Wright Patterson AFB basketball team quietly ends an impressive 2018 season

  • Published
  • By Mark C. Lyle
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base basketball team wrapped up its 2018 season with an impressive 23-6 record and ranked 3rd nationally in military basketball.

Intramural sports are offered through each base’s unit at Air Force Fitness Centers worldwide. If you stand out in the intramural program you may have the opportunity to participate on a base team.

The coach of the Wright-Patt team is Byron Brandon.  His daughter Ashtin Brandon is the assistant coach.

Brandon, who has been coaching the base team since 1999 [with the exception of two years] has seen many changes with the base varsity basketball team and the game of basketball itself.

He is a military retiree and is currently a program controller with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization Directorate.

“I enjoy coaching. It’s like a chess match between the coaches and teams,” said Brandon

The team plays local colleges and universities like Sinclair and Clark State Community Colleges and Cedarville and Wittenberg Universities.

Brandon has been forced to modify his coaching philosophy over the years due to the changes the game has gone through with the increased emphasis on the three point shot and the speed and size of today’s athletes.

“Despite [athletes] having a fulltime work schedule, we do extremely well against the local schools” stated Brandon.

“We typically match up well with size and speed even though we play somewhat younger competition.”

Air Force sports increases the morale and espirit de corps on base.  It also contributes to the development of relationships with the local communities.

“My team gives up blood, sweat, and tears for the love of the game,” he said. “The men receive no compensation to play, they just have a deep love for the game.”

The team won their end of year basketball tournament, the Capital City Classic in Washington D.C. and received an invite to the military national tournament in San Antonio Texas, May 25-28.

The season begins in September of each year.