Last week, Southern Miss head basketball coach Jay Ladner participated in the Operation Hardwood Classic basketball tournament at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, with his team coming away with the title.
The Classic provides a select group of coaches with a unique opportunity to coach currently deployed service members. Beyond playing at Camp Arifjan, the crew of coaches visited the Ali Al Salem air base and Camp Buehring, around 25 miles from the Iraq border.
“I was very honored to be able to spend time with our troops in Kuwait as part of the Troops First Program,” Ladner said. “I’m very, very grateful to be an American. If every American had a chance to experience what I did, they would have a deep respect for the job our troops do over there.”
Ladner was joined on the trip by former USC and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, former NBA player and assistant coach Greg Foster, former Virginia and Old Dominion head coach Jeff Jones, former LSU head coach John Brady, former Louisiana Tech and Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge, former NBA and college head coach Tim Floyd, and current UTEP head coach Joe Golding. Previous coaches to win the tournament include legendary head coaches Tom Izzo and Kelvin Sampson.
Ladner, who approaches his sixth season as the head man at his alma mater in Hattiesburg, holds a 65-89 record in his tenure. After Southern Miss transitioned to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022, the Golden Eagles have gone 41-24, including a conference championship in 2022.
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