WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 8, 2010) -- Six Soldiers helped Team USA win the 2010 SHAPE International Men's Basketball Championship Nov. 29-Dec. 4 in Mons, Belgium.
Capt. David Smith of Los Alamitos, Calif., served as head coach for Team USA and was assisted by 1st Sgt. Marcus Hall of Joint Base Henderson Hall-Fort Myer, Va., during a tournament that featured teams from Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands.
Sgt. Ronald Bartley Jr. of Fort Lee, Va., 2nd Lt. Kenneth Brewer of Fort Bliss, Texas, 2nd Lt. Cleveland Richard, of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and 2nd Lt. Marcus Nelson, also from West Point, completed the Army's representation on the U.S. military squad.
Also part of the team, was 2nd Lt. Andrew Henke of Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He had 19 points and five assists to lead Team USA (4-0) to a 78-71 victory over Lithuania (3-1) in the championship game. Richard added 15 points and five steals. Air Force 2nd Lt. Matt Holland of Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., scored 14 and was also named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Holland had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Richard added 19 points in Team USA's 83-70 victory over Latvia, Dec. 3. Brewer contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Newman of New Orleans added 14 points and three steals in 14 minutes off the bench.
Newman scored 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc, to lead Team USA to a 103-62 rout of Great Britain, Dec. 1. Holland added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Richard scored 14 points and Henke added 13.
Point guard Bartley ran the show with 10 assists against Great Britain while Navy Petty Officer 2 Jason Jefferson of Atlanta grabbed nine rebounds.
Holland scored 18 points and Henke added 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Team USA to a 95-59 victory over Italy, Nov. 30. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Craig Johnson of Charleston, S.C., had 15 points and eight rebounds. Bartley notched 10 assists, seven points and three steals.
(Tim Hipps writes for FMWRC Public Affairs)
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