4th Inf. Div. Soldier leads Baumholder team to tourney title in Germany

Photo By Staff Sgt. Diandra Harrell | Spc. John W. Capers III, orderly room clerk, 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element, directs his teammates during basketball practice at the at the Baumholder Hall of Champions fitness center basketball court, Feb. 3, 2016. Capers an Upper Marlboro native, helped lead the Baumholder basketball team to victory at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart’s “Tournament of Champions.” Capers was also recognized as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.(U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Diandra J. Harrell/4th Inf. Div. MCE)  

BAUMHOLDER, RP, GERMANY

03.11.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Diandra Harrell 

4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

BAUMHOLDER, Germany – A 4th Infantry Division Soldier proved his hoops game is just as strong on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as it as at home.

SPC John W. Capers III, who has been serving as part of the division’s Mission Command Element in Germany since November, participated on the Baumholder basketball team in the “Tournament of Champions” held Feb 12-15 at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. Not only did the team take the tournament title, Capers, an orderly room clerk, also was recognized as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“It was awesome that all his hard work paid off,” said Master Sgt. Cleveland Sweat, first sergeant of the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element.
This was USAG Stuttgart’s 17th annual and final “Tournament of Champions,” which attracts military teams from all over Germany. This year’s tournament consisted of eight male teams and six female teams throughout U.S. Army Europe.

Capers, from Upper Marlborro, Maryland, and his team played six games during the four-day event.

“I’m still trying to recover from the tournament,” said Capers, who added that the competition was “fierce.”
“There were about five games where I thought we weren’t going to win,” Capers said.

In the finals, he added, “We were up by 15 points, then we were down 10 and thought, ‘Here we go again.’”
But Capers pushed through the doubts and led the Baumholder team back from the deficit.

“There weren’t many players available, and I got back out there and scored the last 10 to 12 points that won the final game,” he said.

His perseverance at the end of the game earned him tournament MVP honors.

“It was physically draining but still a great experience to work with the guys on the team, and even though we were facing adversity at the end, we still pushed through and took home the trophy,” Capers said.
Capers is expected to bring his talents back to his home station at Fort Carson at the end of April.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2016
• Date Posted: 03.11.2016 11:48
• Story ID: 192050
• Location: BAUMHOLDER, RP, DE
• Hometown: UPPER MARLBORO, MD, US