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Harlem Globetrotters bringing message to kids during W.Va. stops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Harlem Globetrotters are more than just a basketball team.

The fun-filled squad that dazzles crowds with dunks, trick shots, and trick plays is in the middle of its Fan Powered World Tour with four stops in West Virginia, as they have also visited local schools and communities talking and encouraging children.

Hoops Green

“The Harlem Globetrotters are known for being the ambassadors of good will,” Hoops Green, a Harlem Globetrotter star, said. “We have a new program called ‘T.E.A.M.’, teaming up for schools. It stands for Talk, Empathy, Asking questions, and Mobilize and it encourages kids to be good people, kind people.

“Also it is about anti-bullying. You want to address the situation and let them know they are not alone. If they are getting bullied to speak up or if they see someone being bullied to interact.”

The tour itself visited Huntington’s Big Sandy Superstore Arena on Saturday night, and Charleston’s Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center on Sunday afternoon. The high flying squad then heads to the Parkersburg High School Memorial Fieldhouse in Parkersburg on Monday and Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena on Tuesday.

The shows in Parkersburg and Wheeling both start at 7 p.m. Green said this year’s tour is all about the fans.

“We’re taking that crowd interaction to another level,” Green said. “There are many opportunities throughout the game where we will go up to the stands and interact with fans or we may bring them down to the court.

“You never know what to expect at a Harlem Globetrotters game which makes it unique and fan. There are other opportunities where you can meet us, take pictures, sign autographs, learn a trick, and of course, see the dunks and trick shots. It is a lot of fun.”

Green, a Lexington, Kentucky native, is in her third year with the Harlem Globetrotters and is the 15th woman in 93 years to represent the team.

She said it is humbling to hear she is an inspiration being a woman on the Globetrotters.

“Every game I have a mom or dad come up to me and say I am an inspiration to their daughter,” she said. “I’ve had many times where a kid or little girl would say she looked up to me, picked up a ball because of me or tried out for a team because of me.

“It’s pretty amazing the effect that the Globetrotters have or I have. it’s humbling and I try to be as much of a positive role model as much as I can be. Just encourage the girls or anyone in general just to do what they are passionate about and go for it.”

Along with the T.E.A.M. program in schools, the Harlem Globetrotters have a Smile Patrol program. The team visits patients in the hospital with the goal of making them smile, laugh and taking whatever they are in the hospital for off their minds.

Tickets are still available for the Parkersburg and Wheeling shows and can be purchased on their website.





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