The U.S. Military Academy and Naval Academy men's and women's basketball teams face off Saturday at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, the first time the rivalry games have been held at the historic arena.
The games are being televised on CBS Sports Network — the women's at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time and the men's at 2 p.m.
It's far from the first time the military and hoops history have crossed paths.
1. Founding father. A quarter-century after outlining the basics of basketball while a physical education instructor at Springfield College in Massachusetts, Dr. James Naismith earned his commission as chaplain of the 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment, a National Guard unit sent to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the mission to apprehend Pancho Villa. He would later minister to troops in Europe during World War I as a volunteer with the YMCA, serving overseas for 19 months while well into his 50s.
Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, is shown in this historical photo.
Photo Credit: Army Courtesy Photo
2. Mentor and protégé. Before his career-defining, chair-throwing days on the Indiana University bench, Bobby Knight coached the Army Black Knights for six seasons (1965-1971), leading the squad to four of its eight postseason appearances, all in the National Invitation Tournament. Team captain for the 1968-69 Black Knights, who went 18-10: Point guard Mike Krzyzewski, who later coached Army for five seasons before taking over at Duke in 1980. Krzyzewski has won the most games in major-college men's basketball history and has five NCAA titles to his name, including last year's crown.
Duke coach and West Point graduate Mike Krzyzewski reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Clemson on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. Clemson won 68-63.
Photo Credit: Richard Shiro/AP
3. Olympic legacy. Krzyzewski also coaches the men's Olympic team, leading the squad to back-to-back gold medals in 2008 and 2012. He'll hold the reins in Rio de Janeiro this summer before turning the team over to Gregg Popovich, who has won five NBA titles as coach of the San Antonio Spurs and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1970, one year after Krzyzewski graduated from West Point. Popovich began his coaching career as a USAFA assistant after completing his five-year military obligation, spending six seasons in the role.
4. Admiral, arriving. A critical component to Popovich's early NBA success in San Antonio, David Robinson still dominates the Navy record book, remaining the program's leading career scorer and rebounder nearly 30 years after his 1987 graduation. Robinson, nicknamed "The Admiral," led the Midshipmen to the NCAA quarterfinal round in the 1985-86 season, the farthest any academy team has advanced in that tournament. The 7-foot-1 Robinson would earn two NBA titles (both under Popovich), play on three Olympic teams (including the 1992 "Dream Team") and be named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996.
San Antonio Spurs coach and Air Force Academy graduate Gregg Popovich gestures to a Spurs player during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015, in San Antonio. San Antonio won 101-86.
Photo Credit: Darren Abate/AP
5. Carrier classics, and calamities. The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson hosted the first-ever NCAA game played on an active warship in 2011, when North Carolina beat Michigan State on Veterans Day in front of a San Diego crowd that included President Obama. Follow-up events in 2012 were less successful: A game on the decommissioned carrier Yorktown was canceled because of unsafe court conditions, another on the former carrier Midway saw players struggle to shoot through wind gusts, and a third on the amphibious assault ship Bataan was called off at halftime thanks to a slippery playing surface. The Bataan contest reportedly cost host city Jacksonville, Florida, more than $730,000.
6. All levels welcome. Games on ships aren't new, nor are pickup contests on forward operating bases or tournaments for unit, installation or service bragging rights. The best of the best in uniform represent the U.S. military in international events: The U.S. Armed Forces women's team finished third in the Conseil International du Sport Militaire, or CISM, championships in July in Paris, while the men finished third in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, tournament in Belgium in December.
Harlem Globetrotters "Buckets" Blakes and "Sweet J" Ekworomadu give high-fives to sailors assigned to USS Constitution during a visit to Charlestown Navy Yard. The Globetrotters visited Old Ironsides to put on a show for the ship's crew during a tour of Boston.
Photo Credit: MC Matthew R. Fairchild/Navy
7. Living up to the name.The Harlem Globetrotters wrapped up their 14th tour of overseas military bases in 12 years in December, visiting installations in the Middle East. The "Clown Princes of Basketball" have performed in Iraq and Afghanistan; at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and onboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf in recent years. The Washington Generals, who accompanied the Globetrotters on many tours until disbanding in August, reportedly received their military-themed nickname from founder Louis "Red" Klotz in 1952, to honor retired Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
