27/07 – Above & Beyond Interview
You would think at 30 years old just being able to dunk would be an accomplisment, try telling that to Wayne “Above & Beyond” Clarke. The 6’3 New Jersey native with a 51 inch vert is not only considered one of the top dunkers on the planet but he’s also setting world records as well. We caught up with Wayne to see what he’s been up to.
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BT. What’s Up Wayne. Thanks for stopping by, for those people out there who haven’t heard of you before can you run us through your resume and some of the things you’ve accomplished in your career?
Above & Beyond. Well, I will just post my Professional & Streetball entertainment Bio on here for all those to see.
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——————————Basketball Bio——————————
1. Name: Wayne Clark Vertical jump: 51in
Age: 30 Country: USA
D.O.B: January 30, 1977 P.O.B: Trenton, New Jersey/USA
Hieght: 6 ft, 3.5 in High School: A.C.Flora High.
Weight: 207lbs/ 97 kg. College: Georgia Perimeter College
Shoe: 12.5/ 47 euro Hand: Left
——————————College Information——————————
College: Georgia Perimeter College (Div 3) Year: 1996/ 1997
Formly known as Dekalb Jr. College.
ppg: 17 assist: 4 reb: 3 per game 3pt:% 55 ft%:80 fg% 85 blocks:2
College Honors: All-Region Candidate 2 time Gatorade Atlanta Hawks Slam Dunk All-Star Champion.
————————-Pro-Basketball Career & Stats————————-
1999: Harlem GlobeTrotters European Tour ( England, Germany, Belgium) with opposing team, “The New York Nationals”.
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2000: Mexico, Villa Hermosa/ Mayas of Yucatan
ppg: 28 assist: 6 reb:10 3pt%:60 ft%:85 fg%:90 blocks: 4
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2000: Harlem Ambassadors, USA tour, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma.
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2001: Italy, Castel Maggiore Div 2.
ppg:16 assist: 3-4 reb:5 3pt%:60 ft%:80 fg%:70 blocks:2
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2001: “And 1″ Summer Tour “Chicago”
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2001: Harlem Legends (Owner: Micheal Douglas Former GlobeTrotter) Atlanta, Ga Southeast tour USA.
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2001-2002: UBC Muenster Germany Div 2
ppg:16.5 assist:6 reb:4 3pt%:55 ft%:75 fg%:80 blocks:1
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2002: Urban Legends StreetBall Team
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2002: “And 1″ Summer Tour Atlanta, Ga. (Photo with Ludacris & 50 on Personal website listed below)
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2002: Almelo Netherlands Div 1 tested by Almelo.
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2002: Szeged Hungary Div 1 (team folded due to financial status).
ppg:18 assist:8-10 reb:2 3pt%:60 ft%:90 fg%:85 blocks:0
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2003-2004: West Petrom Arad Romania Div 1 ( FIBA Euro-Cup Group “A”)
ppg:19 assist:7 reb:8 3pt%:60 ft%:75 fg%:95 blocks:5
(Euro-Cup Stats): ppg: 15 reb:3
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2004: Pertevniyal Istanbul, Turkey Div 2
ppg:25 assist: 2 reb:10 3pt%:70 ft%:85 fg%:88 blocks:2
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2004: K-Cero Nitra Slovakia, Div 1 ( Play-offs). *Injury last month*
ppg:8 assist:2 reb:3 3pt%:45 ft%:65 fg%:60 blocks:2
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2005: EBA Delaware Destroyers. USA
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2005: EBA Harisburg Horizon. USA
ppg: 27 assist:3 reb:5 3pt%:77 ft%:88 fg%:95 blocks:2
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2005: Rapid Bucharest Romania, Div 1
ppg: 21 assist:4 reb: 8-10 3pt%: 60 ft%:70 fg%:90 blocks:3-4
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2005: Treviso Italy Bennetton Basket Summer League: June 30-July 2nd.
Team: Jesolo (team Took 2nd place)
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2006: IBL Cedar Valley Jaguars, Waterloo Iowa, USA (teammates with Dennis Rodman)
ppg: 22 assist: 2-3 reb: 8 3pt%: 60 ft%: 85 fg%: 95 blocks: 1
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2006: City Slam ESPN Philadelphia Slam Dunk Champion
2006: City Slam ESPN & Guiness World Record Holder for highest jump for a Slam Dunk at 70 inches over vert bar & 12 foot 1 inch slam dunk goal.
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Played with Dennis Rodman in the IBL last season, Cedar Valley Jaguars of Waterloo Iowa. That was an experience. Did overseas in Europe for 6 years, www.eurobasket.com ,I don’t even know where to begin, I have been so fortunate to have been so acomplished ecspecially now at the age of 30 on all levels of the game.
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If you need any other additional up to date information you can go to the following links:
www.slamdunkawards.org (Playground Dunker of the Year Award)
www.eurobasket.com
www.frbaschet.ro
www.basket.ro
www.fiba.com
www.cityslamtv.com
www.google.com : Google name, Wayne “Above & Beyond” Clark/ or Wayne Clark.
or my personal weblink: www.aboveandbeyond.3x.ro here in Romania. It has not been updated since 2003. But It will give you information about my career up to 2003 summer, & modeling career in Europe.
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Pro-Career Highlights: Mr. Dunk Amsterdam 2002, Romanian Slam Dunk Champion- 2003, 10 time NBA Hoop-it-UP Slam Dunk Champion, McDonald’s Street Ball Slam Dunk Champion (Ploiesti Romania 2005), Hungarian Street Ball Slam Dunk Champion 2002 Debrecen Hungary.
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I’ve been doing both for a long time. Or, you can do what alot of other people do, just google my name, Wayne “Above & Beyond” Clark, and see just how much is out there on me worldwide in the last 6-7 years. Having the Guiness World Record for the hieghtest Slam Dunk in the World, really does alot for my status and placing me in an elite atmosphere! I was just offered to join the “Ultimate Gliders”, (Formerly known as Slam Nation out of France), to join there team of elite dunkers as well. I am still deciding if I want to do this or not. Just got the invite by email the other day! So you may see me with that next season or the ABA I honestly don’t know yet!
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BT. What you’ve been up this year as far as your Professional career goes?
Above & Beyond. Well this year was supposed to be my “Golden Year” I turned 30, got married, and instead it went backwards. I ended up going through a horrible divorce, and to not being able to see or be with my daughter and missed her first birthday. That pain traveled with me for a while. So I had to fall back a little bit from playing as a pro overseas this year, and stay in the states. So for the first time in a long time I got back into the streetball curcuit. Playing with several different teams from show ball (Harlem Wizards, Harlem Legends, Harlem Road Kings, The Harlem Stars Traveling to Syria to do a basketball TV show) I mean the list goes on and on, to streetball, NBNE out of El Paso Texas. So it was quite humbling and a new beginning for me. I miss more the competitive side more then the Streetball and entertainment side. But I always love to entertain the kids with my dazziling dunks!!!
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BT. Speaking of Dazzling dunks you competed in City Slam last year and took 2nd place. What was that experience like for you?
Above & Beyond. Well, any and everyone who saw the semi-finals in Chicago knew I was robbed. I completely and “honestly” eliminated High Rizer in the Semi-Finals only for the judges to cheat and allow him back in as a wild card. They never even mentioned to any of us that there would have even been a wild card if possible, nor was it mentioned in the itenary. My question to the judges was, if it was I or Skywalker, would they have put us back in as wild cards?? hhmmm?? It didn’t bother me at all the fact that I didn’t win, because even High Rizer knows to this day who the man is, they saluted me after the event of course, I have been doing this for over 10 years while some of these young guys were still in school trying to figure out which way they were going to go in life. I mean, don’t get me wrong im not dissing anybody, or hating, but the truth is the truth and they all know it! City Slam bothered me more because my first child was born a week before the event and I made a sworn promise to her that I would bring the victory home for her, and the fact that City Slam fell on father’s day only made me feel worse!!
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BT. You set a world record dunk of 12 feet 1 inches last year. What was that like and how did you prepare yourself both mentally and physically for it?
Above & Beyond. My first World Recorded 12 foot, 1 inch Dunk was in February, 2006 on Black History Month. Yeah, thats right, believe it or not, I am the “FIRST” African American to have set a World Record on Black History Month. So it was quite an event for me. The B-70 Movement (my new movement) set up the event in WIlmington Delaware at the Boy’s & Girl’s Club post game of a youth Tournament. I have a Doctor (Chiropractor) Dr. Barr out of Wilmington Delaware who sponsor’s me in any of my events here in the USA. So, along with him and my personal trainer at that time, and a little Red Bull, that is how I got myself ready for the event, and became successful at it.
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BT. Do you have any plans of going higher?
Above & Beyond. Plans to go higher…. hhhmmm, I don’t think you all know “EXACTLY” how high 12 foot 1 inch is?? its like trying to touch a McDonald’s sign, you know the one’s you see when your driving by McDonald’s, the Advertisement?? So unless someone else comes along and tries for it, no not right now!! LOL!!
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BT. You have a new dunk you’ve been working on recently, can you tell us a little more about that.
Above & Beyond. LOL, all I can do is laugh at this question… Before I state the answer I want everyone to know, that I don’t hate on anyone, nor do I have to… My money and status speaks for itself in the Streetball entertainment and as a professional. People hate on me, and thats fine, They got to get there money somehow! The only information that I can release at this time about this dunk, is the name: It is called the Revolution(s). And we call it that because this dunk will end “ALL and EVERY” dunk that has ever been done. Nothing not in this life time can compete with the Revolutions. There are 2 phases to the dunk that is why its pronouced it plural, (more then one). It will be released hopefully “we will TRY” at Rucker Park or Kingdome if possible by the end of the league this summer. We need to have this in a big venue for promotion purposes, for a slam dunk contest that I am not aloud to speak on at this time. If not in Rucker or Kingdome, then for sure on a big stage very soon! Check out my Myspace page for further info on that, MySpace: Above & Beyond 70′ I have been secretly working on this dunk for 2 months now, and partially in Europe and while I was in Syria back in April filming a basketball show.
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BT. What do you do to work on your hops?
Above & Beyond. My hops, Honest to GOD it was a gift from him. This is something that can’t be tought. Only given from “Above”!! My job is to maintain it and give it a tune up every now and then, ecspecially now that I am 30 years of age, its just like maintaining a car, you catch my drift!! Doing the little things to keep it going for as long as possible.
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BT. Dunktv.com has just named you “Playground Dunker of the year” were would you rate yourself amongst the top dunkers in the world?
Above & Beyond. hhhmm, where would I rate myself?? I don’t rate myself, I let the critics decide. And the last I check on the polls and blogs, and when I recieved Playground Dunker of the year by the NDAA, I am considered 1 of the top 4. And those other 3 of course all recieved awards on Slam Dunk Awards, Dunk TV as well. Slam Nation’s Zani, and Brice De Blaine from France, Air Up There, James White, and of course myself, all of us bringing something unique and high degree of difficulty to the art of dunking, dunks that have never been done before, I can honestly say between the 4 of us, WE DON’T STEAL DUNKS WE ORIGINATE THEM. So I can understand why I am in that league of extraordinary dunkers according to Slam Dunk Awards, and the NDAA, and many other critcs here in the USA and abroad.
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BT. What are your plans for the future?
Above & Beyond. Future plans, I guess to continue to use this GOD given talent to Bless myself and to Bless others young and old. To set example by positive change. Probably won’t get married again LOL, but hopefully be able to spend some time with my littel girl, and ejoy life!
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BT. Any last words before we go
Above & Beyond. Just want to give a shot out to GOD of course, my daughter of course, My family, Mom, Dad, little bad bratt ass sister who’s business is about to blow check her out on www.theprettybiz.com Ginna Clark is her name, my niece, older sister, the whole intire Clark family and Bradley’s, Kelley’s and the East Coast, Trenton New Jersey as always Stand Up!!