ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Sitting in Memorial Hall with the names of the deceased Naval officers etched on the surrounding walls, the Auburn men's basketball team sat and listened to Clint Bruce, a former Navy football player who left the NFL to become a Navy Seal.
He listed off the names of those he knew personally that had been killed and talked about how their sacrifices allowed for each and every person in the room to do what they do.
Auburn senior Austin Wiley was among those listening, learning, taking it all in.
"If you stand for something, go forward," Wiley said. "And if you want to do something, go forward. He really emphasized that, and I appreciate him for that."
Auburn's trip to the U.S. Naval Academy last week will be remembered as a huge success after the Tigers knocked off Davidson in the Veterans Classic on Friday night. That was the type of win that will matter come March. But for the players and coaches that went, the experience was about so much more than just basketball.
"It was an honor to come here," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We should be standing in line to come to this tournament and give our kids this kind of experience. Patriotism is not necessarily taught in American Civics like it used to be. Our kids that we coach now, thank God, haven't been at war or haven't been drafted or had to register for the draft.
"So coming here and learning about the Academy, seeing the cadets, watch them train, watch them study, watch them sacrifice, understanding when we lose, we're disappointed – when they lose, they can lose their lives. It has to be taught so others come see the Academy and honor these young men and women."
The speech from Clint Bruce capped a full day at the Naval Academy where the Auburn players toured the premises, mingled with the cadets, and more than anything, learned what it was like to be a Midshipman for the day.
After an introductory welcome, the first stop on the tour was at Luce Hall where the team split up into two groups and raced against each other in destroyers. OK, not real destroyers – it was a ship simulator – but it certainly felt real for those operating the controls.
"I think the ship simulator was the most fun part because it actually felt like we were out at sea a little bit," said senior Anfernee McLemore said, who controlled the engines on one of the ships. "Even though we weren't actually moving, the screen made it feel like we were floating up and down with the waves."
From there, the players went outside where two very real military helicopters and a military tactical vehicle were parked in a field. They climbed in and out of each of them, taking turns sitting in the driver's seat or climbing on the back. They put on pilot helmets and handled the military weapons and gear that was out there.
After a tour of two active training vessels that are taken out to sea, it was time for lunch at King Hall where the players sat and ate at the same tables as the cadets.
"That was the highlight for me," Wiley said. "Just eating lunch with them and talking to them and asking questions about their everyday life."
For some of the players on Auburn's team, seeing the structure and the discipline of what the cadets go through at the U.S. Naval Academy brought back memories.
"For me, it meant a lot because I've been through this before," senior Danjel Purifoy said. "I went to Hargrave Military School. This is the same but more strict. There's a lot of respect on campus with the cadets and captains, and it showed us a lot."
"It brought back a lot of memories with the formations," added Myles Parker, who also attended Hargrave Military Academy. "You line up in formation for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
For the players who have not been through that before, it was eye-opening to see it firsthand.
"I think through this experience, you just gain a whole new level of respect for the military, for the Naval Academy and just for the students who are college students like us but do so much regimen and so many activities on a daily basis," McLemore said.
"It was an amazing experience," added Wiley. "It was like a whole different world out there. They live by all these different rules than we live by. I asked them what gets them up and gets them going. They said just knowing that you're getting up every day for a bigger cause."
After a day off Saturday, it was back to work Sunday for Auburn. The focus has turned toward basketball again with a game at South Alabama on Tuesday night. But the lessons learned at the Naval Academy will stay with the players for a long time to come.
"We were here to learn something about our country, about patriotism, about love of country, about service, about leadership," Pearl said. "These guys are going to leave here with a better understanding and appreciation for our armed services. It's going to make them better leaders of their own families."