Claimed:Atticus Finch bio [10/10 FINAL]

[JHS 12]

Gather children and you shall hear,

the story of a man who, without fear,

would fight any asshole, regardless of height,

and defend any teammate, black or white

and London born, 'bama bred,

Minot is where he now lays his head,

He is a great man, and now you'll see,

How this great he got to be. 

 

 

Childhood

 

In the life of the man named Atticus Finch, things have never been easy. Born in Islington, London, he has always been a true brit at heart, but at an early age his family uprooted and moved to tiny Maycomb County, Alabama. At first, Atticus was nervous about making friends and felt lonely. However, that didn't last long, as his natural loyalty and charisma showed eventually, and the natural leader in him began to shine through. He always stuck up for the other children, especially those being oppressed by others, and while he was always a little bigger than the other kids, he never once used his size to bully. He used it to protect and defend. Originally, Atticus showed extreme potential in the sport of Footy, and everyone thought he might have a chance to go pro with it someday. However, that dream ended at the age of 12, when he grew to an astounding 5'10, 150 lbs. He was no fatty though, nor was he dumb, always giving his total effort in school and in athletics. Because of his size, he lacked the agility and speed he once used to dominate the school soccer field, but with the loss of that skill, he found that he had gained another: knocking people over. He put this to use in the neighborhood street hockey games, showing a talent for playing defense and keeping the puck out of the crease. His parents instantly saw his talent and enrolled him in ice hockey, and he got so good that they eventually sent him to St John's Prep in Danvers, MA for High School.

 

High School

 

Starting at St John's prep was tough for Atticus, at the beginning. He had grown to 6'3 by that time, and came to the school with a reputation for being a freak of nature. He was far from Alabama and his parents, and although his talent was obviously there, it seemed as though his head was sometimes back in Maycomb. Some of the coaches wanted to send him home, but the head coach, John O'Sullivan, saw the player that he knew Finch could someday be. He saw the example he set in the locker room and on the ice, the dignified way he carried himself, and the way he treated everyone in a way that made it impossible to dislike him. O'Sullivan trusted Finch so much that he gave him the Assistant Captaincy only halfway through his freshman year, after the last A had come to practice hungover.This seemed to be the spark that Finch needed to reboot his brain, and in the last 12 games of his freshman season he tallied 38 hits, 16 shots blocked, and a +6 +/-. He led the Eagles to the Massachusetts division 1 quarterfinal, where they eventually lost to Andover prep, 2-1. Emboldened by the success of his team and his freshman defenseman, he handed Finch the C in only his second year, charging him to lead a team that lost 7 seniors. He took the challenge well, but he could not carry an entire team, and they were defeated in the knockout stages. His junior season, however, looked to be different. Following the transfer in of one Jack Eichel, St John's won the division 1 title. His stats show how much he gave his team: He led the league in hits and shots blocked, as well as adding 20 total points. He continued his dominance his senior season, and again he helped win the division 1 title. At the end of the season, he won all league honors for the 3rd straight time, was named an All American for the second time, and was selected to Team Northeast in the bay state games. After being offered to scholarships to many different schools, he decided to attend Boston University and play hockey there.

 

College

 

Although Finch only spent 2 seasons as a member of the BU Terriers, they were 2 standout seasons.

He was a main part of the Terriers team on their back to back trips to the frozen four, winning the whole tournament his freshman year. He was going to go pro after his freshman year, and for good reason. Take a look at an excerpt from a scouting report from that year:

 

 

Name: Finch, Atticus

Team: BU

Position: Defense

From: Islington, UK

Age: 17

Hand: right

                                    In all my years of scouting, I don't believe I've ever seen a 17 year old with this much pro level talent. The composure, the leadership, the talent, it's all there. He has a very fundamentally sound defensive game, and isn't afraid to bang the body. However, he has a strong mental presence out on the ice, and very rarely takes stupid penalties. He is a little slow, and does not have too good of a penalty shot, but that's to be expected. A+ talent, try to get him to sign asap.

 

He would've jumped ship, too, had it not been for coach Jack Parker announcing his retirement after the coming season. Atticus wanted to leave, but Coach Parker had been like a father to him and he knew in his heart he had to do what was right. So he stayed, showing maturity to everyone on the team, because as one of the main pieces on the team, leaving would've crippled the team greatly. And although the team lost in the Frozen Four, his collegiate career ended with him leaving it all on the ice, taking a puck to the face in the last few seconds of the game to preserve a tie in the 3rd period, suffering a broken nose and leaving the game. His sacrifice was for naught, however, as the Terriers eventually lost the game in overtime. However, his willingness to put his body on the line made his stock rise greatly after that game.

 

Pro

Through an NCAA loophole as a result of him leaving after his second year of college, Finch was able to be picked up on the waiver wire for the latter part of the 40th VHLM season. On the night he was available to sign, his signature was hotly contested, and we interviewed a few team scouts on what they saw in him. Here are a few excerpts:

 

"He's a natural born defenseman, that boy. Big kid, good body. He isn't afraid to put his body on the line when it matters. He has a swift pokecheck, and knows how to play the boards and make a smart interception. He reads passers like a book, too. Unfortunately, his puck handling is subpar, so you can't expect him to take the puck up the ice. He draws some comparisons to Bobby Orr defensively, but I don't see it. Orr could take it from behind his own net and score without passing. Finch couldn't even get to his own blueline without getting the puck stolen."

 

"When I hear the name Finch, the first word that pops into my head is "awareness". His on ice mental presence is very good, and he never takes bad penalties. He has strength, and ability, but he's thinking so far ahead of the players it's like he doesn't even need those traits. That's what keeps his penalty minutes so low, what helps him net those goals and assists, and what helps him get those key interceptions. The main detraction I can think of is his speed, but speed can be gained, and it's not vital for a defenseman. He'll never win a footrace with another player, but his awareness is so advanced he's probably at the spot where the puck will be before the other player even realizes it. Speed is below a player of his caliber. An A+ prospect, really."

 

"I hear all this chatter about his skill on defense, and yeah, it's definitely there, but I think people really tend to downplay his offensive talent. The same awareness that leads to interceptions also helped him get 30+ assists for BU last season. He can tell where his teammates are going to be, and hits them perfectly for some nice goals. There's nothing flashy about this player, he plays a strong fundamental game. That being said, he doesn't fight as well as a man in his role should. Sure, he hits hard and is a strong guy, but it seems all that muscle abandons him when it comes to 1v1 fisticuffs. If he really wants to be a true physical force in this league, this is a part of his game he must slightly improve.

 

The VHLM reviewed Finch's case to join the league, and his attorney's presented the league with the loophole in NCAA policy that technically allowed the immediate joining of the league by Finch. It was then that Atticus revealed he had already chosen his team....

 

 

Atticus Finch was going to Minot. And with this, the legacy of Atticus Finch in the VHL had begun. Would he become a league legend, a name revered for years to come? Or would he be a bust, a player laughed at by the entire community? Only time, it seems, will tell.

Edited November 7, 2014 by JHS

[Molholt 2,183]

Overview- 3/3 - Pretty expansive overview, Finch seems like a team first guy, which most teams will love to have.

Grammar- 2/2 - Minor things.

 

bay state games -- Bay State Games

offered to scholarships -- offered scholarships

frozen four -- Frozen Four

greatly. And although - greatly. Although

Presentation- 1/1 - Nothing extraordinaire, but nothing bad either.

Pros- 2/2 - I like the way the pros and cons are presented, but I dislike that you labeled them all as Pros. They were technically a little short of the word "requirement" (I don't know how strict the 200 each rule is) at 381 combined, but I don't feel like docking you for that. Overall a nice way of adding it in without it feeling separate from the bio. 

Cons- 2/2 - See above. 

Overall- 10/10

[Kendrick 4,725]

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