May 25, 2007
Kuwait City, Kuwait – We’re 2-0 and in the semi-finals tomorrow! Today was all basketball and our?team did great. I lost my voice by the end of the 2nd game, so I need to go?get some hot tea at Starbucks over at the P/X tonight to be ready for?tomorrow. This morning we beat the Kuwait Naval Base coached by Ed Conroy?(Citadel), and this afternoon we beat the Arifjan 2 team coached by Fran?Fraschilla (ESPN). We won both games by about 10.
As I said before, our ?team is the youngest group and they’ve still got their legs under them.? Tomorrow we face the winner of Skip Prosser’s Arifjan 1 team (the best team ?in the tournament and we beat them on the first day) or Dennis Felton’s Camp?Virginia team (who beat us on the first day). Skip is at Wake Forest and?Dennis is at Georgia. ??
This has been a great tournament and everyone is having a good time with it.?These troops are always playing in intramurals and leagues back on their own?bases, but Operation Hardwood was the first time that all the bases in?Kuwait were brought together in a tournament format. It’s a great chance?for these men and women to get off of their bases and really come together.?The military has excellent workout and exercise facilities over here – life?cycles, weights, and the rooms and gyms are air conditioned.
And with few?other ways to expend energy over here, everyone takes full advantage.??I’m still running into lots of people from Indiana. The trainer who is?working the tournament is from Evansville. And this morning I met a guy?from Kokomo. I told him yeah, it takes me 45 minutes to drive through your?town on the way to Indy!??
I can’t believe the day we’re going to have tomorrow. At 6:30am, we’re?getting in a helicopter and they are taking us over to Camp Buehring to meet?some people there. Then we’ll helicopter back to Arifjan and visit the?hospital here. Then before lunch, we’re hopping in some humvees and driving?around. And then it’s back to the gym for our game at 2!