Indiana University Athletics
Sampson In Kuwait, Part III
5/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 27, 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 third report.
I had a real emotional moment during our game last night. Every soldier competing in the tournament receives a nice pair of basketball shoes from the tournament sponsor. Their rule is only soldiers who were present can receive shoes. Well we were supposed to have a soldier on my team who was involved in a fire fight a little while back and all the soldiers told me was `he is not here anymore.' They asked the sponsor if they could have a pair of shoes in his memory and our sponsors were gracious enough to give them a pair. So for every game, we place that pair of shoes on the team's bench. Now tell me if that's not something that hits home. That's a dose of perspective.
Obviously, going through that personally and emotionally was tough (Thursday), and it is still tough today. When all the NCAA stuff broke, I was here in Kuwait thanking soldiers for what they do and putting their life on the line for us. It's funny to think that we are supposed to motivate them by talking with them, signing autographs and taking pictures, but really it should be the other way around.
I want to take this time to assure the faculty, staff, former players and especially the fans of the Indiana basketball program that a lesson has definitely been learned here. I made a mistake, and I am going to hold myself and my staff to a high standard and do things the right way. I have a great staff in place, and they are going to be great ambassadors of the program. It is some adversity, but we are going to learn from it and become stronger because of it. You know my favorite saying is "Life is not about what you accomplish, but what you have overcome to reach those accomplishments," and this is something that we will overcome.
I know it is a tough time for Indiana fans, but they need to know we are going to work diligently as a staff to ensure this will never happen again and make sure IU basketball is the best it can be.
I am going through the NCAA penalty, yet I stand here in Kuwait with these soldiers risking their lives on a daily basis. It is certainly a life-lesson, and I am glad to be here at this moment. This whole experience in Kuwait has been unbelievable.
Being around these coaches and soldiers has been great. We learn and are motivated by them, and yet the funny thing is, we are the ones who are supposed to motivate and teach, but in reality it is the other way around. The coaches are getting real tight as a group. Another great experience was having the chance to get to know Jim Crews. We talked (Thursday) night for about two hours. We talked about the basketball program, the University and city of Bloomington and it was an invaluable experience for me.
We have a pretty good team over here and I love the kids' attitudes. You may have a team of staff sergeant to private first class, but everyone respects one another on the team. The neatest thing is to see the starting introductions. Just to see these kids' faces and body language when they hear their name on the loud speakers is great. They run out and high five one another, then high five me, then run over to the refs and high five them, as well as the opposing coach. Then they run out to half court and jump up and down all excited. I think you have to be here to see it and fully comprehend, but it is really neat to see. You talk about playing hard, these kids get after it and it is inspiring for us. When they lose, they take it so hard, but then they have to turn around, put on their uniform and go back to work. They never complain.
So many things happen down here that puts life in perspective. All these kids talk about friend, buddies and comrades they know are not here. This whole experience has been incredible, and I especially want to thank God for this opportunity. God works in mysterious ways. With everything else going on, I can honestly say this is one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life. It does change you as a person and allows you to see things in another light.
