LIAM DURKIN
BASKETBALL
By LIAM DURKIN
FAMILY fun of the highest order was on display in Traralgon last Thursday night, as the world famous Harlem Globetrotters rolled into town.
The Globetrotters brought their Spread Game Tour to the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports
Stadium, performing in front of a sell-out crowd.
Attendees were left bedazzled at the trick shots, slam dunks and sheer athleticism of the
team, who combined court craft, showmanship and comedy into an action-packed schedule.
Exhibiting their skills against traditional foe Washington Generals, the Globetrotters danced,
pranced and even sung their way through the four quarters, providing no shortage of
entertainment.
The razzmatazz did not detract from the sheer skill on display, with the Globetrotters, and
even the Generals in fairness, all showcasing an incredible amount of accuracy to make sure each and every play was completed with military precision.
In order to break things up, the Globetrotters interacted with the crowd, even heading into the stands to pick out some lucky guests.
A young boy named Oscar had a moment he is unlikely to ever forget, shooting a free throw with the entire Globetrotters team there in close support.
The comedy aspect of the night saw the Globetrotters at one stage run an entire play in slow motion, even gesturing to a spectator returning to his seat that he had to do the same.
A group selfie with both sides of the crowd continued the interaction, while the laughs kept
coming from various jokes between Globetrotter’s showman ‘Hammer Harrison’ and the referee.
Latrobe City Mayor Kellie O’Callaghan was even called onto the court for a dance at one point.
The Generals did their best to play the role of bad guy, trash-talking Victoria in relation to
New South Wales.
With the Globetrotters down on the scoreboard with less than a minute left in the game, they miraculously found the points they were searching for.
While Krusty the Clown may have infamously bet against the Globetrotters and screamed
‘he’s spinning the ball on his finger!’, those in attendance at the GRSS were delighted to see the exact same skill replicated – only better – most Globetrotter players were capable of spinning two balls at once.
Undoubtedly the most popular Globetrotter was Hammer Harrison, and kids lined courtside
to get a signature from their hero after the game.
Others on the Globetrotters team that made the journey to Traralgon were Bulldog Mack,
Torch George and Spider Sharpless.
In determining exactly how the Globetrotters works, the team is made up mostly of players
who are exceptionally skilful basketballers, working alongside a handful of players capable
of doing basic tricks but who are very good showman/actors.
Granted it is scripted, what is most telling perhaps is that even the Globetrotters make
mistakes – but they never let them stop the show.
