Campbell And Fischer Getting A Second Chance
July 8, 2006

Some people let failure destroy them. Some people let disappointment eat at them. Some people are easily discouraged.

Marcus Campbell and D’or Fischer, both 24, aren’t “some people.”

They didn’t let failure destroy them, they didn’t let disappointment eat at them and they weren’t easily discouraged.

Last fall, Campbell and Fischer participated in mini-camp with the Bobcats and played well. Campbell averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes and Fischer averaged 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Unfortunately for both, before the start of the regular season, they got cut from the team.

“It was very disappointing,” Fischer said. “I’ve never been cut from anything before, but there’s a first time for everything.”

But both Campbell and Fischer persevered, and both are back with the team on the summer league squad. Along with the other 12 players on the roster, they will participate in the Orlando Summer League beginning Monday. They are hard at work showing the coaches that in their time away from the organization, they have improved upon their weaknesses.

“I have been trying to focus on my rebounding and running the floor,” Fischer, a 6-10 forward, said. “Because I’m a big man, that’s what [the coaches] are going to look at. They just want to see how I have improved.”

“I’m a whole lot better than I was last year,” Campbell, a 7-0 center, said. “I have come miles and miles from where I was, and I know the coaches are looking to see the changes that I have made to my game.”

Summer League Head Coach John-Blair Bickerstaff has noticed the progress that both players have made since he last coached them in the fall.

“The question we had [last year] with both of them was consistency, and now they seem to be more consistent with their effort,” Bickerstaff said. “They work hard, and they get better each day.”

In order to strengthen their games, both players participated in organized basketball leagues during the past year. Campbell spent the 2005-06 season with the National Basketball Development League, Continental Basketball Association and the World Basketball Association, while Fischer spent most of his time with the NBDL.

Because Campbell and Fischer are familiar with the Bobcats organization and personnel, it would be easy to assume that they have a significant advantage over other players attempting to make the roster for the first time. But that’s not the case, both men said. They believe that everyone has an equal chance of making the squad, regardless of past history and experience. “You still have to come out and work every day,” Campbell said. “You still have to prove that you deserve an opportunity to play.”

The disappointment of being released last season motivated the players to continue their efforts in the gym. After all, they said, the payoff could be making an NBA team, which would be the accomplishment of a lifelong goal.

“When I got cut, it made me that much hungrier,” Campbell said. “It pushed me to work harder so I can get to where I know I should be.”

Both men also emphasize that they harbor no ill will towards the Bobcats for releasing them prior to the start of the season. They hope that they will have strong enough performances to make the squad this fall, but they understand that the NBA is a business.

“The best players are the ones that they are going to keep. That’s the way it works,” Fischer said.

“I think they have a chance [of making the team],” Bickerstaff said. “They need to seize the opportunity. We are looking for guys who are going to go out and earn that roster spot.”

Some people make the best of the situation. Some people use disappointment to motivate them. Some people take advantage of opportunities given to them.

Campbell and Fischer are those people.