Sampson returning to Kuwait for Operation Hardwood 11

For the second straight year, IU men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson will accompany some of college basketball's elite coaches from May 23-29 to participate in the eight-team Operation Hardwood II basketball tournament, in Kuwait. \nSampson is one of six basketball personalities -- including Alabama's Mark Gottfried, South Carolina's Dave Odom, Charlotte's Bobby Lutz, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas -- who took part in the inaugural "Operation Hardwood - Hoops with the Troops" last August. The tour is part of an effort by the United Service Organization to bring professional athletes and sports-related events to troops serving away from home. \n"Of all the things I've done outside the arena of basketball," Sampson said, "I don't think I've had anything as life-changing as the trip to Kuwait. You don't realize how insignificant you really are until you go to a place like this. What they're doing is significant."\nEach participant will coach a military basketball team that will compete in a championship tournament. The soldiers, however, do not have access to such luxuries that an arena like Assembly Hall has to offer.\n"The guys I coached (last year) rolled out something you would see in the backyard," Sampson said. "Some kind of aluminum stuff, a hard cover that you could bounce a ball on and they put up temporary baskets, and that's how they practiced for the tournament."\nFor Sampson, the trip to Kuwait served as a reminder of what is really important in the world and put his own life into perspective. \n"The next day you're having lunch with two more soldiers and they say they serve as arm security on a specific mission," said Sampson. "They said they go and retrieve bodies. For guys that are basketball coaches in the United States, at these universities, for us to go over to Kuwait and be around those soldiers and hear about their jobs and what they do, it certainly puts a lot of things that you do in perspective."\nOne moment stood out in particular for Sampson.\n"We went into the dining facility and they had a picture of the Pentagon on 9-11," Sampson said. "A very graphic picture. It covered the side of the wall, and very succinctly underneath that picture were five words, real simple words: 'Don't forget why we're here.' They were constant reminders."\nWhen Sampson was asked to go on the trip again, he hesitated, considering he had just taken over as the new head basketball coach at IU and had an insurmountable list of things to do. All it took was an e-mail, though, to remind him of the impact this project has on soldiers overseas.\n"It really hit me right after Thanksgiving," Sampson said. "I got an e-mail from one of the girls I had lunch with. Over a three-month period, between eight and 12 members of their unit were killed by roadside bombers. That's why you have to go back. Are you making a difference? We're making a difference either in their lives or our lives."\nThe trip to Kuwait also serves as an opportunity for Sampson to teach his own players lessons in life that he learned from those that face life and death situations nearly every day.\n"Nobody complained," Sampson said. "Everybody has a role to play -- three-star generals, colonels, sergeant majors, platoon leaders, squad leaders, foot soldiers -- everybody has a role. And nobody complains. Everybody plays their role to a T." \nSampson said that after the coaches got through all the checkpoints, they have cement barriers placed at intervals because of car bombers. After that, they only have 3 signs, 50 to 75 yards apart on the base. The first sign says 'act like a leader,' the second sign reads 'look like a leader' and the third sign says 'be a leader,' Sampson said. \n"I'm a leader," he said. "I talk to our kids about the things I see over there. The greatest team in our country isn't Florida or Duke -- those are great college basketball teams -- but our greatest team is the Army and how they do things."\nFor 65 years, the USO has tried to provide the boost in morale and spirit needed for the U.S. military and their families. Operation Hardwood is an example of the USO's efforts to provide support for the men and women on military duty. \n"You have to be over there to understand how important it is for us to do this; what they get out of it," Sampson said. "You can see it in their eyes. They get to have some normalcy in their lives. They kept saying 'thank you for coming,' but you leave there thinking no, thank you for doing this for us. We're insignificant. But you realize your significance by what you do for them"