Hoops for Heroes Honors Tennessee National Guard Officer

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  - Tennessee National Guard Officer, Lieutenant Colonel, Corey Scates, was honored during a men's semifinals session of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) basketball tournament. The game was held at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville on March 4, 2016. Scates was selected by The University of Tennessee at Martin Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as its "Hoops for Heroes" ambassador this year. 

When asked to comment on his selection as this year's representative, Scates stated, "This is truly an honor, to not only serve my country, but also being honored by my alma mater and representing UTM at the OVC tournament." 

Lieutenant Colonel Scates, a Union City native, joined the Tennessee Army National Guard in 1989 and was later commissioned a second lieutenant in June of 1994. He has deployed twice since commissioning, once in 2005-06 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and again in 2009-10 to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Scates is a member of the 194th Engineer Brigade headquartered in Jackson, Tenn. where he serves as Design Engineer. Later this year, he will serve as lead construction manager on a six month Overseas Deployment Training Mission to strengthen United States partnerships with our NATO allies. In this capacity he will supervise construction projects across four countries in Europe while working with our NATO allies and with the Army, Air Force, and Navy. 

When not on duty with the Tennessee Army National Guard, Scates serves as an assistant athletic trainer for Skyhawk athletics at UT Martin. He has held this position since September 2014 and in this role works directly with the women's basketball and baseball programs. He graduated from UT Martin in 1995 with a bachelor of science in education with a concentration in fitness management and minor in sports medicine. 

Currently in its sixth year, the OVC SAAC representatives created the "Hoops for Heroes" initiative as a way to honor military men and women in OVC communities. The honorees received a two-night hotel stay in Nashville, up to four tickets to Friday and Saturday's tournament sessions along with gas and meal cards.

 

Honorees of “Hoops for Heroes” recognized at halftime during the Ohio Valley Conference basketball tournament held in Nashville. Scates is pictured far right. (Courtesy Photo)