New London - Reality has a way of kicking you in the fanny sometimes. But … this? Take the traveling party for Coast Guard basketball as Exhibit A. A week ago today, they're leaving for Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, a nationally televised game and a trip that would produce coach Kevin Jaskiewicz's newfound vocation, for 10 seconds, as a marine biologist. (No, really).

And then it was Wednesday night, back home where it's suddenly colder than Minsk. Back to the grind. No more television, just a midweek game against Roger Williams before a few friends and relatives at Merriman Gym.

They all left happy, too, after Kevin Alvarez hit a jumper with 12.9 seconds left and the Bears emerged by a gnat's eyelash, 55-54.

But much like Rick and Ilsa always had Paris, the Bears will always have Aguadilla. What a trip. They were the real-life actors in the two-hour infomercial for the entire Coast Guard organization, otherwise known as the ESPNU-televised "Armed Forces Classic" basketball game at the Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen.

If you saw the game, you saw ESPN analyst Jay Williams, the former Duke great, tutoring Coast Guard's Ricky Rodriguez in the low post. You learned Coast Guard forward David Anderson, who scored 21 second-half points Wednesday, is on the "regimental commander's list for academics." (Just like Jameis Winston). You heard Williams say, "man, how passionate is coach Jaskiewicz?" You saw Coast Guard helicopters in and out of commercial breaks. You learned the job of a cutter. They even pronounced guard Adrian Chuquillangui's name correctly. (Choo-quill-lee-on-gee).

All Coast Guard, all the time.

"One of the things I'll remember most," Anderson said, " was doing a clinic and seeing little kids excited about meeting college basketball players. Real cool. Even though we're D-3, it didn't matter to them. They treated us like we were LeBron or KD."

Anderson, who had a chance to see the broadcast on tape, said, "just to see us on ESPN like that, a shot of your face on the screen with your stats was kind of surreal. I'm used to watching that for LeBron. We were kind of on their same level for a few hours."

It's one thing, though, to liken oneself to LeBron. George Costanza is entirely another. Enter Jaskiewicz, who had his "Seinfield" moment.

"We were at Crash Boat Beach. We were able to get four (players) down there because 10 of the other kids were taking exams," Jaskiewicz said. "A dolphin beached itself a couple of times and came over to the area where the guys were swimming. People were trying to assist it.

"Sully (sports information director Jason Southard) and I walked over," Jaskiewicz said. "They had to lift it out of the water, over a sand bank and then over a wall. I jumped in and helped them with the tarp, one hand on the tarp, one hand on the dolphin's tail. So, yes, for 10 seconds, I was a marine biologist."

Jaskiewicz, in his sixth year here, has been part of the Coast Guard family, simply by nature of his job. The academy family. This trip stirred some different emotions.

"Everyone we encountered was outstanding," he said. "They did everything they could to make our trip memorable. It made me realize, and I told the Admiral (Rear Adm. Sandra L. Stosz, superintendent of the academy) this, that this trip made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. Not just the academy, but a part of the Coast Guard organization. It made me proud to see that. That trip will be part of us forever. It really hit home within me."

And then home really hit. Two days after returning, Jaskiewicz's players were awash in sprints, learned from a Rick Pitino drill. A rainy Monday, preceding a cold week, back to school, back to the military, back to reality.

"We all expected it. We all know Coach Jazz's mindset," Anderson said. "We wanted to practice Sunday, get our feet under us again. Back to the grind."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius