Imperial Soldier Makes All Army Basketball Team

Photo By Staff Sgt. Mariah Jones | Spc. Randall Haley assigned to G-1 THAAD of 11th ADA BDE poses alongside the THAAD Launcher in his All Army Basketball Uniform.  

EL PASO, TX, UNITED STATES

07.30.2019

Story by Sgt. Mariah Jones 

11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade

Over one thousand packets submitted, twenty tryout slots, and only twelve jerseys to hand out with a less than one percent chance for selection competing for a chance to play on the Army Basketball Team is slim.
“I was never truly worried; Confidence is a key part of the game.” says G-1 THAAD, 5-52 ADA BN, 11th ADA BDE’s own Spc. Randall Haley, one of the twelve most recent members of the 2019 All-Army Basketball Team.
Even though SPC Haley does not have any previous experience at the Division I or Division II collegiate level, nor was he referred to the team from a previous member, both assets that are ranked near the top of importance on the All-Army Sports website for being selected, he never questioned his position in the process. “I just went out and played like I knew how. I saw the other guys around me had either made the team in previous years or were coming off time at West Point’s team but I knew I could only control how I was performing, so that is what I set out to do.”
The process to making the team is a multi-month process that is initiated with the submission of a packet detailing all prior experience in basketball, ranging from an applicant’s time in High School, to possible time at the International Pro level, “Some of the teams previous players had even spent time in the G-League [The National Basketball Association’s developmental league].” says SPC Haley.
Once the packet is submitted, a committee cuts the pool of over a thousand applicants down to just twenty. Those twenty selectees are notified and are immediately flown to Ft. Hood where a week of tryouts, in front of the team’s coaches and staff, are held, “The tryouts were pretty standard structure wise, but the talent, skill, and athleticism was what really set it apart from my previous experiences in basketball.” SPC Haley noted that the tryouts mainly consisted of scrimmages against D-II schools from the area and even semi-pro teams; a large step above his High School experiences.
After a week of tryouts, the twenty players are notified if they made the cut of twelve or not, and are then flown down to Jacksonville, FL for a week of basketball against the other Armed Forces teams, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Unfortunately, this year the Men’s Army team fell short in the championship to Navy, 75-73.
Fortunately, for SPC Haley, the loss is not what he took away from the experience, “I learned a lot about professionalism from my teammates. While we had fun and enjoyed the Florida weather, there were many moments of seriousness on the court. The ranks of your teammates are not a subject that gets brought up much, but it was easy to tell who had been in those situations before and had the experience to handle big decisions under pressure. The senior NCOs and CPTs on the team demonstrated poise that was contagious during the tournament. Those little moments have had a big effect on me moving forward; that is the biggest takeaway for me.”
SPC Haley looks forward to next year’s tryouts and promises to change this year’s outcome for the better.

Credit:
Article by
2LT Travis, Waldroup-Rodriguez, B-2 THAAD, 5-52 ADA

Photos by
SPC Nilton Relva, B-2 THAAD, 5-52 ADA

• Date Taken: 07.30.2019
• Date Posted: 09.04.2019 11:34
• Story ID: 338308
• Location: EL PASO, TX, US