Cardinal Junior Embarks on Crucial Off-Season
by Zach Smart
When your mental game matches your ability, there’s really no limit to what you could do on the hardwood. That’s a primary reason why Taj Finger is playing a significant role for the Pac-10’s Stanford Cardinal.
Finger, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward who re-wrote the record books at Fox Lane High School, should be an essential element of next year’s team. The junior from Mt. Kisco will be make the transition from power to small forward, taking on more of a leadership position as well.
“I need to work on my quickness if I want to be able to play at the three,” said Finger, who is fundamentally sound in all facets of his game. “And, my dribble needs to get a lot stronger.”
Finger has his work cut out for himself this summer. His regimen consists of a month’s training with the team. During his time at home, Finger will be training with John Goldman, a mastermind Division-I basketball trainer who’s known throughout the county as “the Shot Doctor.”
“I hope to gain about 10 pounds and just improve all aspects of my game that I possibly can,” said Finger, adding that he’ll be lifting weights consistently and running games with other Division-I players around the area.
During his four-year stay with the Foxes, Finger was an invaluable force down low. Then a wiry center, Finger was quite an inimitable threat. He had an effective jumper and an outside game, but more importantly, Finger played a brand of heady, old-school basketball. Finger’s game placed higher emphasis on team success, as he sacrificed big numbers for team accolades. Finger averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, a jaw-dropping 8.0 blocks, 5.0 steals and 4.5 assists per game – all were team bests. Finger never hesitated to make that extra pass or set an important pick for a teammate to roll of off.
Finger guided Fox Lane to its first Section I championship since 1985, as the Foxes upset top-ranked Port Chester, 40-34, at the White Plains County Center. Finger made crucial buckets and swatted several shots down the stretch of this game, defeating a top-tier team that featured Iona-commit Melvin Calhoun, Chad Charney (SUNY-Purchase), and Leon Hill (Nazareth).
The Foxes concluded their improbable run with a loss to eventual state champ Jamesville-DeWitt at the state final four in Glens Falls. It was a storybook-like ending to then-coach George Masters’ legendary career, one which included a 15-year era at Sleepy Hollow.
“My senior year basketball season was definitely one of the greatest times of my life,” Finger reflects. “It was such a special experience that I’ll never forget, and I’m just glad that myself and all the guys were able to go as far as we did for coach Masters.”
Now Finger, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 boards in 19.9 minutes per game as a starter this past season, is faced with a tougher task: helping restore the perception of the Stanford program. The Cardinal had a down year, despite finishing with a 16-14 record and competing for first place in the Pac-10 at one point. They went a dreadful 4-9 on the road and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
“Next year we’re losing four seniors, three starters, and about 80 percent of our scoring. Hopefully next year I will have more of a leadership role.”
