University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Andrew Garcia
January 13, 2021 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Andrew Garcia was born in Bergenfield, N.J., not far from New York City, but it was in Harlem that the 6-foot-6 Georgia graduate transfer spent most of childhood and developed his love and talent for basketball.
New York is also home to the chopped (or chop) cheese sandwich, which is beloved by many in and around the City but hasn't gone nationwide like the Philly cheesesteak. Garcia loves his chopped cheese.
During a recent Quick Chat, Garcia, who spent four years at Stonybrook before coming to Georgia, talked about home, playing during a pandemic, the chopped cheese, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: With everything you guys have to deal with to practice and play, have you learned to just take it all in stride?
Garcia: Yeah, I feel like everybody has a real open mind and is grateful that we even have the opportunity to play. I think we did a great job ever since the summer of following the rules and staying the course with that. Coach (Tom Crean) has been a great help, and I feel like now the adjustment almost seems normal.
For me, obviously, we wish things could be normal, but I still feel like I'm getting the same college basketball experience.
Frierson: You were born in Bergenfield?
Garcia: It's weird because I was born in Bergenfield but I grew up in the City my whole entire life. That's where I started playing basketball, and I went to middle school and high school in Harlem.
Everybody would say, "Oh, he's from Harlem," but I was born and lived a couple of my younger years in Jersey, so I know a little bit about both.
Frierson: What was it like spending your formative years in Harlem?
Garcia: It was tough. Growing up, there was a lot of crime and a lot of things you had to worry about. That's not what it is right now. I remember a lot of times, when it got to the wintertime, we had to get out of school early because the environment outside was not safe. Normally, we'd like to go to the parks and play ball after that (school), and some of that stuff had to be canceled just due to the type of activities that were going on.
It kind of made me grow up a little bit faster than most because I was on my own and you had to be aware of your surroundings. I only lived maybe five or 10 blocks from where I went to school, but the way things were you didn't know what could happen.
As the years went by, things did start to get better and things did start to get cleaned up. I feel like now it's a great situation to live in. And I'm grateful for that (childhood in Harlem) because it taught me a lot of lessons that I have instilled today and it's what brought me my love for basketball. New York is a really big basketball city.
Frierson: New York basketball is pretty legendary, so who were your heroes, and what was it like to grow up around that?
Garcia: I'm a big Carmelo (Anthony) fan, and he was in New York for a lot of those years. Being a young ballplayer in the city was hard because having gym space was tough. Those gyms were always in partnership with a membership, so you really didn't have access. You couldn't go to any rec gyms and not have to worry about some type of liability or something like that. It was hard to get time to work on your game if you didn't know somebody. ...
Every summer, all you did was go to the parks and play and hope you get on a team to play in Dyckman, Rucker, West Fourth — any of those outside tournaments. It was not only the basketball, you had the fans and the flavor, it was good excitement. ... It was hard because there are a bunch of kids in the city that have the same vision, and a lot of times they don't get the opportunity.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Garcia: Oh, a chop cheese [laughs]. It's basically like chopped up meat, like burger meat, and they put this seasoning on it, and then they put some cheese on it, and you can put mayo, lettuce, tomato, whatever you want. I'd eat that every day for the rest of my life — that's like a City meal, city food.
Frierson: Is there one place in New York that if you're going to have your first chopped cheese, that's the place to go?
Garcia: Everybody's going to have their own spot in the city, but I feel like on 110th and Madison, there's this one spot that I always go to, in East Harlem, that has got the best chopped cheese.
Frierson: It sounds a bit like New York's version of the Philly cheesesteak, but you can find a Philly cheesesteak everywhere. The chopped cheese is something I've started hearing about more recently but it hasn't spread all over the country like a Philly cheesesteak has.
Garcia: I feel like it will always be a New York thing. I like it better than the Philly cheesesteak. The way they season it and the way it's made, there's only one way to make it. If you try to make it like a gourmet thing, it's not going to taste the right way. It's got to be a little greasy. I just feel like that's a staple that will always be there.
Frierson: How are you enjoying life in the South and in Georgia? It's obviously very different from life in New York and Harlem.
Garcia: I love it over here. The food, the atmosphere, I've gotten nothing but positive energy from everybody. I can definitely say that's different from the City. A lot of people are more caring and they care about what you have to say and how your day is going. I've had so many meaningful conversations with so many people just by going to get some food. I feel like it's a great place; it's almost like a little vacation just because everything's slower and I can go at my own pace.
I definitely see this place as somewhere where you can relax and kind just have someone giving you good energy, wherever you're at.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Staff Writer
Andrew Garcia was born in Bergenfield, N.J., not far from New York City, but it was in Harlem that the 6-foot-6 Georgia graduate transfer spent most of childhood and developed his love and talent for basketball.
New York is also home to the chopped (or chop) cheese sandwich, which is beloved by many in and around the City but hasn't gone nationwide like the Philly cheesesteak. Garcia loves his chopped cheese.
During a recent Quick Chat, Garcia, who spent four years at Stonybrook before coming to Georgia, talked about home, playing during a pandemic, the chopped cheese, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: With everything you guys have to deal with to practice and play, have you learned to just take it all in stride?
Garcia: Yeah, I feel like everybody has a real open mind and is grateful that we even have the opportunity to play. I think we did a great job ever since the summer of following the rules and staying the course with that. Coach (Tom Crean) has been a great help, and I feel like now the adjustment almost seems normal.
For me, obviously, we wish things could be normal, but I still feel like I'm getting the same college basketball experience.
Frierson: You were born in Bergenfield?
Garcia: It's weird because I was born in Bergenfield but I grew up in the City my whole entire life. That's where I started playing basketball, and I went to middle school and high school in Harlem.
Everybody would say, "Oh, he's from Harlem," but I was born and lived a couple of my younger years in Jersey, so I know a little bit about both.
Frierson: What was it like spending your formative years in Harlem?
Garcia: It was tough. Growing up, there was a lot of crime and a lot of things you had to worry about. That's not what it is right now. I remember a lot of times, when it got to the wintertime, we had to get out of school early because the environment outside was not safe. Normally, we'd like to go to the parks and play ball after that (school), and some of that stuff had to be canceled just due to the type of activities that were going on.
It kind of made me grow up a little bit faster than most because I was on my own and you had to be aware of your surroundings. I only lived maybe five or 10 blocks from where I went to school, but the way things were you didn't know what could happen.
As the years went by, things did start to get better and things did start to get cleaned up. I feel like now it's a great situation to live in. And I'm grateful for that (childhood in Harlem) because it taught me a lot of lessons that I have instilled today and it's what brought me my love for basketball. New York is a really big basketball city.
Frierson: New York basketball is pretty legendary, so who were your heroes, and what was it like to grow up around that?
Garcia: I'm a big Carmelo (Anthony) fan, and he was in New York for a lot of those years. Being a young ballplayer in the city was hard because having gym space was tough. Those gyms were always in partnership with a membership, so you really didn't have access. You couldn't go to any rec gyms and not have to worry about some type of liability or something like that. It was hard to get time to work on your game if you didn't know somebody. ...
Every summer, all you did was go to the parks and play and hope you get on a team to play in Dyckman, Rucker, West Fourth — any of those outside tournaments. It was not only the basketball, you had the fans and the flavor, it was good excitement. ... It was hard because there are a bunch of kids in the city that have the same vision, and a lot of times they don't get the opportunity.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Garcia: Oh, a chop cheese [laughs]. It's basically like chopped up meat, like burger meat, and they put this seasoning on it, and then they put some cheese on it, and you can put mayo, lettuce, tomato, whatever you want. I'd eat that every day for the rest of my life — that's like a City meal, city food.
Frierson: Is there one place in New York that if you're going to have your first chopped cheese, that's the place to go?
Garcia: Everybody's going to have their own spot in the city, but I feel like on 110th and Madison, there's this one spot that I always go to, in East Harlem, that has got the best chopped cheese.
Frierson: It sounds a bit like New York's version of the Philly cheesesteak, but you can find a Philly cheesesteak everywhere. The chopped cheese is something I've started hearing about more recently but it hasn't spread all over the country like a Philly cheesesteak has.
Garcia: I feel like it will always be a New York thing. I like it better than the Philly cheesesteak. The way they season it and the way it's made, there's only one way to make it. If you try to make it like a gourmet thing, it's not going to taste the right way. It's got to be a little greasy. I just feel like that's a staple that will always be there.
Frierson: How are you enjoying life in the South and in Georgia? It's obviously very different from life in New York and Harlem.
Garcia: I love it over here. The food, the atmosphere, I've gotten nothing but positive energy from everybody. I can definitely say that's different from the City. A lot of people are more caring and they care about what you have to say and how your day is going. I've had so many meaningful conversations with so many people just by going to get some food. I feel like it's a great place; it's almost like a little vacation just because everything's slower and I can go at my own pace.
I definitely see this place as somewhere where you can relax and kind just have someone giving you good energy, wherever you're at.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Basketball
Georgia Men's Basketball - Coach Mike White - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 26
Georgia Men's Basketball - Jeremiah Wilkinson and Kanon Catchings - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 26
Georgia Men's Basketball - Kareem Stagg - Media Availability
Monday, October 20
Georgia Men's Basketball - Jackson McVey - Media Availability
Monday, October 20