Legendary hoopsters to play at Grace College Wednesday
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Mark Howe-mhowe@timesuniononline.com
The Harlem Globetrotters are well known for basketball skill, showmanship and kindness. Over many decades, the team and organization has earned a reputation for basketball skill with a legacy of showmanship and goodwill. It’s a responsibility today’s Trotters embrace, according to “Handles” Franklin. “It’s our 90th anniversary, and the Globetrotters have been so instrumental, not only in basketball, but as ambassadors around the world, so having a knowledge of the players who went before you is a must,” he said. “We pride ourselves on not only being great basketball players, but great role models and ambassadors of goodwill. I think that’s what has sustained the organization for 90-plus years. So when we’re looking for players, you can be the best basketball player in the world, but if you don’t have the other side, and that’s being a person who wants to make a positive difference in the world, you may not be a good fit with our team.” The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center at Grace College in Winona Lake at 7 p.m. Wednesday. For tickets call (574) 372-5100 ext. 6266 or visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com Part of maintaining the Globetrotter legacy is finding a way to keep the old crowd favorites in the game, keeping things new and relevant, all the while knowing that when someone comes to see a game, it’s often a red-letter day in the lives of people. “We play over 300 games a year, but each game has its own uniqueness,” Franklin said. “We players are very passionate about what we do; we know we’re creating memories that will last a lifetime. So it’s important that we go out every single night and give people the best game and the best show that you can. When you go around meeting people, they remember the time, the date and who they were with when they go to a Globetrotters game. We definitely have a level of importance we try to live up to. “People tell us all the time ‘I saw the Globetrotters when I was a kid,’ and they almost always have kids with them. It’s an honor to be a part of such an amazing legacy. “Every day we try to improve, but we play so many games that our games are like practice. If we try something that doesn’t work, we try something else. We try to play to the crowd (every time) and get that particular crowd involved as much as possible, and that’s where a lot of the uniqueness comes from. Over the years, not only have we become an iconic organization, but one that delivers the smiles up front. We have big shoes to fill, but we continue to deliver. Our games continue to be packed, and we continue to turn a whole new generation on to a brand of family entertainment. “We have some great traditions we definitely try to adhere to, but we also work to keep it fresh and current with the times. So it’s a nice mixture of both, and that lets us stay true to our legacy.” Playing over 300 games a year, and often more than once in a day, provides unique opportunities for the players, but the success comes with a price. “Some of the players have families and are married, and I think that may be the toughest part about touring. It’s tough when you have children at home and you’re gone,” Franklin said. “It’s a lot easier for players in this era, because you can see your kids’ face every day with things like Stage Time. When you think about it, it definitely gives you a great respect for what the players in the past had to deal with, and a lot of what military families have to deal with. “In my years I’ve been to 77 countries. When we go we try to learn as much as we can about their culture. We’re ambassadors of goodwill, and part of that is to learn about other cultures as much as trying to teach ours. We try to learn a lot of their language and then use it in the games. It adds to the connection we make with our audiences in those places, and I think it’s appreciated by the people we meet. “We definitely stay moving and we stay on that road. It’s a part of what we do. “ Not only do the players create memories for the audience, but for themselves. “I’ve had a number of amazing experiences. One would be performing for the troops in Iraq during the war; that was an amazing experience,” Franklin said. “We had the opportunity to play basketball at the White House with the President. Another memory I have was when I was walking through the Sydney airport in Australia wearing my red, white and blue Globetrotters jersey. A little girl came up to me and said, ‘Look, Mommy, it’s Superman. Are you Superman?’ “If I had to pick one memorable moment; we get the chance to visit a number of hospitals everywhere we go, and in a children’s hospital in Romania they talked about a child that hadn’t smiled in a long, long time. And when I walked in the room she just lit up. That experience definitely ranks very high on what I’ve done in my time with the Globetrotters.”
