Photo Gallery

Siena men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos recently completed a successful tour to Kuwait as part of the "Hardwood Classic", a morale-boosting mission organized by the Troops First Foundation.

"It was an honor to coach the troops," Patsos said. "I have so much respect for these people. The most volatile area in the world and they came out and hustled and competed on the court too. Amazing. I encourage all college coaches to take a turn coming over. Hats off to Rick Kell and Troops First Foundation for running the Hardwood Classic."

Patsos joined with seven other top coaches at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where each led teams of troops through practice and competition. Patsos' team, "Sinners and Saints", consisted of eight men and one woman who came to the Persian Gulf from all over the US. The Kuwait Saints went 2-2 against teams led by Pete Gillen, Steve Lavin, Dino Gaudio and Ed Conroy, and reached the semifinals where they lost in double overtime to Lavin's team in what was described as the best game of the Tournament.

"It was a great coaching experience," Patsos said. "There's a ton of wins between those guys and we all had the chance to shared ideas over the week and talk basketball. Everybody came out learning something, and I hope the troops had an experience they'll never forget."