Once upon a time, I shared work space with someone who fancied himself a basketball expert. As D’Or Fischer tried to get his foot into the NBA, I wondered aloud if he had what it took.

“Who in the NBA does Fischer remind you of?”
“…the scoreboard operator for the Miami Heat.”

I disagreed. Wholeheartedly. Fischer had a lot of things pro basketball teams liked: he was tall and long, he loved to block shots, he was an underrated passer and he could kill you with 15-foot jumpers. In his professional infancy, I thought he had a little Elden Campbell in him. Of all the WVU players who in recent years didn’t stick, I think Fischer’s absence was the most confusing.

He had his shots in summer leagues and sometimes he even did very well, but he never stayed on, as recently as this summer’s venture with the Orlando Magic when, one would assume, things just didn’t work out.

Or did they? The big fella, who has actually had a pretty nice career overseas, signed with one of Europe’s top teams today.

Fischer (211, 27) arrives to Maccabi from Euphony Bree where he had a great season, leading the Belgian League in rebounds, blocked shots and index ranking and becoming the MVP of the competition. Fischer averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 36 games, helping Bree to win the Belgian League regular season and reach the title series against Spirou Charleroi.

In case you’re curious or concerned, Maccabi Tel Aviv is kind of like the Lakers or the Celtics, only more successful.