Derek Harper is the most decorated player Floyd Andrews coached during his legendary 31-year career. But when Harper heard early Wednesday his “second father” and mentor had died, the former 16-year NBA veteran’s thoughts had nothing to do with basketball.

Rather, it was how his former coach helped prepare him for life.

“All I could think about was him giving me a paddle,” Harper said in an emotional phone call from his home outside of Dallas. “His chastising me and me respecting him enough to take it. I needed it.

“You’re trained to do what’s right but you don’t always do what’s right and coach thought it was necessary discipline to give me a paddle. I will take it to my grave. I’m grateful for it. I’m thankful for it because it changed the path of my life.”

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Andrews, 85, was under hospice care when he died in his home in West Palm Beach surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife, Annette, of 48 years and children, Cedric, Brette, Paula and Tracy. Andrews worked in the Palm Beach County schools system as a coach and teacher for 42 years.

“Floyd was the beacon of light and an educator,” said longtime friend Dan Calloway, 84, who played basketball with Andrews at Roosevelt High School. “He was always the people’s choice. Everybody loved Floyd.”

Andrews was a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 1985) and he was among the first inductees to the Roosevelt High School Sports Hall of Fame (2011).

Born in West Palm Beach, Andrews graduated from Roosevelt before receiving a basketball scholarship from Florida A&M University. At 26, he returned to his alma mater to teach biology and coach the junior varsity basketball team. Three years later, in 1967, Andrews began his head coaching career.

Andrews’ career spanned four decades with stops at Roosevelt, North Shore and Palm Beach Lakes. He won three state championships, 1968 at Roosevelt and two at North Shore, 1974 and the Harper-led 1980 team. The most historic was at Roosevelt when Andrews’ team capped an undefeated season by winning Florida’s first integrated state tournament.

Roosevelt finished 27-0, winning the state championship in the first year Black teams played white teams in the postseason.

“We made history,” said Rick Easley, the team captain and point guard of that Roosevelt team. “What is significant about what we accomplished … we did what teachers and adults told us as kids. They said you can accomplish anything anyone else can. The first opportunity Black schools had to compete with all schools we won a state championship.”

Andrews’ legacy in Palm Beach County transcends the more than 700 basketball games he won. He was a father figure to hundreds of boys, many of them who grew up during times of racial tension and the unsettling days of integration.

“He prepared me to leave high school,” Harper said. “I was scared as hell. The way I survived college and life is so many conversations we had. He means everything to me. I never knew my biological father. Coach was the closest thing to that.”

When Roosevelt was folded into Palm Beach High in 1971 and the school became Twin Lakes High, Joe Ceravolo became the head coach at Twin Lakes and Andrews was moved to North Shore.

But instead of causing tension, Andrews and Ceravolo, who died 18 months ago, united and helped bring together a community.

“Floyd was the right person,” Calloway said. “We might have had some people who were tougher but none better than him. He was even keeled and he looked at the big picture. He could get along with anybody. He was born like that.”

Conrad Jones, who captained Andrews’ 1974 state championship team at North Shore, will remember a stern, yet gentle man.

“He had such a soft voice, he didn’t yell,” Jones said. “I’d say ‘Lord, I hope you bless with that some day where I’m able to deal with adversity with such a calm and quiet voice.’

“The thing that bothered the officials the most was his stare.”

Andrews retired as a coach the first time in 1985 and realized two years later how much he missed the game. He returned in 1987, taking over at Palm Beach Lakes and coached another 10 years. The gymnasium at Palm Beach Lakes carries Andrews’ name.

“He was considered our basketball savior,” Jones said. “We called him the Black Godfather because of the way he got kids to understand the game of basketball. Not only did he teach you about basketball, he taught you about life.

“He became like a second father to me. I’ve always considered him my father.”

Jones last saw Andrews about four months ago and will cherish bringing his former coach so much joy.

Jones received a call from a local storage company about four months ago to tell him they had several trophies from the time Andrews was the coach.

When he went to investigate, Jones found “the mother lode. He took 40 to 45 trophies and plaques related to basketball and brought them to Andrews.

He will not forget the joy he brought his former coach.

“He wiped his forehead and he said, ‘Oh, thank you Jesus we found them,'” Jones said. “I said. ‘Yes coach, we found them.

“He was so happy. He was so emotional. I really thought he was going to shed a tear and I’ve never seen him shed a tear for anything.”

Tom D’Angelo is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected].