Military lifestyle hampers Air Force recruiting

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 15, 2008 | by DAVID RAMSEY Sports columnist

At 7 this morning, freshmen at the Air Force Academy gathered for mandatory breakfast.

They ate boldly, and perhaps sleepily, in defiance of their culture. Meanwhile, at many other colleges in the Land of the Free, students enjoyed the wonders of sleep.

For Air Force basketball coach Jeff Reynolds, this regimented life presents an obstacle to recruiting and retaining players. It's not easy to persuade teens to reside on the ultradisciplined island.

Air Force just finished a four-season trek to the top of the Mountain West Conference. The program climbed after coaches found talented players who embraced -- or at least accepted -- the rigors of academy life.

Now, Reynolds must find athletes who can excel in the MWC and survive life at the academy.

It won't be easy. It never has been.

On Sunday afternoon, Tyler Burke was packing his Jeep for the 4- hour ride from his home in Warsaw, Mo., to Quincy, Ill., where he will play for Quincy University. He left Air Force's basketball team in December.

His departure is easy to explain. He didn't want a military education.

He left despite his admiration for Reynolds.

"He brings discipline," Burke said, "but you can really tell that he cares about you more than you do. He's easily the best coach I've ever been around."

He left despite a clear path to playing this season and a likely starting position next season.

"It was not the lifestyle for me," Burke said. "I just didn't like the complete structured lifestyle. Just not being able to leave and all the insane rules. I was never happy once I got there."

Burke isn't alone.

Last season, Air Force coaches tried to take advantage of the team's rise to prominence. Clune Arena was packed for every game. The Falcons briefly climbed into the nation's top 15.

Levi Knutson, the state's top recruit, wanted to play at the academy. One problem, he balked at the idea of attending a military school.

Rob Lewis, star at Evangelical Christian Academy, wanted to take the short drive down Academy Boulevard from his high school, but he, too, declined a life full of restrictions.

It was the same story with Stephen Sauls, star of the Air Force prep school team that won 20 games last season. Sauls, an imaginative 6-foot-2 point guard, would be running the offense for the Falcons.

"I don't have a choice to be myself, and I didn't like that," Sauls said the day he departed the prep school. "Being here killed my spirits."

Knutson is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range at Colorado and Lewis is averaging 15 minutes per game for former Air Force coach Joe Scott at Denver. Sauls has played in eight games for eighth- ranked Washington State.

Reynolds declines to gripe about his fate. He spent two seasons as an Air Force assistant before accepting the coaching job in April. He knew the obstacles ahead.

He grew close to Burke. He believes in his ability.

Burke was a finalist last season for Missouri's Mr. Basketball.

He was a superb shooter, ideal for the Falcons' offense.

"We did everything down the stretch to try to help him," Reynolds said. "We'll certainly miss Tyler."

Reynolds declines to dwell on what might have been in the 2009- 2010 season, when he could have watched Burke, Knutson, Lewis and Sauls introduced as 80 percent of the starting lineup.

He's too busy laboring in the present, seeking players who can thrive on Air Force's rugged island.

Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at

476-4895 or david.ramsey@gazette.com. Check

out David's blog, David Ramsey Says What? at

daveramseysez.blogspot.com