Harlem Globetrotters roar into Chap Center

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Posted: 2/5/10

By Shayla Carmichael
EP Staff Reporter

To be truly entertained, most people think it takes a live concert, something involving fireworks or a great movie. However, last month entertainment came in the form of 14 extremely tall guys and a few basketballs.

The Harlem Globetrotters made a roaring comeback to the Chap Center with people from all over the Permian Basin flooding the center to watch the "World's Most Famous Basketball Team."

Slick Willy Shaw is a six-year veteran of the Globetrotters. He said he sticks with the touring company because "we make the crowd smile and give them great family fun and great basketball.

"This year's tour is the Magical Memories World Tour. We started Dec. 26 and we will be going to a total of 44 states and five providences in Canada, making the number of shows a rough total of 269," Shaw said.

The Bronx native said his most memorable performance was his very first one.

"We were at the Staples Center in LA, and we played for a sold-out crowd. It was amazing and something I will never forget," Shaw said.

"We have 14 guys here tonight, but there are more Globetrotters. We spend most of the tour separated into east and west teams. But we are really happy to be here in Midland, Texas," Shaw said.

The Globetrotters spend every night performing in a new city to a new crowd with about one day off a month and that is usually spent flying.

Right around 6 p.m. everyone started filing in to get to their seats or to get to the merchandise table on the floor. The table was filled with basketballs, t-shirts and jerseys.

At 6:45 a group of guys called Globie's Group started getting the crowd pumped up. They started with a slam-dunk contest on the court with an adjustable hoop. The participants were young boys ranging from 5-12 years old and all were given a Harlem Globetrotters' wrist band.

Globie, the Globetrotters mascot, then made his entrance amid screams from the crowd. Globie is a man in a suit with a large world globe for a head. The Globie Group brought out a trunk full of costumes for Globie to perform in including Prince, Elvis, Danny Zuko from Grease, MC Hammer and Michael Jackson complete with one rhinestone glove.

A memorable moment was when Globie put on a brunette wig, had his jersey ripped off and was left standing in a black leotard. He then proceeded to portray Beyonce by performing the iconic dance to the hit song Single Ladies.

Shortly following that moment, the opposing team, The Washington Generals, ran out to boos from the crowd. Then the Harlem Globetrotters exited their own locker room through a fog machine.

The performance is a game against the Generals, which the Globetrotters won in the end.

The game included very memorable moments with the captain of the Globetrotters, Handles Franklin. Franklin spent the game involving the crowd in every aspect of the game, from throwing water on them to pulling random people out onto the court.

One player from the Generals was not a tall man, and Franklin proceeded to drag him around the court claiming someone had lost their child.

In the second half, the team used a camouflage ball that had been used in its overseas tour. It symbolized the Globetrotters support of our troops.

To experience a Harlem Globetrotters performance is to really see basketball handlers at their finest. Things you thought were impossible with a ball suddenly become reality in front of you.