Lindsey LaBelleWeb Editorial AssistantEmail First Lt. Davin Fischer received Heroes United honors Friday night before the Wolves played the Golden State Warriors, but not before he took care of a little unfinished business. “I just stopped Steph Curry; when he was playing for Davidson against my alma mater, Georgetown," Fischer said. "He just killed us one year in the NCAA tournament."In 2008 Curry led Davidson to a second-round upset win against the second-seeded Hoyas, a Hoyas team that was ranked eighth nationally and heavily favored after a 2007 Final Four appearance. Curry tallied 25 points in the second half to push Davidson to a 74-70 win. “I stopped him when he was practicing and said, ‘Hey, thanks for ruining an entire year of my life,’” Fischer laughed.
The two might differ in their Davidson/Georgetown and Warriors/Timberwolves affiliations, but like Curry in his basketball career Fischer has a similar leadership background. Fischer is from Woodbury and is a member of the Minnesota National Guard. In 2008, at the age of 24, he enlisted and later attended Officer Candidate School. Officer Candidate School trains students in a range of fields from communications to finance, and students ultimately emerge with the problem-solving and leadership skills essential for their military positions and potential future careers. “It’s really a progressive step,” Fischer said of his training in school. “When you choose to become an officer, they want to make sure you can become a leader and you can make choices in tight situations. It really turns you into someone who understands the challenges of leading progressively larger groups of people.” He recently returned from deployment to Afghanistan where he served as an Intelligence Officer. While his life has been filled with plenty of intense moments, Fischer says ultimately, teamwork can bring our greatest successes. “I was with a small team from the Minnesota National Guard so we did a lot of things on the edge,” Fischer said. “Being able to have that small team and having success doing what you’re asked to do was a particular highlight.” Heroes United is a program presented by the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation, the Roger and Nancy McCabe Foundation and POPP Communications to recognize Minnesota’s military personnel at each home game. Friday night also featured a video message from Tech Sgt. Ashley Ingvalson who is currently deployed in Southwest Asia. Her husband Joseph and friends applauded her video from center court. As part of Operation: Minnesota Heroes Month, presented by the Roger and Nancy McCabe Foundation and POPP Communications, the Minnesota FastBreak Foundation recognized Friday night Maj. Shaun Riffe and Specialist Nazaire Jean-Baptiste as part of Heroes in the Making. Riffe served with the 84th Troop Command of the U.S. Army in Baghdad from Nov. 2003 to Apr. 2005. Jean-Baptiste serves with the 147th Human Resource Company of the Minnesota National Guard and deployed to Kuwait in 2011. Joe Bennek, a member of the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund presented each hero with a grant from MMAF. To punctuate the evening, Timberwolves President Chris Wright and Roger and Nancy McCabe presented the pair with Kevin Love jerseys. Operation: Heroes Month serves to honor and recognize Minnesota troops and their families. The FastBreak Foundation works to ensure that those servicemen and women from Minnesota who dutifully serve their country at home and abroad have the opportunity to be recognized by the Timberwolves and their fans.