The sound of “Sweet Georgia Brown” will soon blast over the rafters at the Patriot Center, which can mean only one thing—the high-spirited, captivating and electrifying Harlem Globetrotters are back in town.
Fun and exciting has been the mantra for the entertaining basketball team for 88 years, ever since Abe Saperstein first formed a small basketball team called the Savoy Big Five in 1926. Eventually changing the name to the Harlem Globetrotters, the team signed Reece “Goose” Tatum in 1941 and his comedy antics and basketball skills changed the direction of the team.
By the end of World War II, the Globetrotters had played more than 30,000 games, winning an astonishing 27,000 of them. One of its last losses ever was to the Washington Generals in 1971, but the Globetrotters spent almost four decades after defeating the team over and over again.
That has set the stage for the Harlem Globetrotters 2015 “Washington Generals’ Revenge” World Tour, coming to the Patriot Center and Verizon Center this weekend.
“We haven’t played against the Washington Generals in the last five years and they are back and they feel they have some tricks up their sleeves but we have more tricks than them so it’s going to be fine,” says Buckets Blakes, one of the team’s most lovable players. “It’s been a great season so far and we’ve had some close contests but they haven’t beaten us yet.”
Buckets is known for his outstanding shooting ability. His shooting is so dead-on that he holds the Guinness World Record for the most basketball underhanded half-court shots in one minute, dropping six. Expect to see some of that nifty shooting this weekend.
“You’ll be seeing some great, competitive basketball throughout the game with some highlight dunks, trick shots and of course, some of the shots that have helped me and my teammates break some of the world records,” he says. “I can score a lot of buckets in a hurry and we’re all going to have a lot of fun out there.”
A 2000 graduate of the University of Wyoming, Buckets was team captain and MVP his junior and senior seasons, leading the team in rebounding, assists and steals his junior year. He’s been a member of the Globetrotters for nine years.
Buckets’ earliest memory of the team was going to see the Globetrotters play when he was 5-years-old and he followed them on Wide World of Sports, plus shows like Gilligan’s Island and Scooby Doo.
Joining Buckets on the court in Virginia will be some of the Globetrotters’ top talent, including players like Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard, Firefly Fisher, Moose Weekes, plus female stars TNT Maddox, T-Time Brawner and Sweet J Ekworomadu.
On Tuesday, the Globetrotters presented a team jersey to the Washington Capitals’ Eric Fehr and named him their Honorary Ambassador of Goodwill. Fehr recently co-authored a children’s book about anti-bullying with the proceeds going to bullying prevention. Since the Globetrotters also have a bullying prevention program, they thought he would be the perfect local honoree and donated tickets to a charity of his choice to join him at the game this weekend.
http://www.monumentalnetwork.com/videos/the-harlem-globetrotters-honor-eric-fehr-3-10-15
For those coming out, once the game ends, the players will take to the floor for a free autograph session and take pictures with those in the crowd.
“Without our fans, there’s no Harlem Globetrotters and we realize that and try to give back to them any way we can,” Buckets says. “It’s something I remember from when I was a kid and we just want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us.”
The Harlem Globetrotters will be playing at 7 p.m. Friday, March 13 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Patriot Center; and at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Verizon Center. Tickets are on sale now through the venue box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or via Phonecharge at 1-800-745-3000.
