DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Brian Gregory made it through just one year as a student at the U.S. Naval Academy, but it wasn't the physically demanding Plebe life that persuaded him to transfer.

"I took a Naval engineering and computer class with 1,000 students. They posted our grades after the first semester and I was 998th. Only two more did worse," the University of Dayton men's basketball coach said with a laugh.

"I went to a normal school (Oakland University in Michigan) and was a straight-A student. But engineering, math and science were not my strong points."

Gregory, though, has retained a high regard for the military, and he'll get a chance to show his appreciation for the armed services during a week-long tour of Iraq and Kuwait in August.

He's one of eight coaches chosen for the USO's fifth installment of Operation Hardwood. The group will run base tournaments and conduct clinics, but their primary purpose is to offer encouragement.

"We talk to our players all the time about courage and sacrifice and commitment and toughness, and these guys over there, our servicemen and women, are living that every day," Gregory said.

"Maybe going there will give them an hour or two of normalcy. We want to show them that ... what they do for us is not unappreciated."

Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Schretzman, commander of UD's ROTC program who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the USO programs do wonders for morale.

"(They) allow soldiers valuable time away from the daily drudgeries of a war zone, to forget for a little while where they are and to experience a piece of home," he said.

DePaul's Jerry Wainwright and American's Jeff Jones are among those making the journey.

"We just want to show our support and show our gratitude," Gregory said. "And my goal is to get as many of them wearing Dayton basketball shirts as possible."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.