• Hoops For Heroes Photo Gallery
By Curtis Tyler, OVC Media Relations Intern
The Ohio Valley Conference basketball tournament this year was one for the books. With the tournament being held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana for the first time, there were bound to be memorable moments that would last a life-time.
From the Belmont women scoring six points in the final seconds of regulation against UT Martin to send the championship game into overtime, to the Murray State men coming out victorious after an astounding weekend of play to send them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under the reigns of Matt McMahon there were no doubt memories made on the court.
One of the most special moments, though, came from the “Hoops for Heroes” initiative that honors the men and women from the OVC community who have served in the military. For the eighth consecutive year the Ohio Valley Conference and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from each member institution selected a representative that is a current student, alumni or parents of an active military member to be honored at the championships. These men and women were honored on center court before the men’s semifinal games and championship games, and they got to experience the whole weekend with their respected friends and family.
The honorees were very appreciative of this moment.
Fitzporter Kidd, the Jacksonville State veteran, said “I think it’s great for the OVC to give us this honor, and I’m honored to be a part of it. I really appreciate the opportunity of getting to represent my great university (Jacksonville State), and it means so much to me.”
Carrie A. Bonner, who served in the United States Army, from SIUE said, “It’s a great opportunity because when a lot of us came back from foreign countries we really didn’t get that “welcome back home” and to have something like this years after really touches my heart and I really appreciate it.”
Hoops for Heroes is a great tradition that allows the community to pay their respects and show gratitude towards local veterans, and it’s a tradition that will continue to provide special moments.
Below is the list of the represented veterans:
Austin Peay: Joseph Palmer
Belmont: Jeremy A Arnold
Eastern Illinois: Paul Higgerson
Eastern Kentucky: Joshua Shaddox
Jacksonville State: Fitzporter Kidd
Morehead State: Amos Patrick
Murray State: Ray Campell
Southeast Missouri: Dawn Hobbs
SIUE: Carrie A. Bonner
Tennessee State: Albert Hill, Jr
Tennessee Tech: Pierre Dachoute
UT Martin: Led Symmes