You might think that McDonald’s All-Americans only go to the big colleges like Duke/Kentucky but a few decades ago Adonal Foyle decided to break the mold. After winning a pair of state titles at Hamilton Central School he kept his talents in Hamilton and decided to enroll a couple of blocks away at Colgate. It worked out well for everyone: by the time he left he was the school’s all-time leader with 1103 REB and the NCAA’s all-time leader with 492 BLK (in just 3 seasons!), and the Raiders made their 1st 2 NCAA tourney appearances ever in 1995/1996. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Adonal about moving to America and being a great shot-blocker. Today marks the 12th anniversary of Adonal announcing his retirement from the NBA on August 17, 2010, so we take this time to remember his remarkable achievements.
You were born in the Caribbean (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and did not play organized basketball until age 15: what sports did you play growing up, and how did you get into basketball? The list of sports ran the gamut as I tried/failed at many sports including soccer/cricket/track and field/etc. I did not know it at the time but I was still growing into my body and just not very coordinated. Basketball was an accident of sorts: I grew up on an island of only 500 people, but when I moved to the Grenadines for high school I was fortunate because basketball was much more prevalent there. They did not have a big man at the time so when I showed up as a 6’5” freshman they were very eager to put me on the team. I remember my 1st game: after just blocking/rebounding shots I wanted to see what scoring was like. I ran down the court to make my 1st layup…but when I turned around everyone was laughing because in my excitement to score I had forgotten to dribble the ball!
Hamilton Central High School professors Jay/Joan Mandle brought you back with them to New York, where you led the basketball team to a pair of state championships: what impact have the Mandles had on your life, and what did it mean to you to win a title? The 1st time we made it to the state title game we lost and I felt like crap. However, when we got back to town everyone came out to thank us by throwing a parade: it felt amazing to be embraced like that.
You had 14 REB in a 2-PT win by the East team in the 1994 McDonald’s All-American Game: what are your memories of the game, and which of the other players impressed you the most (Raef LaFrentz/Antoine Walker/Steve Wojciechowski/other)? It was Felipe Lopez and Jerod Ward’s world: we were just living in it! Lopez was viewed as the 2nd coming: he was just amazing on the court. I remember going to the Ronald McDonald House and talking with the kids. To be on the same court with guys we had read about in the newspaper was a good realization for all of us. Seeing my stepparents in the stands was also extraordinary: I will remember it for a very long time.
In 1995 you were named Patriot League ROY and became the 1st freshman to ever be named 1st-team All-Patriot League: what made you choose Colgate, and how were you able to come in and contribute so quickly? When I was looking at schools I wanted to have the opportunity to excel on the court and also in the classroom: I was unsure if I was good enough to be an NBA player. I could not go back to the island and tell my mom that I blew my chance to be the 1st one in my family to graduate from college. I also looked at schools like Syracuse/Kansas but at the end of the day I knew that Colgate would be the best situation for me both academically/athletically.
What are your memories of the 1995 NCAA tourney (you had 16 PTS/13 REB before fouling out in a loss to #1-seed Kansas)? Holy cow: how could they have that many big men on 1 team?! I would spin away from Scot Pollard…and then Greg Ostertag would be standing there waiting to block my shot. We did not have a lot of height so their Twin Towers just roamed the paint and kept us away from the basket. We gave it everything we had: when Coach Roy Williams shook my hand after the game and told me I did a really good job I felt very proud.
In 1996 you were named All-American, and in 1997 you became the 1st ever 2-time Patriot League POY: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? The honors were flattering but I always felt that I was unworthy because I was just having fun and still struggling while I learned how to get better. I was very humbled just to be recognized.
In the 1996 NCAA tourney you had 21 PTS/14 REB/6 BLK in a loss to UConn (who was led by 24 PTS from Ray Allen): how close did you come to pulling off the upset? UConn had lots of shooters. We were a bit more comfortable because we had been in the tourney the previous year and we played very hard. I was double-teamed all night but we were in it until the end. We started to think that we deserved a higher seed than #16: we were no longer a fluke.
In 1997 you led the nation with 6.43 BPG (the 2nd-most ever), and you finished your career with a then-NCAA-record (now #3) 492 BLK despite only playing 3 years: do you feel like you are 1 of the best defenders in NCAA history, and what is the secret to blocking shots? Most shot-blockers will tell you that the difference between blocking a shot and getting dunked on during that night’s SportsCenter is just 1 second. I enjoyed blocking shots: sometimes it was even more fun than dunking. A block has the ability to completely transform the course of a game. It allowed me to have an impact if I was able to control the paint. You cannot be afraid to get dunked on and you need timing/patience even when someone is coming full-speed-ahead right at you. It also helps if you can block a shot with either hand.
In the summer of 1997 you were drafted 8th overall by Golden State (1 spot ahead of Tracy McGrady): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It meant everything to me. Going from a small island to being a good college player made me very happy. When people told me I had a chance to be an NBA player I was stunned because I never dreamed about that growing up. To be picked 8th overall was really shocking but also really exciting. It helped me take care of my family: I was able to send my siblings to school in the US. It was an amazing journey and to have my mom with me at the draft on national TV was extraordinary.
In 2002 you had a career-high 9 BLK in 9-PT loss at Utah (who as a team only had 7 BLK): was it just 1 of those scenarios where you got a piece of every shot they put up because you were “in the zone”? What was funny about that game is that by the end of the game I think I had knocked out all of my teeth when someone gave me a karate chop during his drive to the basket! As a big man I had the opportunity to change the game and that night I was flying all over the court trying to block everything. I tried really hard to get 10 BLK but came up 1 short.
You began the 2006-2007 season as the active leader in most regular season games played without making the playoffs (641), but broke your streak after the Warriors won 9 of their final 10 games to clinch a postseason berth: how did it feel to finally make the playoffs, and what is the biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs? I was happy for our fans to see what it felt like to make the playoffs. There were just so many unfortunate things that happened during my time there: coaches getting choked, players leaving, etc. It was great to live in the Bay Area but the basketball culture had become corrupted. After we made it to the playoffs and upset Dallas it was exciting to hear everyone talking about us. I was not worried about the streak and did not think too much about it. I know it is a cliché to say that we have the best fans…but they were always loyal to us even when we were only winning 17 games/season. To upset #1-seed Dallas was a fairy tale.
In 2007 you became an American citizen after living here for almost 18 years: why did you decide to make the switch, and how has your life changed since then? I had started a couple of foundations and was working with young people so I wanted to create change by having an informed voting block. People would look at me with shock when I told them I could not vote because I was not a citizen so I went through the process of going from student to alien to citizen. Doing that allowed me to fully participate in a country that has become my 2nd home. I had never voted for 30 years even though I think that voting is 1 of our most fundamental rights. I was sworn in along with 3000 other people and we all felt that it was the most important day of our life. To get to vote in the historic election of 2008 was such a symbol to me.
You continued working on your degree while playing in the NBA (graduating magna cum laude in 1999 with a degree in history), and in 2010 you were inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame: why did you decide to go back and get your degree, and how much importance do you place on academics? I feel that 1 of the true hallmarks we have in the NCAA is to be a “student-athlete”. I was the 1st person in my family to go to college so it was a hard decision to leave Colgate. I had to go back and get my degree because my mom would have killed me: seriously, she told me as much! It was also important for me to get a piece of paper saying that I was a college graduate, which gave me something to fall back on.
In August of 2010 you announced your retirement and the following month you were hired by Orlando you to be director of player development: why did you decide to retire, and how did you like the new job? As a player you never want to retire. Your body makes the decision for you and hopefully the mind will follow. I felt something pop in my knee and had surgery but never got back to the point where I felt 100%. I used to tell people that they would have to rip my jersey off and burn it because I would never retire, but after my knee would swell up every time I played I just felt it was the right time to bow out. I never thought that I would be a dinosaur at age 35! Orlando GM Otis Smith and I had talked a lot: I had tremendous respect for him when he was a bright spot for us back in Golden State. He offered me the job and it was a no-brainer to join him.
You made over $60 million in salary despite never averaging over 6 PPG in any season: how have you used your money to give back to the community? Some of the most extraordinary people in my life have been teachers so if I had my way teachers would be all-stars who got paid millions of dollars. I still talk to some of my old teachers. I do not think athletes deserve all of the money we make: it is ridiculous. There are 30 owners and 450 players: it is just about finances and market forces and supply/demand. I never tried to put a dollar amount on what we make: sports takes people away from the ordinary and they allow us to escape from the game of life. I always felt that we had a moral responsibility to be more than players by being ambassadors and giving back. I started 2 foundations to help kids from around the world by teaching them about AIDS/nutrition/education/etc. We leave a legacy behind after the game that goes far beyond our stats on the court.