All Things Vanessacery: USO presents Hoops for Troops

Thursday, October 27, 2011

USO presents Hoops for Troops

I am 5' and he is 7'4"!

Here is a snippet of my story that ran in this week's Hawaii Army Weekly:

The sound of sneakers squeaking against the gym floor at the Martinez Physical Fitness Center, filled the gymnasium as more than 100 eager children got the opportunity to learn from their basketball idols, Oct. 27.

Later that evening, more than 2,500 screaming fans filled the bleachers as Soldiers took to the court and got the opportunity to show NBA players what they are made of.

Nine of today’s biggest names in basketball “hooped” it up with troops and children stationed in Hawaii as part of the “Hoops for Troops” USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour, Oct. 23-28.

Making the journey across the Pacific were Chicago point guard Derrick Rose; Sacramento guard Tyreke Evans; center-forward Al Horford and guard Joe Johnson, both of the Atlantic Hawks; Charlotte point guard D.J. Augustin; New Jersey center Brook Lopez; Phoenix center Robin Lopez; Washington center JaVale McGee; and Miami forward Mike Miller.

“This has been a great experience for me, and I never thought I would get the opportunity to be a part of something like this,” Augustin said. “It’s definitely not what it looks like in the movies or on TV, and we owe (service members) a lot.”

During the weeklong tour, NBA players led two youth clinics for kids ages 9-17, toured military facilities on island and played one-on-one with service members.

Most of the time, Soldiers were matched up with each other, but occasional cross-matches had the crowd on its feet and cheering for its overmatched-but-enthusiastic military comrades.

The pros clearly weren’t worried about getting injured, going hard to the rim, dunking the ball and putting on quite a show of athleticism for fans.

Many of the league’s top players have played in similar goodwill games across the country, due to the NBA lockout. The season would have started Tuesday.

Taking full advantage of the spare time, the USO partnered with East West Private, a Cincinnati-based global market expansion firm that aims to serve as a bridge between international and U.S. based companies, and with the Wasserman Media Group, a sports marketing and entertainment company with global expertise in athlete management, consulting, media rights, partnership and business development and action sports, to make this tour possible.

To also show support for America’s armed forces, Wilson Sporting Goods donated 200 basketballs, Adidas provided 90 polos and Carson Wrapped Hershey’s Chocolates contributed hundreds of candy bars for the players to distribute to military families.

“Supporting our military has always been important to me,” Rose said, while signing autographs and posing for photos with his young fans. “It is an honor for me to be able to give back to those who give us so much.

“This is the first time I’ve been on a military base, and it’s been great,” Rose continued, as fans chanted “M-V-P.” “I know everybody’s happy that we’re here, and we’re happy to be here.”

Here are some of my fav. shots:

In their first USO tour, “Hoops for Troops,” a group of eight basketball stars, including Miami Heat guard Mike Miller (left) and 2011 league MVP and Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (second from left), held a youth clinic, Oct. 27.