DePaul's Wainwright, Dayton's Gregory to help in USO tour

ARLINGTON, Va. _ DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright will be among eight NCAA basketball coaches and sports personalities traveling to the Persian Gulf to visit troops as part of a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour.

The overseas event, dubbed "Operation Hardwood: Hoops with the Troops," will feature a weeklong basketball tournament and championship game with some of the best military players stationed overseas. Among those touring are:

• Fran Fraschilla: ESPN basketball analyst and former Saint John's University head coach;

• Brian Gregory: University of Dayton head coach and former Hersey High School basketball star;

• Jeff Jones: American University;

• Reggie Minton: National Association of Basketball Coaches deputy director and former Air Force Academy head coach;

• Tom Pecora: Hofstra University;

• Barry Rohrssen: Manhattan College; and

• Tom Schuberth: University of Texas-Pan American.

This will be the fifth "Operation Hardwood" tour and it will begin in Washington, D.C., where the group will meet with wounded service members receiving care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. Following their visit, the group will journey overseas to spend time with troops and tour military vessels.

"I consider it a privilege to travel with the USO and visit our troops stationed overseas," says Minton. "Every time I go out on tour and meet service members, I look forward to listening to their stories, to talking basketball with them and simply enjoying their company."

Created to boost morale and bring a touch of home to those in uniform, the "Operation Hardwood" series has toured with the USO since 2005.