I recently had the great opportunity to interview former Florida Gator and Orlando Magic center Andrew Declercq. Andrew was instrumental to the Gators trip to the Final Four in 1994. In 1996, he was drafted by the NBA's Golden State Warriors. "The Hammer" went on to have a 10 year career in the NBA with 5 of those seasons spent with the Orlando Magic.
1.) First things first. You are now a Clermont resident. I have to know, how long have you been in Clermont and what attracted you to our beautiful city?
My family and I moved to Clermont 2 years ago. My wife and I have been driving through Clermont on the way to where I grew up in Clearwater since 2000. We loved the lakes, hills and beauty of the city and surrounding areas. It is still convenient to Orlando and the theme parks, but with out the hassle of living in the mess of the city.
2.) I heard you played in the Men's League at Celebration of Praise a few years ago and completely dominated. If your knees weren't a problem, do you think you'd still be on an NBA roster? Since you retired, have you ever thought about making a comeback?
Yes, a few years ago I played in that league and ended up breaking my little toe. I think I only played in 2 or 3 games. There will be no comebacks for me. The wear and tear of 10 NBA seasons finally caught up to me in 2005. I tried for a couple of seasons to catch on to a team, but i knew i was done physically. It was a lot of fun, but I always knew it was a blessing that was not going to last forever.
3.) Speaking of comebacks, Brett Favre waffled again on his decision to retire. In your opinion, why is it so hard for some of these guys to let go? What was the hardest thing for you when you retired and how did you cope with it?
I think it comes down to the fear of the unknown of what is next in life and your sport is what has defined you as a person for so long. It takes a little bit to re-learn who you are without the game. For me, I wandered about trying many different businesses and hobbies trying to find what was going to be my next passion.
4.) You were fortunate enough to play 10 seasons in the NBA with 5 of those being with the Orlando Magic. Of your time with the Magic, how big of a distraction was Grant Hill's ankle and how far could those teams have went with a healthy Grant Hill?
Grant Hill was not much of a distraction. In fact, he was great having around for his experience and knowledge. I think if he had been healthy, we would have had a much better team and had more success. I hear people bash the Magic for signing him, but when he signed with the Magic, he was one of the best players in the league, almost a triple double every night out.
5.) I saw an article the other day on the Fanhouse website that was about ex-Magic Player David Vaughn. Basically, the story talks about how he has been homeless and living on the streets of Orlando for awhile. Is this a common theme in the NBA or was David Vaughn just an out of the ordinary case? I know the NBA has a rookie symposium where they talk about this type of stuff, but do the guys really take it seriously?
I read that article about David Vaughn and was very saddened by it. It is possible for a guy to end up that way. Most do because they do not have a support group of friends or family that they can trust. There are programs to help rookies and veterans alike, but some guys feel they do not need the help. Sometimes the hardest thing is to lower their guard long enough to ask for help. We are taught from a young age to be invincible, to never give up, to never lose. It is not even a possibility in the mind of a pro athlete.
6.) One of the things I really admired about you is that you are a Christian athlete. How hard is it to be an outspoken Christian in the NBA? Did you ever get ridiculed by teammates or other players because of your faith?
The NBA is just like every other job or segment of society when it comes to being a Christian. It is always tough to talk about your faith with people who don't want to hear it. It is also tough to live it because you have to take that stand. And just like everyone else, christian pro athletes are human and make mistakes and fail and sin sometimes. I know I did. And that made it tough to share my faith and the understanding that, yes, I make mistakes, but I am forgiven by God because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
7.) As a Gator Alum, I am sure you still have strong ties to the Gator's. Tim Tebow is a great example of a guy who is talking the talk, but as far as I know, he is walking the walk. If you could talk to him about being a Christian athlete and playing on the next level, what advise would you give him?
First off, I am extremely impressed with Tim Tebow. If the level of Fame he has achieved at Florida has not messed him up (and I don't think it has) then He will be fine at the next level. My advice to him would be to guard his time in maintaining his relationship with God with the same, or more, amount of passion with which he plays the game of football. And to keep the people who counsel him, those closest to him, must be strong Christians who are hearing from God.
8.) You and former Magic Player Keith Tower helped start Highpoint Church. How did the two of you get together and please tell me a little about HighPoint.
Keith and I met through a pro athlete christian organization called Champions for Christ. We became friends and he was mentoring me on how to be a more effective Christian to my wife, family and teammates. We started doing Bible studies on the road with my teammates and then at our home here in Orlando. When we had 50 adults and 35 kids in our house every Thursday night we found that people were having their lives changed and we had a church, a gathering of Christ followers. From there, Keith really took the reigns and we started to meet in downtown Orlando. About a year ago, we purchased the old Haynes Brothers Furniture store on 50 in Ocoee. Converted it to a church and have been growing steadily since. We are about to begin the expansion of our sanctuary and kids space in the near future.
I think our tag line tells a lot about who we are as a church, Real Faith, Real Life. Keith and the other pastors on staff speak the truth of God found in the Bible and how to apply that to our everyday lives. You can hear Keith preach on our website at http://realfaithrealife.org.
9.) In closing, you and former Gator teammate Dan Cross conduct a basketball camp. What can kids expect to learn by attending All Pro Fundamentals?
Dan and I started doing basketball camps in Orlando 3 years ago. We saw the need to teach the fundamentals of the game of basketball and life to young kids. So much of youth basketball these days is dominated by AAU games, games, and more games. But Dan and I both understood and learned the game by doing the drills and practicing the fundamentals of the game until we had perfected our games. We also like to get kids thinking about the characteristics that are learned through sports, teamwork, dedication, discipline, hard work, and self-confidence. These same characteristics are also the same ones needed to be successful in school work and their future jobs, which odds say, will not be sports. More info can be found at http://www.allprofundametals.com
Photos Courtesy of Andrew Declercq
