Players and coaches from the three visiting teams participating in the 11th annual Veterans Classic gathered Thursday morning in the theater room inside the Terwilliger Center for a presentation, highlighted by an impressive speech by Major Mike Wish, a Marine Corps officer currently teaching weapons systems courses at the Naval Academy.

It kicked off a tour of the academy for players, coaches and support staff with the Boston College, Harvard and Virginia Commonwealth basketball teams.

Following the morning presentation, Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker wandered around the Terwilliger Center exploring the various interactive displays. Amaker was thrilled to come across a display of retired jerseys of former Navy athletic greats such as football quarterback Roger Staubach and basketball center David Robinson.

Amaker excitedly took a photo of the No. 50 basketball jersey and texted it to Robinson, who he has known for nearly four decades. “We’re in your house, big fella,” Amaker wrote.

“I’m a very big fan and friend of David Robinson. We go back a long way,” Amaker told The Capital just before concluding the Naval Academy tour by eating lunch with the Brigade of Midshipmen inside King Hall.

Amaker and Robinson first crossed paths in March 1986 when Navy and Duke met in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Robinson was the catalyst of the greatest team and finest season in Navy basketball history. As a junior in 1985-86, he was named a second team All-American after leading the Midshipmen to a 30-5 record and fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, that season also saw the first truly great Duke team under future Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzysewski. Amaker was the steady, dynamic point guard for a squad that was led by Johnny Dawkins and also featured forwards Jay Bilas and David Henderson.

Dawkins used his blazing quickness and tremendous athleticism to repeatedly penetrate the Navy zone to create for himself and others. The smooth left-hander scored 28 points as Duke soundly defeated Navy, 71-50. Robinson totaled 23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to lead Navy, which led briefly (20-16) at the 8:11 mark of the first half. The Blue Devils closed the half with an 18-2 run and never looked back.

“We had a tremendous squad, but Navy did as well. I’ve always said that good teams have good players; great teams have great teammates,” Amaker said. “Navy and Duke both had great teams that season because they played so well together.”

Amaker and Robinson would get to know each other much better that summer when they were roommates with USA Basketball. They were part of a United States team led by Arizona coach Lute Olsen that beat the Soviet Union, 87-85, in the gold medal game of the 1986 FIBA World Championship. Two years later, Amaker and Robinson were members of the U.S. squad that came up short at the 1988 Summer Olympics, losing to the Soviet Union in the semifinals and settling for the bronze medal.

Amaker was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics, but was cut and returned to Duke to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration while serving as a graduate assistant for Krzyzewski. He wound up remaining in college basketball, becoming head coach at Seton Hall (1997-2001), Michigan (2001-2007) and now Harvard (since 2007).

Along the way, Amaker and Robinson have remained in close contact, which is why it was so poignant for the former to be on the campus of the Naval Academy.

Amaker and Navy coach Ed DeChellis coached against each other for six years while at Michigan and Penn State, respectively. When DeChellis called to inquire about Harvard playing Navy in the 2024 Veterans Classic, Amaker did not hesitate.

“I’ve admired this Veterans Classic that Ed has put together from afar for years, so when we were given the opportunity to participate in this event it was an absolute honor to do so. This opportunity to have an incredible experience fits right into our vision of teaching leadership within our program,” Amaker said.

Amaker acknowledged his relationship with DeChellis was a “huge factor” in committing to the Veterans Classic, being held Friday night at Alumni Hall. Boston College and VCU will meet in the opener at 6 p.m. with Harvard and Navy tipping off at approximately 8:30.

“I have the utmost respect for Ed and we’ve been friends for a long time,” Amaker said. “Ed is a quality person who has done an outstanding job wherever he has been. It is a great honor for me to be able to play against his Navy squad.”

This year’s Veteran Classic tour followed the same format as the previous 10 with the three visiting teams rotating between three staging areas. Boston College players had fun climbing into the cockpit of a Marine Corps fighter helicopter. Harvard players enjoyed exploring a Yard Patrol training vessel tied up to the academy sea wall. VCU players tried their hand at steering a Navy destroyer in the all-too-realistic ship simulator inside Luce Hall.

Major Wish began the day by delivering a speech about competence and compassion that Amaker described as “incredibly inspiring.” Touring around the Naval Academy grounds while encountering uniformed midshipmen hustling to classes gave the Harvard players a better

“It was very, very meaningful for our players to learn more about what it means to serve and lead. It was very valuable for them to see what these midshipmen do on a daily basis,” Amaker said. “This was a very powerful day on a lot of levels, and I’m sure our players now have a much greater and deeper appreciation for who the men and women are on this campus and their commitment to service.”

Navy opened the 2024-25 season with a 70-63 loss to St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. Junior point guard Austin Benigni scored 23 points to pace the Midshipmen, who led by 12 points early in the second half.

“I thought Navy played a tremendous game against St. Joseph’s. You can see that Ed has a good basketball team this season,” Amaker said.

Harvard was picked sixth out of eight teams in the Ivy League during a preseason poll of media members. The Crimson are young with 11 sophomores and freshmen along with only three seniors. Freshman wing Robert Hinton scored 27 points to lead Harvard to a 79-66 victory over Marist in Monday’s opener. Junior guard Chandler Pigge just missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk urged DeChellis to bring Boston College to Annapolis for the Veterans Classic. Gladchuk is a 1973 graduate of Boston College, where he was a three-year letterman on the football team. Gladchuk would return to his alma mater as athletic director from 1990-97.

During the morning gathering inside the Terwilliger Center, Boston College coach Earl Grant presented Gladchuk with a jersey, which the Navy athletic director proudly displayed while posing with the team. Grant was an assistant at The Citadel when he first met DeChellis, who was head coach at East Tennessee State at the time.

“I think the biggest thing is that our players are realizing the sacrifice and commitment these midshipmen make by coming to the academy,” Grant said. “If they take anything away from this event, it should be understanding that these men and women are going to serve a five-year commitment to protect our freedoms.”

VCU head coach Ryan Odom is participating in the Veterans Classic for the second time, having previously brought his Utah State team to the event two years ago. Odom, who lived in Annapolis while coaching at UMBC, wanted his players to gain a deeper understanding of what the midshipmen do on a daily basis.

“I think this visit gives our players a better appreciation for what we have going in our favor,” said Odom, who still owns a home in Annapolis. “We don’t have anywhere near as many roadblocks at VCU as we prepare for the season. We can focus totally on basketball and putting a team together. There’s a lot more that goes into being a student-athlete here at the Naval Academy.”