The Citadel Head Basketball Coach Ed Conroy will be among seven NCAA basketball coaches and sports personalities participating in the USO and Armed Forces Entertainment tour, “Operation Hardwood III”, scheduled for Aug. 23-31 in Japan. It will be the first USO tour for Conroy.
“I am really excited about being selected to work with the USO, AFE, and other coaches on this trip,” Conroy said. “Having been a Citadel cadet and knowing many classmates and fellow alums who have served our country, perhaps I will have a greater appreciation than others for what those serving our country today are doing. What an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to be in the presence of the men and women in uniform.”
The tour participants will visit sailors aboard a ship in the region and coach military players who will compete in a championship tournament. This tour is a part of the third Operation Hardwood series for the USO. The previous tours consisted of trips to Kuwait and included South Carolina's David Odom, Alabama's Mark Gottfried and Michigan State's Tom Izzo. Other tours that took place earlier in the year as a part of the third series included visits to Iraq and Kuwait by college football coaching legend Lou Holtz and Louisiana State University head football coach Les Miles. NBA Stars Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul were among the NBA stars who recently completed a stateside USO tour of military bases.
“This is a great opportunity for both Coach Conroy and our basketball program,” said Athletics Director Les Robinson. “It will be a great experience for everyone involved and in a very small way, these coaches are saying 'thank you' to all of our military personnel for what they do. Additionally, as a former Lt. Colonel when Coach Conroy was a Citadel cadet, I believe that he will have even more of an appreciation of what these young men and women do for all Americans every single day.”
Conroy will join Jim Calhoun, of the University of Connecticut, Karl Hobbs, of The George Washington University, Steve Lavin, ABC/ESPN analyst and former UCLA head coach, Dave Leitao, of the University of Virginia, John Thompson III, of Georgetown University, and Darrin Horn, of Western Kentucky University on the tour scheduled to leave from Chicago on Aug. 23.
“It will be with tremendous pride that I represent The Citadel and all Americans to thank our soldiers while at the same time having fun through basketball,” Conroy added. “I am certain that I will run into some fellow alums who also wear the ring, and I look forward to it.”
