RIP To Worcester Basketball Legend Neil Fingleton
(Telegram) – Neil Fingleton, the tallest player in Holy Name High and Holy Cross basketball histories and an adopted Worcester son, passed away Saturday in his native Durham, England, according to multiple reports.
Fingleton was 36.
Fingleton, who stood 7-foot-6, shot to local celebrity status when he arrived here, on his own, at age 16, and starred for coach J.P. Ricciardi at Holy Name. As a junior, Fingleton helped lead the Naps to the 1999 Central Mass. Division 1 championship.
Absolutely devastating news coming out of the UK yesterday. Worcester legend Neil Fingleton passing away at just 36 is heartbreaking (no pun intended). If you paid attention to the basketball scene in the late 90s in Massachusetts, you knew who Neil was. I will always remember him making the McDonald’s All American game and standing at half court during FTs so he could make it back on defense in time. I’ll also always remember this
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I’ll remember the 2001 National Prep School Invitational where you had a bunch of legit high school players, guys like Rashad McCants, Jarrett Jack, Stevie Hailey, and Sam Kaplan and once Neil walked in, he’s all anyone cared about. He probably could have gone anywhere after transferring from North Carolina, but he chose to come back to Worcester. I’ll remember working with him one summer at the Clark basketball camp. He’d roll up in this little piece of shit car that didn’t have a front seat and for teenage Greenie he threw the best parties I had ever seen. The guy would crush handles by himself and appear to be completely fine. He was a legend.
You also may recognize Neil without even knowing it. If you watch Game Of Thrones, you probably know this guy
only one of the best most dominant characters in the entire show. Frankly, Neil was robbed of an Emmy if you ask me.
So please join me in saying RIP to a true Worcester legend, a guy that was bigger than life while also literally being bigger than any living human in the UK.
RIP in peace.