Then & Now: Derrick Chandler
Compiled By Dave Brandon (Photo Courtesy NU Media Relations)
Chandler, a 6’11” center originally from
w:st="on">Hyattsville
, Maryland,appeared in the NCAA tournament both seasons he played at
w:st="on">Nebraska
(91-92 & 92-93.)Individually, Chandler
holds the career record for blocked shots in a season at
w:st="on">Nebraska
, as he swattedaway ninety-one shots in 1991-1992. Besides this,
w:st="on">Chandler
also ranks in the top ten in both career-blockedshots and career-rebound average at
w:st="on">Nebraska
.
Derrick recently joined Husker Hoops Central for an
exclusive look at his life, both then and now.
HHC: First off, thanks a lot for
taking the time to update us on your life.
DC: Not a problem, I’m happy to do
this.
HHC: You obviously had a lot of
success while at Nebraska,
both as a team and as an individual player. Before we get into that,
tell us how you ended up at
w:st="on">Nebraska
, and what sold you on coming to aschool that is viewed as a “football school?”
DC: At the time, I wanted to be a
part of something new, and I felt that the program was up and coming, so
I think that’s one of the main reasons I came. The other was the high
graduation rate that
w:st="on">Nebraska
has.
HHC: Have you been back to
w:st="on">Lincoln
since 1993, andwhat are your favorite memories of the town itself?
DC: Last time I was in
w:st="on">Lincoln
to watch a game wasin 1994, and then I came back again in 2000 to visit a couple of
friends, Jamar Johnson and Terrance Badgett. As for favorite memories,
the town has grown so much since I’ve been there, so I can’t remember
specific places, but wow! I just remember you could get ten-cent
chicken wings across the railroad tracks over there, you could take $5,
and you could go and eat an awful lot.
HHC: (laughs) I know where you’re
talking about – didn’t that place have cheap tacos too?
DC: Yeah, yeah! I can’t remember the
name, (laughs.)
HHC: We can’t either, but it went out
of business a couple of years back. Anyway, you were a force in the
paint while in
w:st="on">Lincoln
, as you are in the top ten in bothcareer blocked shots and rebounding. What kind of mindset did it take
to accomplish that success right off the bat at such a high level of
competition after coming from Alvin (TX.) JUCO?
DC: I think tenacity and just wanting
it more than your opponent was the key. That was one of my strengths; I
didn’t want to feel that somebody was working harder than me on the
court. I think that when you bring an attitude like that, your
teammates and the fans feed off that.
HHC: A lot of people remember you for
your defense, but you were also second on the team as a senior in
scoring, at 11.2 PPG. What did you take more pride in, blocking a shot
or scoring, and why?
DC: If you asked me that now, I would
say probably blocking a shot. And, I guess that back then, I would say
the same thing, because blocking a shot can totally change the tempo of
a game.
HHC: You were involved in a lot of
big games at
Nebraska, but
which game sticks out most, and any particular plays that you made
personally?
DC: The game that sticks out most
would have to be against
w:st="on">Kansas
my junior year. I thinkKansas was
ranked like #7. We were losing almost the whole game, and then we made a
run. We were down two points with like 0.5 seconds on the clock, and
Jamar (Johnson) hit that three-pointer in the corner with no seconds on
the clock. That was one of the highlights as a team. For me
personally, I would say the game against Oklahoma when I had like
eighteen points and twenty rebounds, and coach Nee told me “you should
have had thirty,” (laughs.)
HHC: Speaking of coach Nee, what was
it like playing under him, and do you remember any classic Danny Nee
moments?
DC: Coach was funny; he’s a great guy
and great motivator. He let our team achieve great things with not a
lot of talent by making us reach from within and overachieve. Its sad
he’s not there anymore, but I understand that people move on. One of
best stories I can remember was when we were playing
w:st="on">Oklahoma
, and coachdidn’t too much care for Billy Tubbs, and Tubbs didn’t care too much for
coach, it was obvious. It was my senior year, and coach Nee said, “We
want to score 100 points on Tubbs, we’re not going to let these Sooners
beat us. We want to run them out the gym, so all we’re doing today is
shooting.” So he took a timeout and said, “What are you doing, we need
to shoot more.” You gotta love coach.
HHC: Classic. And now about the
“now.” Before we get into what you are doing today, how long did your
professional basketball career last after you left
w:st="on">Nebraska
, and where didit take you?
DC: I think I had a good run - I left
Nebraska and first went to
w:st="on">Turkey
. Theyear after that I played in
w:st="on">Spain
, and the following year was a tryout withthe Suns before going to
w:st="on">France
. Inw:st="on">France
,I actually played with Tony Farmer and Eric Johnson, which was a lot of
fun. Then I played in
w:st="on">Italy
for two years, before comingback and tearing my Achilles twice while trying to make the Bullets and
Mavericks. I had a good run, almost ten years, or eight years total.
HHC: And today, what is Derrick
Chandler up to, both personally and professionally?
DC: Personally, I’m married with two
great kids. Professionally, I’m the Assistant Director of the
Foundation For Adventist Health Care. I’m not too active anymore
playing ball, but I like to go watch. I’m mostly just focusing on my
career.
HHC: Sounds like everything is going
well. Hey, your former teammate Bruce Chubick was on the site last week,
and he agreed to take e-mail from the fans. If we create you an e-mail
account through our website, would you be willing to take some e-mails
derrick@huskerhoopscentral.com ?
DC: Yeah, I don’t mind, I love to see
and hear from Nebraska
fans. Here in the D.C. area, I don’t get to read or bump into them much,
so that would be great to hear from some Huskers!
HHC: Thanks a lot for taking the time
to update us on where “DC” is these days.
DC: Not a problem, I think this is
great what you are doing for the program, and I know a lot of my old
teammates agree with me.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
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