Globetrotters entertain crowd, while winning on the side
By Britton Dove, Staff Writer
January 20, 2008 | noon
When the Harlem Globetrotters' theme song, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” echoed through the Convocation Center on Jan. 16, there was trick dribbling, windmill jams, underhand half-court shots, cartwheels, pull-ups on the rim, and a 360-through-the-legs dunk. And that was just the pre-game routine.
With nicknames like "Big Easy," "Hi Rise," "Airport," and "Turbo," one could only expect the Globetrotters would win. And they did, 77-66. The Globetrotters' first nine possessions resulted in several different extravagant ways of scoring, including an alley-oop passed behind half court from "Big Easy" Lofton to "Airport" Greenup.
The Convocation Center was filled with fans of all ages, some of which became part of the game and made their way onto the court. "Big Easy" stole a purse from an unsuspecting fan, a little girl was brought to mid-court to spin a ball on her finger (with the help of Globetrotter “Hi Rise” Brown), and even an Ohio University senior, Jimmy “The Sportsanator” Smith, from Power 105 radio station, had the opportunity to suit up for the opposing team, the
Washington Generals.
“It was a once and a lifetime opportunity for me,” said “The Sportsanator” Smith, who went 1-3 from the floor (first shot an air-ball, second a brick off the right side of the rim, and the third a made three-point bank-shot from the top of the key).
“When I initially heard that I was going to do it I was kinda thinking about not doing it, and then I called my dad and he said, 'Are you crazy? You can’t not do this!'”
The event was put on by Ohio University’s own Sports Administration graduate students and turned out nearly 10,000 spectators. Although the event was held on a college campus, the jokes were geared towards the younger audience. The Globetrotters experience is now more of a family event with the additions of halftime acrobatic routines and three mascots to pump up the crowd.
Some things will never change though, including the three-man weave that makes the Generals look like middle-school defenders, the buckets of water that everyone wants to get hit with, and a Generals player being stripped of his clothing as he drove to the bucket. The Globetrotters top priority however, is to always make sure the fans have the best time possible.
“It’s always for the fans,” “Big Easy” said. “I hope they enjoyed it."
At the end of each game, the Globetrotters and coaches stick around for a half hour to sign autographs for the fans, and Wednesday night was no different. Most children had a basketball signed that they purchased at the souvenir shop, while others had a program signed, and some kids loved the show so much they were getting their Ohio University winter jackets signed.
Although the legends of Meadowlark Lemon and Wilt Chamberlain weren’t throwing assists off the backboard at The Convo, fans were pleased with yet another Globetrotters victory.
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