Ball on Base: Beyond the Baskets

By Sean Kilday, Claudia Faust and Scott Rowe

 

During his work day, Luke Air Force Base Staff Sgt. Vernon Davis helps airmen with retirements, deployments and orientation to military life.

In his off time, Davis changes out of his military uniform and into another as he plays guard for Luke’s base level basketball team.

A self-described “older cat on the team,” Davis is one of 18 airmen in their 20s and 30s who play on the Luke team that beat seven other base teams from Arizona, Nevada and California to be league champions in the Pac West Military Basketball Conference.

But bragging rights are short-lived. On Nov. 17 and 18, a new season began with Luke hosting teams from two other bases, and Davis said he and his teammates feel the pressure because of their status as defending champions. The Luke basketball players know that their opponents are coming to take what’s theirs.

“It’s kind of like the (New England) Patriots in a way,” Davis explained. “Everyone’s trying to take that top spot so it’s fun, and a little added pressure but there’s nothing wrong with pressure.”

The players said competing on a base team gives them an outlet from their day-to-day duties as airmen and a sense of pride in representing their installations and branches in a competitive league.

For Luke and other installations, having the teams gives players a chance to build comradery between members from different units and jobs. Luke’s team includes mechanics, medical personnel and military police as well as others who work behind a desk.

“It’s like a brotherhood thing you do with your teammates. When you go on tournaments and the bonding part of it, you just learn about players as much as you can,” first-year player Staff Sgt. Nelson Dixon said.

Dixon said that in the military you meet a lot of lifetime friends and because of the team he has met a lot of guys that he may never have known outside of basketball.

The base has other sporting options for members, including men’s and women’s basketball, softball, flag-football and hockey programs, but the basketball team is in a league of its own.

New Season, New Challenges

As a non-commissioned officer experienced in leading younger airmen, Davis knows he has the added responsibility of helping the coach bring together players from different jobs who don’t work together on a day-to-day basis.

“I just try to help push the guys and motivate them,” Davis said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys on the team so we have to get them to where we were last year. It’s good to see them blossom and grow to be a better player than they were the day before or the previous practice.”

For Paris Daniel, the head coach of Luke’s basketball team, it’s an opportunity to lead airmen on the court after leading them off of it during his 23 years of military service.

“I’ve always enjoyed the X’s and O’s and the camaraderie, sort of being a leader of men,” Daniel said. “It’s something I’ve already enjoyed doing so since I can’t play anymore coaching just seemed to be the natural next step for me.”

Securing a roster is no easy task because players said they have to maintain job performance while putting in extra hours during the week to practice and drill. However, the team faces a larger obstacle in heavy roster turnover due to the nomadic nature of military life.

“We have a couple guys right now that are deployed that were on the team last year,” Daniel said. Daniel said that he does his best to make sure to keep up with his players and give them updates even after they leave.

Dixon has firsthand experience having to leave his base team. On his previous assignment, when was stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, he was deployed and called away from his basketball team. He said that it helped while his was away to hear from and check in with his old teammates and coach.

The military mindset lends itself to adapting to problems as they arise and working together to overcome them, Daniel said.

“We are used to things not being stable so it’s easier to adjust,” he said.

Challengers on the Court

One of the two teams Luke hosted in November to open the season in the Pac West was Naval Base San Diego, in its first season in the league.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Donte Newman was excited for his team to open strong and make a statement to the rest of the teams. “I feel like we match up well against any team. We have a lot of guys that can really play ball,” Newman said.

As a newcomer to base basketball, Newman also appreciates how special it is to be allowed to take part. “It’s an honor. To be chosen to play on this team is truly special, they (supervisors) allowed us to come here, take time off work and it is more of a privilege,” Newman explained.

Hard-fought games dominated the opening weekend of the season as each team played strong. Contested shots and a lack of easy rebounds were the norm as each game’s outcome came down to a few key plays.

Despite Luke opening the season at 2-2, Daniel sees positives and is hopeful his team will come together in their games as they defend their title. “You play as hard as you can and at the end of the game you shake hands and move on, because this is all building up toward the end of the season and you want to pick up at the right time,” Daniel said. “I know we’ll get better as we go.”

Past the Sidelines  

At each of Luke’s games you will find Jemia Fournier-Allen, the sports supervisor specialist for base and unit-level activities, including Luke’s basketball.

For the past eight years, she has worked to bring her love for sports to the personnel on base, providing coordination and support for each of Luke’s sporting options.

“I love knowing that I’m giving them an outlet from their everyday life,” Fournier-Allen said as she smiled. “It’s giving them something to do outside, it’s something for them to relieve stress as well as allow them to follow their passions.”

Similarly, for Coach Daniel the most rewarding part of coaching is seeing the joy his players get from playing and winning.

“That’s the best part about it, putting them in a position to where they succeed,” Daniel said.

As defending champions, the players on Luke said they know that every play could make the difference between a win or a loss.

But beyond the box scores and point totals lies the heart of military sports, Davis said. By coming together outside the constraints of their duties, players get to face challenges and enjoy the benefits of services offered to them as service members, he said.

“It’s a lot of fun playing with all these guys,” Davis said during a recent practice. “We take the time to become better ourselves. I enjoy it and I’m sure everyone on the team enjoys it, so it’s always a good thing.”