Nwaele drives Air Force to Armed Forces gold Published May 20, 2009 By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Collins Special to American Forces Press Service MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- The Air Force men's team took top honors in the 22nd annual Armed Forces Basketball Championship, May 12-17 at the Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tenn. Air Force shut out the competition with a record of 6-0, clinching their fourth consecutive title. Keesler's Danny Nwaelele from the 81st Contracting Squadron was Air Force's top scorer in the tournament with 74 points in five games. Air Force forward Jammar Major, Hurlburt Field, Fla., led the team to the title with 61 points, 30 rebounds, and a free throw average of 75 percent. He credits the team's superior conditioning as the main factor for the Air Force's success. "The last game was a heart-filled game, because the Marines came to play," Major said. "They were all that stood between us and another gold medal, but we finished them off for the gold. I think we are the best conditioned team out here, and that was a huge factor in our win." The Air Force men's team racked up 377 points and grabbed 180 rebounds during the championship series. Head coach John Bailey has been part of the Air Force team for more than a decade and knew the games would be tough. "I played on this team for 10 consecutive years, and now I'm coaching," Bailey said. "It's an incredible feat for me. The wins this week were hard fought. Every team came out here and challenged because we had a target on our backs with three-in-a-row gold medals. "My guys refused to lose," the coach added. "We stayed with our game plan and prevailed. It's so sweet to win the gold; we left no doubt with our fourth consecutive championship."