Harlem Globetrotters wrap up their season in Halifax

The Harlem Globetrotters bring their unique brand of laughs and layups to Halifax.

The tricks are just the tip of the iceberg for the Harlem Globetrotters. For them, playing basketball for a living is the dream.

“Basketball is just something special to me. I mean, it motivates me,” said Prince “Baller” Moss. “It keeps me going and it’s just something that I love. So whatever you love, you just got to try and stay committed to it.”

“It’s been in my family for generations. My grandfather played, my dad played,” said Rochell ‘Wham’ Middleton. “It’s literally a family sport. I’ve been doing it all my life, I love it.”

Every Globetrotter knows how to ball, but each of their beginnings with the team is very different.

“I got involved with the Harlem Globetrotters by just playing in the gym in front of the right person,” said Middleton. “And he said that I was so impressive and so good that he had to give me a tryout. So he got me in contact with the recruiter. I got a tryout and seven years later, still with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters.”

“I played four years at a division-one university. It’s called the Grambling State University,” said Moss. “After the basketball season, a coach came to my coach. He asked me to do track and field, and I actually ended up breaking a record by clearing a seven-foot pole and making it to regionals. After that, I got a phone call from the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters to come show off my basketball skills. And now I’m here today.”

Their seasons are long with travel taking them away from home for months at a time. This tour has been on since December and wraps up in Halifax.

“We try to make home away from home here out on tour. But I can say the schedules are pretty difficult, different,” said Moss. “Sometimes we play two games in one day.”

But the rewards outweigh the work for the team.

“My favourite thing is actually what happens off the court,” said Middleton. “Because we are ambassadors of goodwill. We do many school visits. But my personal favorite is doing hospital visits, going to put smiles on kids faces in the hospitals.

“With Harlem Globetrotters, I get to travel all around the world, you know, experience different cultures, try different foods and be a person that the younger generation can look up to.”

For Moss, his three years with the team has been a whirlwind.

“Fun fact, I’ve been to 22 countries in a span of eight months,” he laughed. “A small island right below Spain. It’s called Tenerife. Amazing black sand beaches, beautiful food. And their McDonald’s even has chicken wings.”

The Globetrotters will celebrate 100 years next season. Even though Thursday’s show is last on this tour, the excitement lives on.

“Every show is amazing, especially the last one,” said Middleton. “That means I’m about to go home and it just caps off another year of greatness with the Harlem Globetrotters.”

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