University of North Carolina Athletics
THB Up Close: The British Big Fella
November 21, 2001 | Men's Basketball
By Dan Hauptman
It's not often that a preseason challenge includes taking the team picture. But for the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, this task had to be performed twice before it was completed. The problem: a 7-foot-5 body that was awkwardly centered in the back row. This gigantic figure stands more than half a foot over the heads of his teammates. His name is Neil Fingleton. The tallest player in Tar Heel history hails from Durham (no, not that one), England, and is beginning his first season playing basketball at Carolina.
Fingleton spent his first year in Chapel Hill recovering from August 2000 surgery on a herniated disk in his lower back. He was able to practice with his new teammates for a few months late last season, but he was not fit to play games for the Tar Heels.
"I came to school and did some rehab stuff. I tried to come back in November, but my back just wasn't where it needed to be," Fingleton said. "I came back in the middle of February, but by then the season was almost over. The best thing was to take a medical red-shirt."
His freshman year centered on getting mentally and physically ready to perform for the Tar Heels this season. "Last year was frustrating, but in a way it was kind of a blessing in disguise. I could've been mad about the year and not playing, but I took it on a positive note and learned from it and promised myself to try and get better every day that I can play. I've stuck to that and will continue to stick to it," the mature 20-year-old said. "In a way, sitting out last year was a good thing. I could adapt to the campus and be here to watch the games. I'm comfortable here and I'm a confident person overall."
Fingleton said he is excited to play college basketball in America this season. "I'm itching to play. Finally I have been cleared 100 percent and I am trying to get better each day. I have to learn from mistakes and make them right," he said.
Doherty will have the final say the next four years as to how many minutes Fingleton will be on the floor. Fingleton's physical conditioning will be a huge barometer for Doherty in determining the length of the center's playing time.
"Neil needs to continue to work on his conditioning," Doherty said. "If he can run the floor he can be a better player for us. Neil is effective in the half court, but he is going to have to change ends of the floor to really be productive. He certainly is going to have a chance to play."
Fingleton's teammates agree with Doherty's urge of improved conditioning for the center. "The biggest thing with Neil is conditioning," said senior forward Jason Capel. "Until he gets tired, he is definitely a force. He can get up and down the floor, but he has to be in shape to get up and down the floor once, twice, three times."
If Fingleton can run the floor with his quicker and much smaller teammates, then his potential is as endless as his frame. "I think Neil will be a very good basketball player and I don't know at what point he will contribute," said Doherty. "It's a simple formula for a guy that big. If you can run and you're in shape, you can help. His offensive game is ahead of his defensive game. He's a pretty good shooter, he's really working on his shot, and he's got a hook shot now that's tough to stop. It's defensively and running the floor that he has to improve."
Doherty reasons that Fingleton is better on the offensive end than on the defensive side because of his idolization of a Boston Celtic legend. "He thinks he is Larry Bird at 7-5," Doherty quipped. "It's amazing that a guy who grows up in London knows so much about Larry Bird. He worships Larry Bird, so he probably spent more time shooting baskets than guarding the basket."
Although it may be impossible for any player to equal or surpass the success of NBA legend Larry Bird, the Englishman could challenge for the UNC career record in blocked shots. The record of 304 blocks is currently held by 2001 Carolina graduate Brendan Haywood. Haywood, now playing with another former Tar Heel, Michael Jordan, for the Washington Wizards, was Fingleton's mentor when the two were on the 26-7 North Carolina team last season. "It was good to watch Brendan play and playing with Brendan toward the end of the year was good," Fingleton said. "I think someday toward the end of my career here I can be up there with the blocked shots record."
Fingleton played internationally even before playing a game at Carolina. This past summer he played for the Great Britain National Team in the World University Games. Although he has lived in America the past four years, his heart and favorite things still reside in the United Kingdom. His favorite musical performers are Sting and the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, and his favorite vacation spot is his homeland of England. Like many Europeans, Fingleton is a huge soccer fan. He played soccer while growing up, guarding the net as a goalkeeper. His duties will be very similar in the United States of America. Fingleton's picturesque height has given him an enormous presence on the basketball court and his main mission will be trying to stop the opposing team from scoring on his goal.
Dan Hauptman is a senior from Scarsdale, N.Y.
