The friendship between Villanova men’s basketball coach Jay Wright and Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown was forged during a goodwill summer trip to the Middle East, writes Dan Gelston for The Associated Press.

The trip that took place three years ago was designed to use basketball to unite children separated by conflict. It also served as an educational journey for both men as they traveled through Jerusalem and Ramallah.

“To get on a bus and have an 18-year-old with an AK-47, it’s a little bit nerve-wracking,” said Brown. “Finally, we end up getting to Ramallah in the West Bank, and we’re on a desert dirt playground with a broken hoop doing a clinic.”

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Both coaches are involved with PeacePlayers International, an organization that operates on the idea that children who can play together can also learn to live together.

According to Wright, the experience was humbling. Brown, for his part, took it as seriously as his day job.

“I remember thinking, here’s an NBA coach working with these young kids, and these kids hadn’t even seen a basketball, and he’s intensely teaching them and enjoying it,” said Wright.

Read more about Jay Wright and Brett Brown from The Associated Press by clicking here.

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