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Gamecocks Coach Has 'Life-Changing' Trip To Kuwait

Dave Odom joined other coaches in Operation Hardwood

Sept. 3, 2005


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Dave Odom's proudest moments as a coach might have come a half-world away from South Carolina's campus.

Odom joined several other coaches in "Operation Hardwood," a basketball tournament in Kuwait for U.S. military members fighting in Iraq. The Gamecocks' coach and the others were told by commanders at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait there would be a moment during their stay that would thrill them and remain with them forever.

For Odom it happened early as he prepped his Camp Navistar team for the tournament's opening game. The call came for the national anthem, and Odom looked behind to get his players lined up as he typically does with the Gamecocks.

Instead, Odom found his team at attention, eyes on the American flag as Whitney Houston's version of the "Star Spangled Banner" was played.

"You could have heard a mouse crawl across the floor" it was so reverent at the court, Odom recalled Friday. "This was the moment."

The only thing that topped it, Odom said, came in the tournament final, when he served as an assistant to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's tournament winning Camp Arifjan team. All the coaches, dressed in military uniforms, marched to the center of the floor before the game. This time when the national anthem started, Odom could see the 1,500 troops there to watch look as respectful as his team did only days earlier.

"It's like I told them, for me there wasn't one moment, there was two," he said.

Odom, who turns 63 next month, called the weeklong visit a life changing experience.

He mixed with U.S. personnel from all over, but sought out those from South Carolina. Most knew how Odom's team won the NIT title last March and that Steve Spurrier was preparing for his Gamecocks debut - a 24-15 win over Central Florida on Thursday.

What Odom found was a group that believed deeply in their mission and is prepared to do what it takes in Iraq. Odom says he didn't make the trip for political reasons, but he was pleased to see the high morale and purpose in America's troops.

"I did not meet one soldier who questioned whether the war was right or wrong," Odom said. "You can tell whether people are genuine and they are committed to following through. I am so proud of those people. America's in great shape."

Other college basketball personalities on the trip were former South Carolina player and Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins, Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson, ex-St. John's coach Mike Jarvis, Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

Odom says he got to ride one of the base's camels and drive a tank. He also gave out duffel bags full of South Carolina hats, shirts and posters to eager Palmetto Staters dreaming of home.

Some of Odom's most revealing and memorable moments were talking with soldiers about their roles in Iraq. Odom talked about meeting two women who transport tanks and heavy vehicles into Iraq, one driving, the other as a gunner.

"How often do you get shot at?" the coach asked.

"Oh, every time we go," came the response.

"How often you shoot back?" Odom continued.

"Every time they shoot at us," they told him.

"I thought, 'Oh my goodness, this is real,' " Odom said,

Odom spent much of the 22-hour flight back from Kuwait sketching how best to bring the lessons he learned to his team.

"How do I make them understand how fortunate they are," he said.

Odom says his Gamecocks are great people, but concerned with things most college players are - like per diem money and playing time - not about sacrifices people in the military make to keep them safe and free.

"I don't know that I can do it," he says, "but I'm going to try."

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Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way