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Armed Forces jukes, jives its way to Brazil

  • Published
  • By Jose T. Garza II
  • 502nd Air Base Wing OL-A Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Armed Forces basketball team has made a practice stop at Lackland before heading to Brazil to compete in the Counseil of International du Sports Militaire's World Military Basketball Championship games.

The team played the Chaparrals from San Angelo on July 1. The team is comprised of the best of the best from the Air Force. The Air Force defeated the Navy, Army, and Marines in a tournament this year to represent the Armed Forces in Brazil.

"What happens is they go into their regular branch camp - Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines," said Lackland varsity sports director Dwayne Reed, "and then they compete in a tournament. The winner of that tournament, which happened to be Air Force this year, that head coach coaches the Armed Forces in the season tournament."

The best players were selected and arrived at camp June 27 and they departed Tuesday to Brazil. The best of the best will compete in the 5th annual War Games, which according to Reed, is like the Olympics for military.

"They will be competing against Canada, South Korea, those teams," Reed said.

As sports director, he has been hands-on, setting up games for the team to play CBA-ABA teams. The two games the team has won thus far, it has won by an average of 15 points. Most players on the team are officers who have plied their skills in Division I or at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

"This team is disciplined," Reed said. "I think that's going to take them all the way to the championship game."

Lackland hosted the CISM tournament in 2008 and with a little luck and experience, "this could be our year," Reed said.