Noah Fischer, senior star defender on the Westfield boys soccer team and Hobart commit, cemented his soccer legacy with his game-winning header in the sectional final. However, Fischer decided to further his high school athletic legacy and join the boys basketball team this season.
Growing up, Fischer was a three-sport athlete and participated competitively in baseball, basketball and soccer until he was in eighth grade. “At the time, baseball was definitely my favorite sport,” Fischer said.
Being a multi-sport athlete for a majority of his young playing career has benefitted Fischer. Fischer noted, “Playing all those sports helped me a lot with my athleticism. Baseball is a very mental sport and helped me a lot in developing mental toughness.” He added that being a leader and a communicative teammate are other important attributes that overlap the three sports.
Fischer’s father, Brett Fischer, agreed that playing multiple sports at a young age taught him characteristics that would assist him in all sports. “Each sport teaches commitment, mental toughness, teamwork, resilience, and goal-setting,” Brett Fischer said. He added that his son’s soccer skills will adapt well to basketball on the defensive side of the ball through capturing steals and leaving his body on the line to take a charge.
As Fischer entered high school, he began to prioritize soccer and halted his baseball career. After playing basketball during his freshman and sophomore years of high school, Fischer temporarily turned into a one-sport athlete.
His reasoning behind this tough decision was because “soccer was the sport that I wanted to continue in college, and junior year was a huge time for recruiting. I missed basketball a lot but I knew I had to make some sacrifices if I wanted to achieve my goal of being a collegiate athlete.”
Eventually, in August and before the start of his senior soccer campaign, Fischer’s dream turned into a reality as he announced his commitment to Hobart College.
Fischer was able to have a senior soccer season to remember as he was named to the All-Division first team and the All-Conference first team, and was named nj.com’s county player of the year and selected to the website’s All-State first team.
Aside from his stellar on-field play, Fischer possessed great sportsmanship and leadership off the field. “He runs over to the sidelines to shake hands with opposing coaches, as well as he thanks the referees after each game. He consistently motivates teammates, and he makes sure to hug his grandparents after each game,” said Brett Fischer.
At the conclusion of his season, Fischer spoke with the Hobart coaching staff to poke its mind about the possibility of playing basketball for one last hurrah. Fischer said that the staff was “super supportive of me playing and wanting me to enjoy my senior year.” Fischer added that the coaches believed it would be “a good idea to take a little break from soccer before college prep starts in the spring.”
Another key motive for Fischer to play basketball this year was head coach James McKeon. “When I saw coach McKeon coaching the varsity team, I knew that one day I wanted to play under him. He is a great motivator, high energy guy, and a winner,” Fischer said.
Fischer has appeared in both of Westfield’s games this season. As the season progresses, he will look to be a defensive specialist and a lockdown perimeter defender.
