Johnny Davis

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

This is just a little reminder that Grand Highway Baptist Church will be having their October Men's Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, October 10th from 8-9:30 AM. All men are invited to attend. You do not have to be a member or regular attender of Grand Highway Baptist Church to attend. This is a great time of food and fellowship. This is a FREE event. All you have to do is bring yourself and your stretchy pants, because there is a lot of food at it is a really great time.

For more information about Grand Highway Baptist Church, you can visit their website at www.grandhighwaybaptistchurch.com

I look forward to seeing you there!!!

Recently, I decided to get myself in shape and start going on the trail for some running and some walking...mostly walking right now, but we aren't here to discuss my endurance!!! Last night when I was on the Minneola Trail, I noticed a few houses that had "For Sale By Owner" signs in the front yard. These signs were obviously old and weathered. The poor owners apparently have been trying to sell their home for some time with no success. I started to think about all of the articles that you can find online that give sellers advise on how to better sell their homes. You've seen the articles, you know the ones I am talking about. There are PLENTY of them out there. I decided last night that I will be a little different...I will make a list of ways to help a seller NOT SELL THEIR HOUSE. Follow the steps I am about to give you and you most likely won't sell your house. It isn't full proof though...you may do everything I say here and still sell your home. You know what they say...even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile!

5 Things To Do To NOT Sell Your Home

1.) Don't Hire a Real Estate Professional. I'm not going to sit here and quote you the same old National Association of Realtor stats that you have heard over and over. You know, the ones that say that if you use a real estate agent to sell your house, you will most likely get 16% more than if you were selling it yourself. I can't prove those statistics, so I don't want to use them. Here are some of the benefits of using a real estate professional, which, if you don't want to sell your home, you don't need.

1.) Your home gets placed on the Multiple Listing Service of your area. This allows other co-operating brokers to be able to find information about your home.

2.) If you use a real estate agent to list and market your home, more than likely, if you pick a good agent, your home will get a ton of online exposure. In the 2008 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, they state that of the information sources used in home search, 87% was on the internet and 85% was by a real estate agent.

3.) Pre-Qualified Buyers coming to your house. A good agent will make sure that only pre-qualified buyers come to your home. Your time is valuable and doesn't need to be wasted on "lookers".

2.) Ignore your Real Estate Agent's Comparative Market Analysis and set your own price. The Joyner's down the street sold their house 4 years ago for $250,000, you should be able to sell your home for AT LEAST that in 2009, right? A good real estate agent is in the market everyday. They are monitoring house prices everyday. This is what they do. They are professionals. If they say your home is now only worth around $175,000, you should insist on your price of $250,000...if you don't want to sell your home.

3.) Ignore your lawn. If a buyer can't see through your thick jungle of a front yard and see the value of this over priced home, so be it...right? Real Estate Agent's will tell you to keep your lawn well maintained. Simple things like cutting the grass, weed eating, edging, trimming the bushes, etc...these are things that create "curb appeal". If you don't really want to sell your home, stay inside on a Saturday and watch college football...how high can the grass possibly get?

4.) Ignore the minor repairs and hope they go away on their own. Just like in your car, if you hear a rattling sound, if you ignore it, it may go away on it's own. Same thing with that leaky faucet, and the running toilet and that chipped tile in the kitchen that you always trip over...More than likely, if you have followed these tips, your home is already overpriced. Why make minor repairs? If a buyer has the money to pay your asking price, surely they have the money to make their own repairs as well!

5.) Ignore the stagers advice and keep your house cluttered. So you are a collector..big deal! It's your house...you aren't really trying to sell it. Keep your 278 beanie babies lined up on a shelf in your spare bedroom. All those McDonald's toys you used to collect? Put them on display. All the shot glasses and mugs from every city you have been in across this great country...put them on display!!!

I can't guarantee it, but if you do these 5 things I mentioned, you probably won't sell your house. If you have alot of time and don't mind wasting it, this is definitely the route for you to take!!!

Good luck!!!

In my post yesterday about ICF Blocks, I mentioned that I had the opportunity to visit over at the African Inland Mission in Minneola, Fl. For those who may not know, the African Inland Mission is an area of about 23 acres where alot of retired missionaries live. They have been building a huge facility over there and I was introduced to the contractor a week or so ago and he invited me to take a tour of the new complex.

This new building is approximately 17,000 sq. ft. and it is the home of the dining hall, library, kitchen, offices and a few apartments.

The picture above of the dining hall isn't that great of a picture...I apologize. With all of the windows in this room, there was a glare everywhere I turned. You can't really tell from this picture, but this dining hall is beautiful. The ceiling has some beautiful exposed wood beams...I regret not taking a picture of those so that you could see them. I think the contractor told me that this room is about 6,000 sq. ft. Don't hold me to that, I could be wrong. This will be a great dining hall when it is completely finished. The library actually sits above and to the left of this room. It is glassed in and you can see what is going on in the dining hall from the library.

The lake above is the view that you will get from the dining hall. African Inland Mission is also planning to build another 12,000 sq. ft. building. This building will attach on to the new complex and will consist of more apartments for the retired missionaries to live in. I went inside one of the proposed apartments, and they are very nice. They remind me of a very luxury hotel room. In the picture below, the stair case will be removed and that big wall is where the new construction will begin.

I am very happy to see that these retired missionaries, after years of living in probably bad conditions, get to retire in a little bit of style. I really hope they enjoy it!!

I love real estate because you get to see new things and learn new things almost every day. Today I went over to the African Inland Mission in Minneola to see the new facility that they are building. In another post later, I'll tell you about the building and some other things they are planning, but for now I want to tell you about a new type of "block" that I saw was being used there. Have any of you heard of ICF Block?

ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Form. I am not a contractor, but I will try to explain this as best I can. From the outside of the building, you can't tell a single difference from regular block and ICF Block. The ICF Block is made of a special type of foam and concrete is poured into them. The foam is your insulation, so you don't have to spend extra money on that. I was told that by using ICF Blocks, your heating and cooling bills would be reduced. The inside of the building was actually pretty cold, but when I looked at one of the thermostats, the temperature was only set at 79 degrees!!!

Asking how you put them together, I was told that they latch together and you could use a saw to cut them into shapes that you needed. Light weight too, each block is only about 10-12 lbs. The ICF Block can have up to a 5 hour fire resistive rating. I saw on another website, that some insurance companies will give discounts to home owners whose houses are built with ICF Blocks. I can't verify that information for sure, so be sure you check with your insurance company.

If anybody has anymore information on the ICF Block, feel free to leave a comment. I would definitely like to learn more about this product!!