this kid to do well. We never got to see a long-term, healthy Neil. Whether he was tough enough is something the rest of us can only conjecture on, we weren't in his situation. As for athletic ability, I think he DID have it, and may have it again, but not in a Crusader uniform. I had earlier posted where I had calculated the rebounds and blocks per minute played for the team. Neil was tied with Nate for the team lead in rebounds per minute played (admittedly playing a lot fewer minutes) at .20 rebounds per minute played (K Ham, Joe Young and Keith had .18 rebounds per minute played). But, just as people would have wanted of a 7' 6" player, an indication of Neil's ability to impact a game on defense was the blocks per minute played. Neil had .115 blocks per minute played with Kevin Hyland next highest at .073 and Nate a distant third at .049.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
[> [> [> [> [> [>
Re: Fingleton Gone -- MHMD, 13:18:26 07/07/04 Wed
Great points Sader and you are right... Willard was in a NO WIN situation- if he takes him and it doesn't work out it's too bad.. if he doesn't take him Worcester is up in arms. I look at athleticism like this.. if Neil were 6 ft. 7 instead of 7 ft 6 would he have had enough to play for the Cross?? I personally don't think so. Look at Shaq.. if that guy were 6 ft. 7 he'd still be a very good player... Lastly, being a great kid, outstanding student, and a genuinely nice kid is far more important than being able to rebound... and he clearly is all of that.
[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]
