Wolf Pack Basketball continues to excel

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Wolf Pack basketball is here to stay. The men's varsity basketball team currently holds a 24-8 record and is taking the Peninsula by storm. With an upcoming rivalry game set to kick off Jan. 23, Edward Brown, the varsity coach, believes the team has come a long way and left a lasting impression on the Pen.

"At the beginning of the season our goal was to beat Osan Air Base," said Brown, a Texas native. "We had heard from the previous class that Osan had just beaten up on us in previous years. We didn't want that for this year."

Getting Kunsan on the map was another goal the team had for this season.

"We really wanted to get some recognition for Kunsan," he said. "To let the rest of the teams on the Pen know that Kunsan has a competitive team capable of winning games."

Win games they have, with a 24-8 record, there is no doubt that the Wolf Pack can win games. It was a second place win in a November, eight-team, Deagu tournament that cemented that into the minds of the Wolf Pack players.

"That was the turning point for us," said Brown. "Taking second place at that tournament told us we can play with anyone on the pen. It gave us the confidence that we can win and it set our sights on bigger and better things."

Bigger and better things were just one month away at the Osan Christmas Tournament. This tournament pitted teams from not just the Peninsula but Pacific Air Forces as well. It was Kunsan who came out on top, beating the Guam Varsity team in the championship game 74-65. More importantly, it was the first time in the tournament's 23-year history that the Wolf Pack had ever won.

"That was a great win for us," he said. "It felt really good bringing the gold to Kunsan, to the Wolf Pack."

It has been a long road from the first game to the most recent game the team has played and according to Brown, there have been some great improvements throughout the season.

"We know each other's tendencies now," he said. "We know which players play well together and we know which players feed off each other on the court. More importantly, the team trusts themselves to know that each player will be in the right spot on the court."

The Wolf Pack still has games ahead, the first being the two games against Osan Jan. 23 and 24.

"Osan is a very disciplined team," said Brown. "They play until the very last second runs off the clock. If they are down 15 or 20 points they are still going to fight back to make it a great game."

Wolf Pack members can go out and support the basketball team this weekend at the Osan fitness center Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. and Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. The Wolf Pack women's varsity team plays as well at 4 p.m. and 9 a.m. on those same days.

"There is going to be some high caliber basketball going on at Osan. I invite everyone to come out and see some great defense and a great rivalry game," said Brown.