Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
Life Through Basketball: Transforming Military Communities with the MBA
Can basketball save lives? Join us as we explore this powerful question with Mike Myers and Angel "Ace" Acevedo, the driving forces behind the Military Basketball Association (MBA). Discover how Mike's journey from combat veteran to MBA co-founder was fueled by his passion to support military athletes and address critical issues like PTSD and suicide prevention. We celebrate the MBA's significant achievements, including the groundbreaking airing of its finals on CBS Sports Network and the upcoming inclusion of women's teams, highlighting its commitment to diversity and growth.
Mike and Ace share the intimate details of their partnership, showcasing how shared experiences, even from opposing sidelines, can foster collaboration and respect. They discuss the challenging transition from military service to civilian life and how basketball became a beacon of hope and unity. Learn about the formation of the Military Basketball Alliance as a testament to their dedication to pure installation basketball, and the resilience required to overcome skepticism and logistical hurdles to present military basketball on a national stage.
Finally, we delve into the broader mission of "Life Through Basketball," an initiative that leverages the sport to promote mental health among veterans. The MBA's collaboration with the VA exemplifies this commitment, featuring suicide prevention resources and mental health services at events. We examine the role of basketball in fostering community growth and inclusivity, underscoring its life-changing impact within military communities. Listen as Mike and Ace outline their future plans, with aspirations to expand into other sports, furthering their mission to create a positive influence and nurture resilience in military service members.
Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans, but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a-allowed policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Welcome everyone to our current, most recent episode of the Sisters in Service podcast. You know me I am the freaking fabulous Cat Corchado, the voice connecting veterans around the world and the go-to source for insights and inspiration at the intersection of health, fitness and military life.
Speaker 1:In today's episode, I am honored to have two pioneers in the world of military sports with us Mike Myers and Angel Ace Acevedo, who is the deputy commissioner of the NBA. Now, if Mike's name sounds familiar, it is because he was on the podcast, the Sisters in Service podcast, in August this year, which is episode 159. If you are unfamiliar with the Military Basketball Association, let me give you a little background. So it was founded in 2017 to promote the military athlete. The NBA supports volunteers and players in teams around the world. Every year, the NBA organizes and hosts local and national events to bring awareness to the many behavioral health concerns that face veterans every day. The MBA seeks to educate communities on the challenges and stigmas regarding post-traumatic stress and strongly advocates for the intervention in the alarming rate of veteran suicide. The MBA's mission is life through basketball, so I would like to welcome both Mike Myers and Ace to Angel Ace Acevedo to the Sisters in Service podcast.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for having us. Thank you, thank you Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:So I know a little bit about Mike. But Mike, can you give us kind of a synopsis of you know kind of your, your background? You are a combat veteran and can you give us a little bit of information about where not where you serve? But did you?
Speaker 2:pick, the service you were in and your transition from the military and how the NBA became the NBA from this, this idea that you had, and so it's so. First of all, thanks, kat, for for having me on Appreciate it. I've always loved your show and the things that you do for women who served or are currently serving right now. You know I started in. I enlisted in 1999. Just a brief background I went green to gold. I commissioned in 2005 and I found myself in the first of theth Cavalry Battalion, 1-5 Cav, and that's where I'd gotten some combat experience and you know, combat veteran. And so that deployment changed me it. You know, I came back different. My mother almost didn't recognize me when I returned home and I had some scars. I had some emotional scars, mental scars from what we were doing, because I was medically evacuated from theater. I couldn't play basketball the way I used to, very competitive up and down, and I was reaching this peak in my military basketball career. That got cut short, got cut short.
Speaker 2:I started coaching in 2010. And you know that was my outlet. You know, impacting young men who serve. And so I was able to start coaching at Fort Riley, kansas, and you know, see, about 13 years ago, I met this Puerto Rican first Sergeant and you know it's a long story, but I had a a very profound respect for him, cause he brought his team from from Fort Carson to Fort Riley and I had been kind of introduced to military basketball through Ace, through Coach Ace, and so the years, as the years went by you know he was coaching Fort Carson I ended up going to Korea, coming back to Fort Hood, texas, and just being competitive. We just kind of kept in touch.
Speaker 2:And you know, from 2017, you know we both went to a tournament together in San Antonio and we just had this late conversation one night about how, you know, how we could make military basketball great, you know, and do something for every military community so that the teams that compete represent a military community or military installation. And so, from there, we had a. We created the NBA finals in Colorado Springs. We had 16 teams come out the first year in 2018. And it's been a ride ever since. Come out the first year in 2018. And it's been a ride ever since. And you would have thought that maybe we would have slowed down because of COVID. And you know this is our second year or this will be our third year where we our championship final will be on CBS Sports Network, and you know, we've just been growing and that's just I couldn't. Yeah, I couldn't have done it.
Speaker 1:You kind of just glossed over that. Say that again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is our third year. This will be our third year on CBS Sports Network and and this year, which is so great because of the hard work of Ace to get women's teams involved the championship final on Sunday. We'll have a double header. It'll be the women's championship game first, ladies first, and then the men's championship game to close out the season in Philadelphia. So it's been a ride. I don't gloss over it. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that we're we're putting volunteer, you know basketball on television, but it's also a reminder that we can go so much further. And so, yeah, it's, it's great. And Ace has been my partner, best friend, since since we started this thing and we've had, we've been through some ups and downs and we've had some challenges. You know that we faced as an organization, but you know he's been through it, through the, through the hard times and through a lot of the growth that's happened. So I just, I'm just glad that we get to showcase ladies on television this year.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. And speaking of Ace, ace is an Army veteran. He is the Deputy Commissioner of the NBA. He plans and coordinates the NBA tournaments around the US. He is also the Commissioner for the Women's Military Basketball Association. So I don't know how you do it, but, ace, welcome to the Sisters in Service podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. I'm very honored to be a part of the program here.
Speaker 1:So, ace, I'm going to ask you, and I ask this of all the veterans that come on did you pick the Army, or did the Army pick you?
Speaker 3:I picked the Army. My dad was retired Air Force and I just chose to go the Army way just because I wanted to go see different parts of the world. I didn't want to join the Air Force and go back to all the same places again, and I think I made the right choice because the Army showed me the world.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. It really does. That makes sense, it really does. So, Ace, when you got out of the military, did you have everyone that comes out of the service? You know their transition is hard, but it's all hard is relative to the person who's getting out. So can you tell us a little bit about your transition?
Speaker 3:from the military? Was it easy? Was it hard? How was that for you? Transition from the military Was it easy? Was it hard? How was that for you? Well, just to back up a little bit, I served 25 years.
Speaker 3:I came in during the Manuel Noriega days when we went down to Panama to Howard Air Force Base and basically, you know, took over, you know took over and ran him out of there. So I bet I've seen a lot. I enjoyed my ride in the, in the military it was. I was faced with a lot of challenges. But I knew another thing that I wasn't going to become a commission guy, I was going to become a non-commissioned officer. I was always you know the way I was brought up, I was always that guy to you know. Just, you know, I'm going to do it, I got it, just give me the instructions and let's make it happen. So I kind of grew up in that type of household.
Speaker 3:And to answer your question was my transition hard? Answer your question was my transition hard? Um, yeah, I mean because I saw a lot of stuff, a lot of ugly stuff in the military that never, ever, ever, ever go away. Uh, I don't like talk about it. You know, very seldom do talk about it unless absolutely necessary. Um, I've had my challenges of sleeping at night. Uh, my nightmares I've had. I've had uh, uh, situations where I've heard certain conversations that I've had to steer away from those folks because I just, you know, those conversations really were a trigger for a lot of bad things in my head. So, um, you know, the actual transition for the military was it was okay, um, I knew that it was, it was time to go. Um, when I hit 20 years and I didn't know, my wife had to remind me that I was, that I had hit the 20 part, I was having a good time, I enjoyed the military. I did, I really did. I got to see a lot of cool places, a lot of cool people during, during my time in the military, going all the way back to about, I want to say about 96, after I left the Bosnia theater, the Bosnia theater.
Speaker 3:That's when my basketball slash player, I guess, road started for me. I was a very, very avid player, but then, you know, I just started to think about you know what I could probably do this later on in life as a coach, and you know, because I was happy playing basketball. So they say when you're happy doing something, it's not a job, it's you're. You're actually out there doing it because you love it, and it becomes easy for you. So you know, as the years went by, I started making that transition as well, while I was in the military, from from a coach to player, until my knees said you can't do this no more. So, so, so, so, yeah, yeah, I mean, if I had to put it on a percentage scale, was my transition really hard? I'm going to? I'm going to say I'm going to say 60, 40.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, you may not know this about me, ace, but I did play basketball in the military, not for the air force. I played on different bases at different times and, okay, I wish the nba had been around when I was playing, because I think that just would have been just the coolest thing ever. So I want to ask both of you or at this, you know, one at a time, but I want to ask you both this question when was that moment when you guys have become friends, you're chatting about this and it becomes this crap, let's just do it. When did that happen? Was it just a conversation or you know? Were you excited about it? Were you like, oh, I don't know. Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:I will tell you, at least from my perspective. Are you going to go first, Mike?
Speaker 3:You can go first, ace, go ahead. Well, no, I mean, I think you know you have to remember that we were always on the opposite side of each other on the sidelines, were always on the opposite side of each other on the sidelines. So, um, you know, our, our coaching styles were never that of well, you beat me, I beat you and you know we. Now there's some type of personal vendetta and it was never like that. We, we were coaches with very professional programs and you know, we were the reflection of how we wanted our, our players to act in basketball games, especially when we were on the road traveling to other installations, because the last thing you wanted was somebody to pick up the phone and call. You know your base, you know your garrison and, and next thing, you know things are coming from the top down to the bottom. So we were always very, very professional. So our, our friendship, just it grew with basketball, if that answers the question.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, mike.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I mean, first of all, he's a phenomenal coach and he's just got a great system, great philosophy on how he he runs his programs. But you know and people have asked us this all the time you know, how did? How did the NBA start? And really it started because, you know, we saw one system that was a system of that was, you know, working at the time, but we just wanted to make it a little bit better. Was, you know, working at the time? But we just wanted to make it a little bit better.
Speaker 2:And so we didn't necessarily start out trying to bring it to where it is right now. This was just, hey, this is going to be an alternative to what was currently in place and things that were happening down in San Antonio. And so, when it became serious, was the phone call? And the phone call was hey, you know, let's try to do something different that is reflective of installation, pure basketball. Yes, so so you know, from there, maybe within a few weeks, you know it was like, hey, when can you come up and take a look at the facilities here in Colorado Springs? And that's when it was real.
Speaker 2:It was like, okay, and so he had, this is the type of person that ACE is and this is kind of like why I think our relationship works is we all stay in our lane. You know someone? I came up with a, I came up with the logo, with the idea of an NBA and not that's kind of cheesy, I don't know, I don't like it and then but I stuck with it. Yeah, cause that's what I do. I felt like it was catchy, but what Ace did was he went and found one the best tournament planner in probably in the history of military basketball a retired Air Force guy with Ted Albers, and then he put us on for putting. He said to come to Colorado Springs and everything that he did was kind of like a sergeant major or a first sergeant. My entire schedule was mapped out. I stayed in his, in his, at his house, had water by the bed. You know he was. He just was like it was in Casa de Acevedo.
Speaker 1:He sounds like a project manager man. That's what I did in the military you make sure all the details are in place.
Speaker 2:He had it all wrapped out. All the details are in place. He had it all wrapped out. And then what I do was he just let me do what I do, which is basically go out and sell this thing. You know, find, get people motivated to come out here. We didn't have any sponsors in 2018. We just had. It was just us.
Speaker 2:But we had 16 committed teams, we had the best trophy in the business and and so that's kind of like when it became real was in was when, when I, when he picked me up from the airport and he was like OK, we're going here, here and here I'm taking you to the Air Force Academy, then we're going to meet the referee, we're going to meet Mr Chapman, they're going to meet TL, we're going to take you over to Fountain, fort Carson. You're going to take a look at the facilities over there. And by the time I left, I was just like, oh, this is happening, this is happening, this is, this is really going to happen. And so we just surrounded ourselves like now it's it's more, because now that I'm thinking about it, and I think about it was just me and him kind of doing this in Colorado Springs, and then from there we surrounded ourselves with people, our inner circle, that knew the game um and that we had probably had relationships with as veterans for close to 10 to 12 years.
Speaker 2:It's been a ride, but that's when it became real, and it became real to everybody after that tournament. After that tournament, it was like, okay, the NBA is here, it's arrived, because the next year we were at the Air Force Academy. So it was, it was. It's been a blast.
Speaker 1:I love the fact that you both were different, but you came together and, through your differences and being what your strengths were, I think that makes the best team. When you bring it together, you know what I mean it's it's kind of like, okay, I'm going to go over here, these are my strengths, these are your strengths, and then you bring it together and it's this thing. It just comes across. I want to ask you both this question Whenever you have a huge idea okay, the MBA was a huge idea, right and you have what you call what should I call them Naysayers? Those people that say, oh, that's never going to work what are you trying to do? What you know? And I and I read a quote one time that said the people are trying to pull you down. Also, the people who are underneath you, meaning that you have these big ideas and they just want to stay in their lane. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 2:I think so. I think so from from my foxhole it's great for me to talk about, but I'll let Ace go first, because Ace doesn't really, he really doesn't get, you know, bothered by naysayers. He's just going to go out and execute. But I'll let him speak for himself.
Speaker 3:So so, yes, we've had, we've dealt with a lot of that. So, yes, we've dealt with a lot of that and, like Mike said, I don't really pay it too much attention because, you know, this is just human. I was telling Mike this today Humanity is just going to be humanity. You cannot please everybody, no matter how good you're doing, how great of an idea it is, even though they may they, they know it's a good idea they still have something negative to say about it. And if we had to bank on what, what we thought about people saying you know, you know negative things about the NBA, we wouldn't be where we are today. We've just, we've just stayed, you know, eyes straight ahead. It's been hard because there are some things that you do want to react to, but you know, at this point now where we're at, there's just so many people that are looking at what the NBA is doing for military basketball. So it would be, it wouldn't even be worth it to entertain those that don't see the vision that we have for these service members.
Speaker 1:I love that. Mike, you want to chime in?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do. So he doesn't, he doesn't get involved with it, but I do. And when I say I do, I mean I've been very good over the last couple of years to not respond to the naysayers over the last couple of years to not respond to the naysayers. But when we first got started we had a lot of naysayers, you know, people told us that we were dividing military basketball. People were like, hey, you know, you'll never get it off the ground, it won't be that good, it won't be that. You know, popular.
Speaker 2:We've had people try to, you know, throw monkey wrenches in our program. We've locked in venues and then all of a sudden those venues somehow didn't get, you know, got turned off and there was a scheduling conflict and so there was just a lot of stuff that we went through. I mean, you know he doesn't really remember or he doesn't, he doesn't dwell on it, but I do because I think it's a metric on where we were versus where we are right now. And you know to the, to the folks that you know that did all those things. You know all I said is you know, vanessa Williams said this a while back when she was going through her, her, uh, her controversy after Miss America, you know um. She said, you know success is the best revenge you know, isn't it though?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, really, you know when, when they took our courts away, um, just before COVID, um, I was like, okay, fine, we won't go on post anymore and we've only just started going back on installations. But we didn't need it. We just said you know what? What we'll do is we'll go to Division I college institutions and play basketball at a high level on one of the biggest stages you can. And when COVID was over, it was like hey, you know, we had some, some coaches that wanted to change our rules and they wanted to to to, you know, wanted us to to be a different, be the organization that they wanted and not necessarily the one that that we were with. That we set out to be. And what we did was we said okay, fine, no problem, we're not changing. And oh, by the way, we'll be on CBS Sports in 2023.
Speaker 3:Well, mike, let me add on to that as well. And you know my biggest thing ever since the NBA was birthed, and one of the biggest reasons was we wanted, we wanted pure military installation basketball, whether it was Kadena Air Force Base, torrey Station, camp Foster, whatever, fort Benning, we just wanted guys to compete and now women to compete representing their installations. Now I understand that a lot of installations don't provide the those teams any support, because I've been there and done that. I mean been doing it for, for I've been doing it for years. So I understand what it is to get on the road with guys. And we got to pay for hotel. We got to pay for this, got to pay for that, but at the end of the day got to pay for hotel. We got to pay for this, got to pay for that, but at the end of the day what we wanted was pure installation basketball, which you know if you're my commander, you know we've been.
Speaker 3:This team has been on the grind for nine months together, practicing. You know, like I could just speak on my program, my guys get up at 4.15, 4.30 in the morning to be at practice by five o'clock and our practice is over by 6.30 in the morning. So we're done with practice by the time most people in America start get you know they you know get up, get up to start their day. But it means a whole lot more at the very end when you win those championships because you didn't have to fly know such and such in from from the west coast or from the east coast or from central the united states. You did it with the guys that are there grinding every morning representing your, their pure installation. So that's why it was big for me and it's, it's.
Speaker 2:it's what what we, what we didn't want, is for folks like myself and him and other coaches that have put in all this hard work and then someone comes along because they have money or because they can buy people plane tickets. They can buy people plane tickets. We didn't want them to be able to come into our tournaments and win with a. Our tournaments are for the folks that grinded out every year representing their installation, and and so we had some people that wanted to. You know, wanted us to change what we do, and we, that's our core. That's the whole reason why we were founded and we weren't going to change that. So you know they, they, you know they said, hey, this is not going to work. They were naysayers as well, and so you know they said hey, this is not going to work.
Speaker 2:They were naysayers as well, and so you know, as an organization grows, you outgrow some of the folks that that are your naysayers and that's part of the process, or you just don't hear from them anymore. Very much so.
Speaker 1:You just shut them down.
Speaker 2:That too, you know. But but we, but what we, what we do do is we promote inclusiveness and we want people to create teams within their installations and their military communities. But we do have rules and we and we want, we and we enforce them. But it's fun, right? It's great to have a team that you've built in, like July or August that potentially could be playing on CBS Sports in May. That's exciting. That's exciting. That's the whole goal. And let's just say, you fall short. Well, you get back on the horse and you try it again. That's what resiliency is all about.
Speaker 1:Right, I love that. You know we have so many people now that are like well, I didn't win so I'm quitting. But to Aces when he was talking, it reminded me of when I was a dependent, when my dad was stationed in Germany and some of the biggest events was when there was a basketball game. Everybody on the base was at this basketball game, or, if you were playing basketball, some of the biggest crowds that we as a basketball player was when an Air Force base went to an Army base or an Army base went to an Air Force base, it was guaranteed bedlam.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you that's what's happening right now in Germany, right now. One of our representatives is having a Christmas tournament right now. Mr Theotis Green. He's still coaching in Germany, or he's still involved.
Speaker 1:Where is he at now? He was coaching forever, I know him.
Speaker 2:Yes, Is he at bomb holder now Ace?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's still coaching.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, he's still there. Ot Green, he's still over there.
Speaker 1:Wow, he had. I mean even then, back then he had more pull than most officers that I that were. You know, he could just say I want this person. I want to ask you both that. I do know that you know playing basketball really affects your physical, but how does being part of the NBA affect a person's mental health?
Speaker 2:I will tell you, you know, ace has got some actual personal, personal testimony where military basketball is actually, you know, save, save folks lives. For me it's an outlet. This is an outlet for people to um be a part of family, you know to to compete and get some of their stress out on the basketball court, but they're also a part of family and so if they're going through something that they can't or don't feel comfortable talking to normal or regular outlets, they can talk to their coach and their players and their teammates. And so our are coaches now have been to enough of our events. They know the resources to help get someone who's in crisis, to help them, you know, get the help they need, the services that they need. So this whole game is just the basketball is just the platform and a vehicle. The tools are at our events for people to help, to get them some help if they, if they need it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, Ace. Would you like to jump in?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, like Mike said, I've actually had some real life situations where I had a young lady that we were in a meeting and I had to jump off because she was, uh, she's just about. You know, she was considering taking her life and, um, and if it hadn't been for the basketball family, the women's team down here at columbus, georgia, uh, she may not have been here with us today, so, um, and she will tell you she's, I mean, she'll be the first one to tell you, uh, specialist patterson, who's? Um, she, she's like if it hadn't been for for being a part of the team, I wouldn't have made it so, uh, so that's just one of my personal testimonies there that I was actually a part of.
Speaker 3:And you know, after that, of course, course, things got a little bit better. You know, she got the help that she needed. Her commander really stressed that she stay with the team and, you know, because your team, you know your basketball team, just like any other sport, is your extended family. So when you have those people around you encouraging you and then you're out on the court with them, you're getting that exercise that's bringing down that stress level anyways, and then you're around, you know, positive people. It's really, really going to help and make a difference, so that's what saved her life. So, um, yeah, that's powerful.
Speaker 1:So I want to ask this question to both of you Did. Did both of you or one of you actually coach men and women and if so, what's the difference?
Speaker 3:Whoa man we both, we both, we both, we've both done it, we've both done it. So I'm currently I'm just fresh off of it because I, just like you said, I am extremely busy, you know, with I've had the men's team here for going on five years. I had the women's team at the same time, plus I was helping Mike, traveling with Mike all over the United States, plus the All-Star game, plus going to Puerto Rico. So it's a lot that we were doing. And you know my assistant coach, uh, jamal Glennzy, he actually won a silver, silver medal with the women's team this year. So, yeah, so I said you know what? Hey, you're a silver medalist, it's time for you to take over a team. So so we were coaching together. So I was like, hey, go ahead, and you know, go ahead and take over and be the head coach for the women's Fort Moore yellow jacket team, and guess what? That's where he's at. And I've, I've relieved myself of one responsibility. There you go.
Speaker 1:Is it easier to coach women or men, or is it? Is it the same?
Speaker 3:well, no, no, no. So so I will tell you this on the court, the ladies do listen a whole lot better, they execute a whole lot better. Um, uh, it's just uh. Sometimes, with the commitment level, everybody, you know you can't blame nobody, it's just just the way it is. You know you have there's more single women parents than there is single men parents, you know.
Speaker 3:So, a lot of the times their schedules conflict. You know, some, some of them, have kids that are of age, that are involved in sports. So, you know, know, during basketball season, guess what if the kids are playing basketball too, in the uh, in the y local ymca, absolutely, it's on the base in their, in their school. So so it's hard, it's hard getting, you know, um, getting the commitment is not as easy with the women. Women as men, uh, the, the, the, the men, um, they're, they're just, you know, it's just natural that there's men there's always going to be men that want to hoop and they want to be there. You know the women want to be there. But then they realize also well, I got this, I got that. So my only challenge here, yeah, my only challenge here was just, uh, instead of going five days or four days a week. I can only go two days a week with the, with the ladies, but you know we made those two days count and my women's team was actually in the championship game last year.
Speaker 1:Congratulations, Mike. You want to chime in?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean um coaching men and women.
Speaker 1:Or there might not be a difference. I'm just asking the question.
Speaker 2:Basketball is basketball, I mean. But, as Ace was pointed out, the ladies listen a lot more than the men. They just do. They're more receptive to sometimes to change. They're more receptive. They just want to do what works. They're more receptive, they just want to do what works. They're polite.
Speaker 2:You don't really hear too much about women's fights and brawls and all that. Most ladies respect each other, even if they're on a different team, so I never had any issues with that. The ladies can be very physical, um, that's a, it's a very physical game and they don't really um, they, they can be very, very physical, um, on the men's side of the house, um, you know, my, my, my issues with, with, with men are, you know, um, they just, they're not. Sometimes they're a little stubborn, a little resistance to change Um, and sometimes you know they want to challenge things that don't need to be challenged or find issue with things that don't need to have issue. Um, the results, you know I've, I've, I've won at at on both sides. You know I've, I've, I've won with men, I've won with women, just like Ace. But the highest level of competition that I've ever won at outside of the NBA championship, and that's a. I've never won an NBA championship, but I think, in my opinion, I think that's probably the highest.
Speaker 2:You can win anything on the planet, but I did. I did get a gold medal with the women's armed forces team, so I coached the all army women. I won a gold medal in 2019. That was a very special team, very, you know, very committed team, talented, very talented. I still keep in touch with those ladies, but that's the highest level in the military that I was able to win anything and it's one of the proudest moments I've ever had. I mean, you know you can win. You know, at lower levels, which, when you represent your service and you're able to to to win, you're the last team standing Um. That's a proud moment and it just so happened to me that that that moment was um with with, uh, the the best women in the military and in the army.
Speaker 1:So I love playing basketball. I love being. I played forward and being underneath the basket was like. It was like a war and I loved every minute of it. There were some people who wouldn't come past the free throw line. They're like Nope, nope.
Speaker 2:How tall are you, Kat? How tall are you?
Speaker 1:I'm 5'10". I'm not very big.
Speaker 3:Forwards now are like 6'1", 6'2".
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, I can't compete. However, I did. You know how I used to go to the gym on Saturdays and play pickup games? I was the only female in the gym, flame well, that's one thing here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, one thing here we have a cute.
Speaker 1:You know they're like oh, she's cute, until I popped a few threes and stuff and they're like whoa, what's? I'm sorry, I would have given it.
Speaker 2:I would have wanted to be a fly on the wall to see that I cheated, I would, I'd step on their feet, I'd elbow them.
Speaker 1:What are they going to do? Say oh, she fouled me, you know, I mean you step on their feet, man.
Speaker 3:That's old school. That's an old school move.
Speaker 1:I was physical I was. I loved it. But let me ask you both this question. So your mission is life through basketball. Can you elaborate on how the NBA embodies this mission and the kind of opportunities it offers to both active duty and retired military members, if at all?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the biggest thing about life through basketball is this Think about the decisions and the choices that some of our service members and veterans are making right when it comes to harmful behaviors. It's a choice to take your own life, you know. That's that's very, very important to me, and that was what are the things that went into that, to that motto, and that that mantra was people are choosing to make. They're making bad decisions about their own personal safety, and so what we wanted to do was put a platform together that said, hey, you know what you can choose to play basketball, and so by doing that, that is you choosing life. You know. You saying, hey, you know what, I'm going to keep going because I love playing the sport.
Speaker 2:What we've done is under life through basketball is we've said OK, if you're going to play in our events, we're going to have services there for everybody, not just the athletes, but for veterans that come in. And that's why the MOU that we have with the VA makes so much sense, because suicide prevention from the VA is out there. You can sign up for the PACT Act. There's all these different things that the VA has through that MOU, so that at our events. People are able to choose life through basketball, but not just go and watch a basketball game. They're able to get connected to mental health, first aid and different elements that will make that choice of life a lot easier and really kind of pull people away from choosing harmful behaviors like suicide or substance abuse and things of that nature. So it's very, very important for us to keep pushing life through basketball because we believe that every American, every veteran that has served, has a choice between life or death.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, Ace. You want a chance to answer that question? Oh, we can't hear you. Oh, you're on mute.
Speaker 3:Oh sorry, sorry, I'm just trying to keep that background noise down. I'm sorry, no worries, I'm just trying to keep that background noise down.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry, no worries, no, no, but it's very important that we provide this platform for our service members because, like I said, and like Mike said I've heard it many, many, many, many, many times that I don't know what I'd be doing if it wasn't for military basketball, and then just the level of organization that we're providing this platform at is just incredible. It's unheard of Nobody. I mean, here we are, we're varsity. Varsity level meaning, you know, base level basketball. I mean we have, and this is not, to you know, like step on them or anything, but what other sport do you know of in the military besides the Army? What is it? West Point football team? Do you know of being on TV? You know? When have you ever heard of varsity level, base level basketball championship?
Speaker 1:game being played on CBS Sports National TV. You haven't. I've been watching sports for years and I've never seen it.
Speaker 3:Never. And so this is why it's really really I mean, it's really really important that our message gets out there to these, to all services, all servicemen and women, that hey, guess what, if you do play sports and not just basketball, because we are eventually going to expand that's already in the plan to other sports. So, you know, come out here, come out here and do something positive with your life. Come out here and compete with your brothers and sisters and and and and. Represent your base, represent yourself. You know, show all the hard work that you put in to represent what you believe in. And you know, I think it's just great that we're able to provide that. And we're only we're, we're, we're at the volunteer level. You know, just a group of volunteers that that cares, that cares, and here we are providing this for you know, coast to coast, I can't say coast to coast, I can say from the West Coast in the United States all the way to Europe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So I have one more question, and then I know that both of you have some news, some updates, so I want to talk about how you foster a sense of community. When your organization is small, it's easier, I feel, to feel this sense of community. But as you grow, how are you going to keep that sense of community going?
Speaker 2:Just being inclusive. You know and I'll give you an example of how we're being inclusive you know we now have a players association, so now we can hear from, you know, our players that are actually out there performing and executing. They've got some amazing ideas. Many of them are social media influencers, and so when you start talking about a sense of community, the biggest thing in today's society is look at me, right, look at what I'm doing, right. Well, we're encouraging that by having a players association, hearing from these athletes and then providing them a platform to go out there and and make a difference.
Speaker 2:Our post, the things that we do, like, you know, when we have all-star games or we have something like that, we actually highlight these players, but then their family members are able to see it. And, you know, in the last, you know 28 to 30 days our social media footprint on Facebook is, you know, 105,000, you know a month or something like that, and so that's kind of small. I think when you start looking at, you know big picture and can you influence millions. But to go from a Fountainfort Carson High School where we had maybe 5,000 people take a look at our Facebook page in 2018 to over 150 to 200,000 in the last six months. That we've been doing is it's our message, is getting out there, you know, and people are watching and they're looking.
Speaker 2:So, as it relates to the community, what we want people to take away from what we're doing is we're doing our best, with the resources that we have, to impact as many people as we can, because this is a lifesaving measure. It is something that you know is very critical to resiliency, retention and even recruiting in the military. And so you know, obviously we're not going to get, we're not getting what we'd like to get from recruiting agencies and recruiting services, but the only way you can play in the league is if you have a military ID card, and so you're affiliated with the military in some form or fashion. So those are the things that we think are enhancing the community. And there's a military community and then there's the rest of society, and so what the NBA is doing is bridging that gap and telling that story.
Speaker 1:I love that. So what's next? Give us some information of what's going to happen next for the NBA.
Speaker 2:Well, Ace, you can start with with what you've gotten in January. Oh, can we? Are you still?
Speaker 3:on mute, so for 20. So, no, no, no, yeah, I got it. So for 2025, uh, we're going to start off the year with uh. Well, actually, uh, conference play starts off 11 through, uh, the 11th and the 12th of january. So many teams and all three conferences of the NBA will be traveling or hosting at home their second round of games. So, for instance, myself, I'll be traveling from Columbus, georgia, all the way to Petersburg, virginia, to play some army team and an air force team up there, seymour Johnson Air Force force base.
Speaker 3:You familiar with that, johnson, oh yeah yeah, so so we'll play them up there the 11th and the 12th, and then that saint that we come back that sunday night, and then that friday I host the uh nba 20, one of the nba 2025 martin, luther king uh tournaments, where we have 11 teams signed up, eight, eight men and three women. So that's how we're going to kick off the year here and then, down the road we'll have, in March we'll be headed down to Puerto Rico again for our second annual Puerto Rico military NBA, puerto Rico military classic. So and then after that I can't believe it we're already talking April, the spring we'll be right back in North Carolina at Charlotte University for the Eastern Conference Finals, which lead 30 days later to the NBA Finals in May. And look at that, we're already almost halfway through the year already.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, I think you know, whenever I walk into a gym, it just brings back all of these memories of playing basketball and stuff and even going to like a high school game where you're on the bleachers and you're I mean it just brings back so many memories for me. I mean it just brings back so many memories for me. Mike, would you like to chime in? Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean. So you know Ace kind of summed up, because that's really what he does is he helps facilitate a lot of these events and tournaments. I just go sell them and make sure that they're on television or some type of high end platform. So in Charlotte, you know that'll be a professionally produced game, the championship game. There'll be opportunities for people to have commercials and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Towards the end of April it will be the Western Conference Finals championship game and that's the 25th to 27th of April at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, great city, great town, great atmosphere. And then obviously we get to May for the NBA finals in Philadelphia, temple University, great atmosphere, great city to do an event. And then, you know the NBA and its staff and everybody, after the first five months of the year we'll take a little bit of a break. We'll have a summer league tournament, some type of summer event, and then we'll have our all-star game, you know, which will be a culmination of the best players in our league coming together to play and compete, and then our coaches summit, which we start the planning process for twenty twenty six. And so you know, obviously the biggest news of this is that the men's and women's final championship final in May is going to be on CBS Sports Network. So you know, if you're a veteran organization out there and you want to be a part of that event, you can obviously get in touch with me or Ace.
Speaker 2:But you got to think about what this means. This means for four hours on a Sunday, the day before Memorial Day. You know we're going to focus on what the concerns are for veterans, especially in those commercial breaks. You know we've got the ability to run commercials during the broadcast and so organizations out there that have, you know, 30-second ads that would like to be a part of that, they can contact us and they can be a part of that, of that broadcast. And what does that mean? That means that organizations can promote their services and what their organization does during the broadcast.
Speaker 2:I think that's incredible, I think it's important and I guess that's my way of partnering with some of these organizations and using the NBA platform to do so. So I really appreciate it, kat, anything you want, hey, listen, we'll bring you in and you can go live from Philly yes, live from the NBA. I think that would be so awesome to have you there. You know, talking to female athletes, women athletes and some of the coaches for some of these programs. We had an organization do that live on Sunday and it was really great. I got a chance to talk to them. Would love for you to do the same thing if you'd like, so it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:Oh gee, can I think about it? Are you kidding me, Seriously?
Speaker 2:We'd love to have you.
Speaker 1:So how, if you know? Let's say I'm, I hear about this, I'm a veteran, I just want to come see a game, a local game. Is there a cost for the ticket? How do I know the where, the when, the how and all of that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the best way to find out more information about the Military Basketball Association is to visit mymbaglobalcom. Most of our events I would say 99.9% of our events are free and open to the public. If they are on a base, then obviously you're going to need to have access to the base or get a visitor's pass or whatever Um. But if they're off base, um they're, they're open to the public and you can just walk right in and participate. But the calendar and the schedule is on our website and that's my MBA global um dot com.
Speaker 1:I love that. I want to thank both of you for being here today. Are there any last words or anything you'd like to talk about, ace or Mike?
Speaker 3:No, no, no. I'm just this was. This was great. I got a chance to just kind of hit up a little bit of everything. This is I always like to talk, you know, be able to get the message out there and why. You know why we're doing what we do. So we definitely appreciate you for having us on your, on your podcast.
Speaker 1:Absolutely it was. It's always a pleasure to talk to fellow athletes, fellow veterans. You know it's wonderful to me to see veterans just doing big things. I love this. I absolutely love this. So anything else. Mike, would you like to say anything else?
Speaker 2:Just you know the new year's coming up, you know there's a lot. This is the silly season that some people say. If you're, you know, having some feelings about your behavior, health, that you feel are just so much that you, you know that you're getting to a decision point in your life and that decision is a harmful one, you know, reach out. There's a 988 number for veterans that are in crisis because, you know, a lot of times the holidays it's just a tough time for some people.
Speaker 2:I think I want to stress the importance of the VA in the role that that, with the NBA, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been just remarkable. Rita Chappelle has been an amazing person, the difference. You know, there's a lot of things that people don't see within the VA that are happening and taking place. I also want to thank another fellow veteran, Joe Griffiths, who's in Philadelphia, for a lot of the work that he's done to help promote military basketball, promote sports as a way, as an outlet, and he's got a great and amazing show there, the Welcome Home Show, no-transcript. I love it. I love it and my, my, my promise to you is that when we come back, if we, if we get a chance to come back on here is to get some of the you know, either historic or Hall of Fame athletes.
Speaker 2:Chief Master Sergeant LaShannon Grant. So she's still currently serving. She's an E9. But she is and she's a Hall of Fame inductee, but she chairs our Hall of Fame and I think a conversation with her you know, with you would would just be remarkable because she could.
Speaker 1:That would be amazing. Yeah, I'm going to definitely try and get her on. We could kind of get full circle.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Players and everybody. So I guess it's safe to say that this is to be continued.
Speaker 3:To be continued, yeah, we still got to fill her in on the Hall of Fame, right, Mike?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do, we do.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope that all our listeners have got a little bit more.
Speaker 3:That's an event.
Speaker 1:That's an event I got a little bit more about especially mike, but also ace, because ace is new. But you know, if you're someone who's interested, I will make sure that mike's mymbaglobalcom is is in the show notes, that, if you can, you know, if you want to reach out, for whatever reason, you, you know you want to sponsor or whatever. You know this is an organization that is just well. First of all it's basketball, so it's close to my heart and and I just love what you guys are doing. And so, to end, I just want to say please stay, stay safe, take care of each other until next time and please, please, remember that it's never too late to start your impossible. Thank you.