Paul Crate/News Chief

About 500 students were on hand as McGrady introduced AHS as the first "sister school" to a new school McGrady is helping to build in the African nation of Chad.

According to McGrady's Web site, he has been working with The Enough Project and the NBA to help educate people about the violence and deaths occurring in Chad and Darfur.

McGrady was a basketball star for the Bloodhounds in the mid-1990s. He left AHS before his junior season in 1996 to go to a prep school in North Carolina. He was a 1997 NBA Draft pick directly out of high school.

As part of the Thursday afternoon presentation, McGrady pledged $75,000 to help build the school and for supplies and training.

The students, who McGrady remarked were probably happy to be out of class, got to watch a documentary video on the Houston Rockets star's trip to Darfur.

Also on hand were Auburndale High School Principal John Hill and Auburndale City Manager Bobby Green, who was representing the city.

"The city contributed $1,000 seed money to the high school to help them with the technology and community to help establish the sister school relationship and hopefully establish a sister city relationship," Green said.

Green said he was excited to see a high-profile athlete giving back to his community.

"You can look at box scores and tell what kind of athlete Tracy McGrady is," Green said. "The presentation and film he showed and the challenge that he left the students really shows what kind of person he is."

Hill said having McGrady, who is well respected in the Auburndale community, speak on the subject really helps get the message across.

"We had several students that talked to me at Christmas about what's going on there and expressed a desire to do something," Hill said.

Also on hand was Omer Ismail, who used to live in Darfur. He has started the Darfur Peace and Development organization to help with the situation in his home land.

After speaking to the students, McGrady had a question-and-answer session.

Hill said Thursday's presentation was just the beginning of an ongoing process.

"We're still going to be developing ideas and coming up with ways to make a difference," Hill said. "Some of the things that were mentioned were setting up communication system to talk to students in the camps, to raise funds to build the school and to buy textbook materials and train teachers."

Ismail said McGrady's speech and film really got through to the students.

"I can see it in the eyes of these kids, who want to hear more stories and want to help," Ismail said. "He's trying to look a things beyond his community and himself. I think if we had more people like him, the world would be a better place."

jason.martin@newschief.com