JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Warhawks' head coach is proud of his team despite its fourth place finish at the National Military Basketball Tournament.
Kenneth Plummer said the team played extremely well in spite of some players missing games during the double elimination tourney, which was won by the Fort Sill, Okla. team Sunday that saw nine teams compete.
The Warhawks lost their first game to Fort Sill and slid down to the losers' bracket, where they defeated Offut Air Force Base, Okla. and JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. They were finally eliminated by Fort Carson, Colo.
"The players played hard and with tremendous effort," Plummer said.
The head coach attributed the loss to Fort Carson's defensive ball pressure in the second half.
"At that point, we were not playing to win, we were playing not to lose," he explained. "Everything gets tight because you don't want to make any mistakes."
Before the national military tourney, the Warhawks won 3 out of 4 tournaments this year, which is an improvement compared to last season. The team did not win any tournaments in 2013.
"The team made a complete turnaround this season," Plummer said. "Everybody bought in to a 'team first' concept."
The coach revealed it was his last season coaching the team because he will be moving to Robins AFB, Ga. in June. He hopes he started a foundation for the Warhawks to build on and succeed for years to come.
"I would love to be here another year and continue the Warhawks development as a winning team," Plummer said. "We sparked an interest for people to want to play for the team. If you have success in something and people see it, they gravitate toward it.
"Hopefully, people have looked at what we have achieved, and want to help turn the Warhawks into a powerhouse in basketball for years to come."