Photo By Cpl. Mary Jenni | U.S. Marines, basketball players with the All-Marine Men’s Basketball Team,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The final moments before All-Marine Men’s Basketball Teams’ closing game of the 2023 basketball season looked bleak. No one was yelling, no one was hyping each other up, and grim silence echoed throughout the court. The tired, yet focused faces of the players looked worn by a crucible of seven back-to back games over seven grueling days.
“We knew we were playing the best team out there,” said U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Carter, a Communication Strategy and Operations Officer for the 1st Marine Logistics Group, and Tennessee native. Carter was the 2023 Armed Forces Men’s Basketball Championship top performing Marine player, a title awarded as part of the all-tournament team honors given to the top five players of the tournament. “The Navy team had only lost one game at that point, and we were definitely the least experienced team there,” Carter added.
The All-Marine Men’s Basketball Team hadn’t won a gold medal in two decades and 2023 wasn’t shaping up to be the comeback year as the Marines held a disadvantage from the start. Out of the 12 on the team, only one was a Division One player, and none of them were overseas, or professional players. The Air Force, Navy and Army teams all had more of both.
“We had to be intentional with our game plan, our focus and making sure that we had very little margin of error,” said Carter.
Ensuring minimal margins for error is nothing new for United States Marines, neither is building unity, resilience or teamwork. The Marines had to rely on their camaraderie as the odds were stacked against them entering their final game with the Navy team.
Marines and Sailors battled each other inch for inch, point for point on the court. The eager anticipatory energy was almost palpable. The Marine Team looked like it was going to win gold after a 20-year hiatus, however, things don’t always go as expected. Just as the Marines started to gain a glimmer of hope toward their first gold medal victory in two decades, up 5 points, their top performing player was injured.
“I felt guilty,” said Carter. “I felt like I was letting my team down, I was discouraged. We had made it all this way, and now I couldn’t help my team.”
The Marines continued to press on, undaunted. The game went into overtime, and with control of the ball, the Marines took the final shot and even the boldest individuals in the room held their breath. Carter watched the final play in slow motion, sitting on the edge of the bench. With the ball in the air, the buzzer sounded, and the ball swished through the net, securing the All-Marine Team gold with a final score of 73 to 71.
This was the moment U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Brandon Mitchell, the All-Marine Men’s Basketball Team head coach had been waiting for. He had secured a spot in Marine basketball history, first as a player from 2009 to 2012 and now as a winning coach in 2023. Championship opportunities are rare, and the team capitalized on the chance to secure the victory, Mitchell recalled as he felt a surge of immense elation watching his team celebrate.
The road to victory was challenging, yet the Marine team took the challenge with an unyielding belief in the journey. The parallels between All-Marine basketball and Marine Corps leadership are numerous.
“Both arenas require collective effort to accomplish goals, highlighting the importance of teamwork,” said Mitchell. “Additionally, a strong leader with a vision plays a pivotal role in providing solid leadership, a principle that resonates both on the basketball court and within the Marine Corps.
“Playing basketball on an All-Marine team gives you a competitive atmosphere you don’t usually get in your day-to-day life,” added Carter.
The Montford Point Museum at Camp Johnson, North Carolina, established to preserve the legacy of the Montford Point Marines as the first African Americans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, is the location set to feature the team’s gold medal. Commemorating the team’s achievement for all time.
In keeping with the spirit of camaraderie, the El Camino High School Varsity basketball team recently visited Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton for a seminar led by the All-Marine Men’s Basketball Team at Paige Field House. They focused on drills, shared knowledge, and built strength as a team. The Marines also mentored the young men about life, opportunities and working together as one. This proved to be a symbiotic relationship as the high schoolers reminded the Marines to always stay alert and focused.
Mitchell reminded the El Camino players how crucial it is to live in the moment and embrace the experiences life gives you, to make the most of the game.
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.18.2024 17:20 |
| Story ID: | 462042 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 670 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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