2005 Armed Forces Championship
The Wrap-up
RICHARDSON MIRON
The Camp Pendleton Scout
It's been said many times, change is good. But in the case of the All-Navy basketball team, change couldn't be any better.
The Navy, buoyed by the arrival of rookie coach LTSG Sam Caldwell (NAVAC Strike and Air Warfare Center, Nevada) and 11 first-time All-Navy players, snatched the gold medal Sunday at the conclusion of the Armed Forces Basketball Championship here at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The decisive victory for the squad came on the final day of the double round-robin tournament between the four military branches, when the Navy stopped the Army, 85-71, in front of more than 200 spectators at the Paige Fieldhouse. The win gave the Navy its fourth victory, making the tournament's last game ---- a match up between the Marine Corps and the Air Force ---- nothing more than a battle for the silver medal, which the Air Force took, 75-72.
"My goal when I first came in was to change the stereotype of the Navy (basketball team)," Caldwell said after a victory celebration with his players at mid-court.
When Caldwell took over the program earlier this year, he didn't know exactly what he had to work with. But it would have been easy to assume not much.
The squad didn't have a profound hoops history ---- finishing in the cellar three of the last four years and four of the last six ---- and there was only one player, reserve guard ET3 Ray-Jay Johnson (U.S.S. Bonhomme-Richard) returning from a squad that finished 1-5 at last year's event.
Despite all the uncertainty, Caldwell was completely convinced of one thing and one thing only.
"I knew we weren't going to finish last again," Caldwell said. "I told the guys, 'we're sure as hell not going to let that happen this time.'"
Behind the strong play of All-Tournament selections LTJG Francis Ebong (Sasebo, Japan) and Ensign Taj Matthews (U.S.S. Whidbey Island) the Navy won its final three games in a row to capture the tournament for the first time since 1996.
The squad's final two victories proved to be its most crucial. On Saturday (July 23), the squad had to get through the Marines, who had beaten the Navy on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Sgt. George Baez (Newburgh, N.Y.) four days earlier.
The Marines had started the tournament with three consecutive victories and appeared on the verge of their fourth title in the event's long history. But standing in their way was a hungry Navy unit that had different ideas.
Behind the strong play of Ebong, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, the Navy rallied back from a double-digit first-half deficit against the Marines to win 83-76, setting the stage for critical showdown against the Army on Sunday (July 24).
The Navy, which led by as many as 14 in the second half in the pivotal match up with the Army, saw its lead dwindle to just 1, when SSG Craig Marcelin (Schwetzingen, Germany) went strong to the hole for a bucket with just more than five minutes remaining.
But the Navy, led by the 6-foot-9 center Ebong (14 points, 17 rebounds, three assists) and four other players who scored in double figures, finished the game on a 19-6 run to defeat the tournament's defending champion Army, 85-71, and lay claim to the gold medal.
"It was a surprise," Caldwell admitted when asked if the Navy's first-place finish should come as a shock to military hoops enthusiasts. "When you look at the history of the program, it has to be a surprise. But I wanted to come out and show this year that this is a new Navy. ... We have a new mentality."
Post Tournament Honors
2005 All Tournament Team:
SPC Ronald Bartley (ARMY), Yongsan , Korea - Norfolk , VA
Ensign Taj Matthews (NAVY), USS Whidbey Island - Mercer Island , WA
LTjg Francis Ebong (NAVY), Sasebo , Japan - Omaha , NE
HN Michael Groves (MARINE CORPS), Camp Lejeune , NC - Hartford , CT
SrA Bernard James (AIR FORCE), Beale AFB, CA - Savannah , GA
*2005 All Armed Forces Team:
SPC Ronald Bartley (ARMY)
Ensign Taj Matthews (NAVY)
LTjg Francis Ebong (NAVY)
HN Michael Groves (MARINE CORPS)
SrA Bernard James (AIR FORCE)
SSG Craig Marcelin (ARMY), Schwetzingen, GE - New Orleans , LA
LTjg Micah Bonner (NAVY), Coast Guard MSO Mobile - Tuscaloosa , AL
YN3 Jason Jefferson (NAVY), Naples , Italy -- Laurel , MS
LCPL Forrest Fisher III (MARINE CORPS), Cherry Point , NC - Cleburne , TX
LCPL Robert Brooks (MARINE CORPS), Marietta , GA - Saginaw , MI
SGT Jelani Nix (MARINE CORPS), Cherry Point , NC- Washington, D.C.
2LT Joel Garlach (AIR FORCE), USAFA , CO - Denver , CO
HEAD COACH: LTsg Sam Caldwell (NAVY)
ASST COACH: 1LT Jason Kuhl (AIR FORCE)
TEAM CAPTAIN: Mr. Eddie Goad (AIR FORCE), Charleston AFB, SC
*The Armed Forces Team will move on to defend their title in the 2005 SHAPE International Basketball Tournament, 5-10 December 2005 in Mons , Belgium
Navy Takes a Cruise to Goldsville - Air Force Makes a Silver Comeback
Semper Fit Paige Field House
Camp Pendleton , CA
07/24/2005 - It all came down to numbers on the final day of the 2005 Armed Forces Men's Basketball Championship. All four Service teams were in position to win the gold. Navy had to beat Army. Army had to beat Navy by six points. The Marines had to beat the Air Force. The Air Force had to beat the Marines by more than two, and had to depend on the Army to beat the Navy. It sounds crazy, but in the end the Navy and Air Force did what they had to do.
In the first game of the final day Navy demolished Army 85-71 to clinch the gold. Five Navy players scored in double figures. Navy shot 46% from the floor compared to Army's 36%. Ryan Monroe was Navy's top scorer with 18 points. He was followed by Micah Bonner who pumped in 15, Francis Ebong and Jason Jefferson who each slammed in 14 and George O'Garro who added 11. Sean Pond's 18 points was tops for Army.
Cory Nelson led Air Force, who was 0-3 after the first round, to a 75-72 victory over the Marine Corps, who was 3-0 after the first round. The win gave the Air Force the silver medal. This was truly one of the most exciting Armed Forces Championships ever played.
FINAL STANDINGS:
W L
Navy 4 2
*Air Force 3 3
Marine Corps 3 3
Army 2 4
*Silver medal based on head-to-head tie breaker
ALL SCORES
19 Jul - USN 63 vs USAF 60
USMC 99 vs USA 66
20 Jul - USA 79 vs USAF 74
USMC 72 vs USN 70
21 Jul - USMC 69 vs USAF 68
USN 95 vs USA 81
22 Jul - USA 87 vs USMC 77
USAF 80 vs USN 63
23 Jul - USN 83 vs USMC 76
USAF 82 vs USA 74
24 Jul - USN 85 vs USA 71
USAF 75 vs USMC 72
Sweet Revenge for the Army ---Air Force Gets First Win
07/22/2005 - SPC Ronald Bartley led the Army to an 87-77 win over the Marine Corps in the opening game of the second round of the 2005 Armed Forces Man's Basketball Championship. The Marines pounded the Army by a score of 99-66 in their first encounter. Bartley, who finished the game with 33 points, poured in seven three pointers, and added 10 rebounds. The Marines, who trailed by only 1 point at the half (35-34), could not get on track in the second half. SSG Craig Marcelin contributed 22 points to the Army's victory. Army's SSG Aaron Stuart answered the call with 14 points, and SGT Eric White added 14. LCPL Forrest Fisher led the Marine Corps with 16 points. Army missed their first 11 field goal attempts in the first half.
A determined Air Force team got its first win of the tournament by defeating Navy 80-63 in their first game of the second round of competition. SrA Kendric Green led the way for the Air Force with 19 points. SrA Bernard James pumped in 17, and 1LT Tom Bellairs added 11 for the Air Force. LTjg Francis Ebong's 10 points were tops for the Navy.
Standings as of 22 Jul 05:
W L
Marines 3 1
Navy 2 2
Army 2 2
Air Force 1 3
Another Buzzer- Beater for the Marines -----Ebong is Too Much For The Army
07/21/2005 - For the second night in a row the Marine Corps found themselves down by two points in the final seconds of a game. On this night they trailed the Air Force 68-66 with 5.9 seconds showing on the clock. Following a timeout, the Marine Corps in-bounded the ball to CPL Demerick Casper . Casper immediately went up with a jumper from the three point mark. His shot, as it went through the net, stunned the crowd. For the second night in a row the Marines had won a game on the last shot 69-68. The win left the Air Force, who was up 44-31 early in the second half, with a 0-3 record through the first round. LCPL Forrest Fisher, whose second half three pointers kept the Marines in range, pumped in 14 points for the winners. Team mate HN Michael Groves added 14. LCPL Robert Brooks, SGT Jelani Nix and SGT George Baez all scored 10 points for the Marines. SrA Kendrick Green led the Air Force with 19 points.
LTjg Francis Ebong scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and led Navy to a 95-81 victory over the Army. The Army, who shot only 38% from the floor, trailed by two at the half 41-39. Navy's LTjg Micah Bonner, ENS Taj Matthews, ENS Ryan Monroe, and YN3 Jason Jefferson scored 13, 12, 11, and 10 points respectively. SPC Ronald Bartley, who drilled in 21, was Army's top scorer.
Standings Following First Round
W L
Marines 3 0
Navy 2 1
Army 1 2
Air Force 0 3
Another Heartbreaker For Air Force ---Marine Corps Buzzer -Beater Sinks Navy
07/20/2005 - Army finally got on track tonight as they defeated Air Force 79-74. Air Force, currently the only winless team in the championship, was handed their second strait defeat. Army, who was down 44-32 at the half and trailed most of the game, made a tremendous second half comeback. They finally took command of the game when SSG Craig Marcelin tipped in SPC Ronald Bartley's missed lay-up with 59 second showing on the clock. Bartly was the game's top scored with 22 points. Army SGT Aaron Stuart pumped in 20, and Marcelin added 19. Air Force SrA Bernard James and SrA Kendrick Green both scored 17 points.
Navy is still trying to figure out what hit them. The Marine Corps, who was down 69-70, in-bounded the ball with 1.6 seconds showing on the game clock. Marine Corps guard SGT George Baez launched a three-point missile from the corner as soon as the ball touched his hands. The result was a perfect hit that enabled the Marines to remain undefeated through the second night of competition. The Navy, who was down by as much as 12 points in the first half, was in command for most of the last three minutes of the second half. Navy turnovers and mistakes kept the Marines in range. Four Marines scored in double figures. LCPL Robert Brooks pumped in 15, HN Michael Groves had 13, LCPL Forrest Fisher slammed in 11, and the hero Baez managed 10. LTjg Francis Ebong's 21 points was tops for Navy.
Final score: Marines 72 - Navy 70
Standings W L
Marines 2 0
Navy 1 1
Army 1 1
Air Force 0 2
Navy Slips by Air Force ---Marine Corps too Much for Army
07/19/2005 - Navy defeated Air Force 63-60 in the opening game of the 2005 Armed Forces Men's Basketball Championship. The contest turned out to be a real nail-biter. Navy went ahead in the opening seconds of the first half and never looked back. Air Force made the game interesting in the second half with 35 seconds showing on the clock. At that point, Air Force's SrA Elvin Walker's jump shot in the paint knotted the game at 60. Navy's LTjg Micah Boner iced the game when he popped an NBA distance 3-pointer with only 2.3 seconds showing on the game clock. Air Force refused to go down without a fight. Following the timeout -- Walker , who received the inbound pass, took the ball the length of the court and went up with a three pointer at the buzzer. He made the basket, but officials ruled that the buzzer went off before the ball left Walker 's hand. It was a tremendous effort. YN3 Jason Jefferson was Navy's top scorer with 16 points. Ensign Taj Mathews added 15, and LTjg Francis Ebong pumped in 12 for the Navy squad. SrA Kendrick Green topped all Air Force scorers with 16 points, and 2LT Joel Gerlach added 15.
The Marines could do no wrong as they ambushed Army 99-66 in the second game of the night. The Marines completely out-shot, out-rebounded, and out-hustled the defending Armed Forces Champions. Five Marines scored in double figures, and as a squad they went 24 of 28 from the charity line. At the 4:27 mark of the second half the Marines had a commanding 92-57 lead. HN Michael Groves lead the way for the Marines with 17 points. He was followed by CPL Demerick Casper who pumped in 15, LCPL Roberts Brooks who drained 14, and SGT George Baez and SGT Jelani Nix who each managed 10. For the Army, SGT Jonathan Hughes, SGT Eric White, and SSG Craig Marcelin scored 20, 15 and 11 points respectively.