SAN DIEGO (WWJ) - Michigan State’s men’s basketball team got their first look at the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego yesterday afternoon ahead of the Armed Forces Classic scheduled for tip off on Friday evening.
The Spartans (1-0) will face No. 2 Gonzaga (1-0) in the Armed Forces Classic Carrier Edition on Friday, Nov. 11 on a court built on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier.
In addition to watching film, practice and preparing for the big game, the MSU men's basketball team also toured the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, to learn about the sailors who work and live aboard the massive vessel.
Head Coach Tom Izzo arrived on deck early in the afternoon and joined Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few in a sit-down interview with Captain Amy Bauernschmidt, the executive officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln and the first woman to command a US aircraft carrier.
“It was a heck of a day,” Izzo said. “We were there all day, toured the ship, had two practices, but it was all very good. The players were really into it. There’s nothing like it. I had a chance to talk to the captain and she gave me a lot of insight on things. It was just special to the sailors and what they do.”
According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the USS Abraham Lincoln belongs to a group of the largest warships in the world that "support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea and engage in sustained power projection operations in support of U.S. and coalition forces."
The ship was named in honor of America's 16th president and is the second ship in the U.S. Navy to bear his name.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and her crew are hosting the Armed Forces Classic at her home port of San Diego following their return from a seventh month deployment to the U.S. 7th and 3rd Fleet in August, ensuring maritime stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific, officials said.
It was the ship’s 13th deployment since its first in 1991.
The aircraft carrier measures 1,097 feet long or roughly the length of three football fields, and the flight deck area is 4.5 acres and capable of launching 70-80 aircraft in under 15 minutes, authorities added.
“It was incredible,” sophomore guard Jaden Akins said in a prepared statement. “Just to see the size of the ship, but then to tour the flight deck and the hangar and see how enormous it is really puts it into perspective.”
After the team completed their tour, the Spartans took to the VADM Martin Fitness Center on the base for practice before coming back to the flight deck and shooting around to get a feel for playing on the court.
For the players and coaches, the experience has been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
“This is definitely the best way to start a college experience,” freshman forward Jaxon Kohler said. “It was a great afternoon but [Friday] will be fun and we want to take care of business.”
“When you participate in one of these things, it’s an experience,” Izzo said. “It’s hard to explain. You get to play a game here, but then you get to interact with the sailors who live and work here and they are so thankful that we’re here, and probably five days later, they’re probably going out to sea for seven months.
“It gets real. It’s kind of a fuzzy feeling of realty and I appreciate it a lot.”
The Armed Forces Classic between Michigan State and No. 2 Gonzaga will start at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 11.
ESPN will carry the national broadcast of the Armed Forces Classic which will be available for streaming on the ESPN app and Sling TV.