For Gibson, game is a source of pride

During his 29-year career in the Army, Chris Gibson followed his beloved Siena men’s basketball team from different parts of the globe.

He was a lieutenant stationed in Berlin, Germany — the Berlin Wall was still up — when the Saints upset Stanford in the first round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament before losing to Minnesota in the second round.

“There was only one channel — Armed Forces Network — and Siena was on AFN and all battalion officers got together and that was one of the proudest moments,” Gibson recalled Tuesday. “They’re like, ‘Wow, Chris, Siena College, you’re on Armed Forces Network.’ As you know, we were very competitive. Up until the last three minutes, we almost pulled that one off (against Minnesota), too.”

Now Siena’s president, Gibson will root for the Saints (2-0) when they face Army (1-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader at MVP Arena. The Siena women (1-1) will take on St. Bonaventure in the first game at 5 p.m.

Gibson helped push for this series with Army that began last year with Siena’s 83-67 victory at West Point. Gibson, who taught at West Point from 1995 to 1998, drove down to that game.

Gibson did not attend West Point. He enlisted in the New York National Guard while still a 17-year-old student at Ichabod Crane. He earned an ROTC commission at Siena, where he graduated in 1986.

“I came from a very patriotic family, so I always wanted to serve and give back,” said Gibson, a Kinderhook native.

Gibson said he still feels a deep attachment to West Point, where he taught infantry tactics, a core course in American politics and electives in the American presidency, public policy making and civil-military relations.

“Look, I think West Point is really a national gem for our country,” Gibson said. “I have the highest regard and respect for West Point, but clearly, this is also an opportunity for Siena College. They share similar values with West Point about service and leadership and so for us to play the West Point cadets here and have an opportunity to have them come to Albany where we can really demonstrate our shared values to the greater Capital District, we’re very much looking forward to the game and, of course, we want to come away with a win.”

Gibson said he wants Siena’s players to understand from this game against Army the importance of discipline and focus.

“I already think they’ve learned it,” Gibson said. “When I checked in on how the preparation was going, I heard them say, ‘These guys are soldiers. We’d better be serious. We’d really better prepare.”

While Siena has beaten Holy Cross and the University at Albany, Army blew out Division III Keystone in its opener before losing 82-77 to Stonehill, a first-year Division I team. The Black Knights’ best player is 5-foot-10 junior guard Jalen Rucker (17 ppg), a preseason all-Patriot League selection.

“They’re going to work really hard,” Siena graduate guard Andrew Platek said. “They run really fast. We’ve got to match their intensity and their focus and get good shots.”

Army’s players could someday end up on a real battlefield. Gibson has already been there. He served four combat tours in Iraq and received the Purple Heart for injuries he received from a rocket-propelled grenade in Mosul in 2005.

“I”m still carrying some of that shrapnel to this day,” said Gibson, who suffered a concussion and wounds to both legs, his right hand, neck and face.

Gibson, who rose to the rank of colonel, also earned four Bronze Stars and two Legions of Merit. He later served six years in Congress before taking over at Siena in 2020.

Though he invested blood and sweat in almost three decades with the Army, Gibson said he won’t have mixed emotions if Siena prevails on Wednesday.

“Not at all,” said Gibson, who’s retiring at the end of this academic year. “I was down there last year and lost my voice screaming, really cheering on our team. I love West Point, it was a great experience teaching there. I love both, but I’ve loved Siena longer.”