Jessica Garcia, left, of Korea's Osan Defenders passes off as Stacy Hopwood (3) of Korea's Kunsan Wolf Pack defends during Tuesday's round-robin play in the 2005 March Madness Open Basketball Tournament at the Coral Reef Fitness and Sports Complex, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Osan won 68-59. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
Jessica Garcia, left, of Korea's Osan Defenders passes off as Stacy Hopwood (3) of Korea's Kunsan Wolf Pack defends during Tuesday's round-robin play in the 2005 March Madness Open Basketball Tournament at the Coral Reef Fitness and Sports Complex, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Osan won 68-59. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
Kazue "Jo-Jo" Dancer, right, of Korea's Osan Defenders puts up a shot against defenders Kim Elliott (10) and Stacy Hopwood (3) of Korea's Kunsan Wolf Pack during Tuesday's round-robin play. (Dave Ornauer / S&S)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — Damien Seals would like his host Andersen Bombers A squad to keep the 2005 March Madness tournament title home on Guam.
But even more, Seals hopes he can parlay his March Madness experience into a spot in this summer’s All-Air Force basketball tryout camp. “This gives you a platform to showcase your talent,” said the 30-year-old staff sergeant from Long Beach, Calif.
When not working for Andersen’s 36th Civil Engineering Squadron, Seals wears Bombers red and white and hopes he someday can don Air Force blue and perhaps be part of an All-Armed Forces championship team.
“It’s the aura of being at the top. You’re representing the elite of your service,” Seals said.
March Madness is not an official qualifier for the June 29-July 16 All-Air Force tryout camp at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., but it is an annual Pacificwide tournament with traveling open, post- and base-level teams.
Ramon Moss is a two-time All-Air Force forward playing in this week’s March Madness for Korea’s Camp Humphreys Bulldogs. He compared March Madness to playing in an All-Armed Forces championship in that “you either bring your game or sit on the bench. You might not even be part of the team if you don’t bring your game.”
Doing well in March Madness, the Osan Pacificwide holiday tournament in December or the Martin Luther King tournament in January on Okinawa, "lets you know where you stand ... sends a message to watch out for this player from Osan or whichever base,” Moss said.
Unlike the Air Force, which selects tryout camp prospects via résumé, the Marine Corps holds regional qualifying tournaments on the East and West coasts and on Okinawa for Pacific-based teams.
But the open tournaments still can help players build a case for selection, said two-time All-Marine center Taurice McMillan, because of “the level of competition, the notoriety of the tournament, simply because of how big it is and the exposure.”
March Madness scoreboard
Men’s Pool A
Andersen Air Force Base A, Guam 3-0
Ace Hardware, Guam 2-0
Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan 0-1
Naval Station, Guam 0-2
Gamestoppers, Guam 0-2
Tuesday’s scores
Ace Hardware 90, Naval Station 79
Andersen A 96, Gamestoppers 61
Men’s Pool B
Spotlight, Okinawa 2-0
Andersen Air Force Base B, Guam 2-1
KFC Dragons, Guam 1-1
USS Frank Cable, Guam 1-2
Camp Fuji, Japan 0-2
Tuesday’s scores
Andersen B 81, USS Frank Cable 68
KFC Dragons 74, Camp Fuji 67
Spotlight 90, USS Frank Cable 66
Men’s Pool C
Camp Humphreys, South Korea 2-0
Team Guam 1-1
Heat, Okinawa 1-1
Budweiser, Guam 0-2
Tuesday’s scores
Camp Humphreys 106, Team Guam 88
Heat 2, Budweiser 0, forfeit
Women’s Pool
Osan Air Base, South Korea 2-0
Kunsan Air Base, South Korea 2-1
Camp Humphreys, South Korea 2-1
Bud Light, Guam 0-1
Andersen Air Force Base, Guam 0-3
Tuesday’s scores
Osan 68, Kunsan 59
Camp Humphreys 70, Andersen 68
Kunsan 87, Andersen 46
