Indiana University Athletics
Sampson In Kuwait, Part II
5/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 26, 2006
Indiana University basketball coach Kelvin Sampson is in Kuwait for the second straight summer as part of Operation Hardwood II. Sampson, who is part of a group of coaches who are coaching U.S. military basketball teams in a tournament from May 23-28, will make periodic reports on iuhoosiers.com. This is the second report.
This trip has been so motivating and inspiring. During the day, the temperatures get up to 112 -114 degrees. We spent the day with the troops and then we had a town hall style meeting with 500 troops in the chapel. All 12 coaches were there, and we each talked about why we came over and what it means. During the question and answer session, one soldier stood up and said "Coach Sampson, I just want to congratulate you on getting the Indiana job. One of my fellow soldiers was a huge IU fan, but he did not make it. So, I want to congratulate you for him.
That was so powerful. I started speaking again and was nearly overcome with emotion. After the town hall meeting was over, I tried to find the kid in the crowd, but we got separated.
 Coach Sampson greets other NCAA coaches while getting introduced in Kuwait.  |
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We started the day with a trip to Kuwait City for a clinic. We left Camp Arifjan at 7 a.m. and it took us nearly an hour to get there. There were coaches there from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Some spoke English, and some did not and had to use an interpreter. The clinic went from 8-11 a.m. When we came back to Camp Arifjan, we had the opening ceremonies for the tournament. All of the coaches stood at center court, and one of the soldiers sang the Star Spangled Banner a capella. It was so moving to see everyone respect the flag. Over here, with the soldiers in harm's way, I wish people could see their (the soldiers') reaction to us. It has been an invaluable inspiration.
All 12 of us are coaching a team - Jay Bilas is coaching the Kuwait Naval Base, and we beat his team. 51-36 today. It is such an honor to be here. These guys never complain. They're just thankful for the chance to compete. We have one guy on our team - William Wallace - he is a really good player, 6-4, 235-pounds. He's a great kid. Looks you right in the eye when you talk to him.
 IU head coach Kelvin Sampson and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas give instructions to Kuwait kids at a basketball clinic earlier this week. |
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We're lucky to have the greatest team in the world - the army - fighting our biggest battle for us.
