Former LSU head basketball coach and current color analyst for the LSU Sports Radio Network John Brady and seven other past and current coaches returned last week from a week-long trip to military bases in Kuwait as part of the Operation Hardwood Classic presented by “Feherty’s Troops First” Foundation.
Information about the event has been allowed to be released by the military now that the coaches have returned to the United States.
Coach Brady was joined on the trip by Pete Carroll (former head coach at USC and the NFL Seattle Seahawks); Greg Foster (former professional player and NBA assistant coach); Jeff Jones (former head coach at Virginia, American and Ole Dominion); Jay Ladner (current head coach Southern Miss); Jim Woolridge (former coach at Louisiana Tech, Kansas State and UC Riverside); Tim Floyd (former coach at UNO, USC, UTEP and the NBA Chicago Bulls); and, Joe Golding (current head coach UTEP).
The Operation Hardwood Classic is a tournament designed to provide a select group of coaches with the extremely unique opportunity to coach currently deployed service members.
The “Feherty’s Troops First” foundation is a non-profit organization started in 2005 by co-founder and executive director Rick Kell. Troops First focuses on the well being of both active military and veterans. This was the ninth time that Troops First has takes college coaches over to bases as part of a tournament with the troops.
Departing the U.S. on Aug. 10, the group arrived in Kuwait on Aug. 11, returned to the States on Aug. 17.
According to Coach Brady the group visited Camp Arifjan, the Ali AL Saleem air base and Camp Buehring, approximately 25 miles form the Iraq border.
“The final game involved the Army versus the Air Force base,” said Coach Brady. “It was fun to watch. The soldiers were as competitive as I have ever seen. At each base we had an autograph session and the reception from all the soldiers was incredible. The respect they showed and the appreciation for us as coaches coming over was overwhelming. Every Louisiana young man and young lady I met, I made sure to take a picture with. We were able to tour each base and get a real appreciation for the commitment and sacrifice the soldiers make to serve our country.”
Coach Brady served at LSU as head coach for 11 seasons (1997-2008), taking the Tigers to conference titles in 2000 and 2006, earning conference Coach of the Year honors in both seasons. In 2000, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and took a group of primarily Baton Rouge area players to the NCAA Final Four in 2006.
He also won conference titles at Samford before coming to LSU and at Arkansas State after his LSU tenure, earning Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2010. He has served as a part of the basketball broadcast team with the Voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair, since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Of his visit, Coach Brady said: “Each service man or woman, shook your hand, looked you in the eye and thanked you for coming. It was humbling to see and feel the appreciation for our visit.”
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