Last night, the Harlem Wizards came to town.
© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Harlem Wizard basketball player Dwayne "Swoop" Simpson pumps up the opposing team -- the Bouncing Bobcats, consisting of teachers and students from the Northeastern School District -- before the big game and entertainment spectacle on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School. Simpson was formerly a Harlem Globetrotter and is now the primary entertainer on the Wizards team.
I’m told the Wizards are like the Harlem Globetrotters — in that both are exhibition basketball teams for which athleticism, comedy and theatrics are at the forefront — but on a smaller scale. Based on what I’ve read, it seems like the Wizards are also more entertaining in the family-friendly way. And after covering last night’s show at Northeastern High School, I know I’d take my kids to see the Wizards.
© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Mount Wolf Elementary School physical education teacher Nick Donnelly is left with hiked-up gym shorts after Harlem Wizards player Dwayne "Swoop" Simpson (right) said Donnelly was dressed too sloppily and needed to tuck his shirt in, on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School.
The Wizards played against a team of 24 teachers and students from the Northeastern School District, which initially could have been disastrous for me since that team didn’t have numbers or a roster. Fortunately, one of the organizers gave me a list of all the players, and various team members helped me identify everyone by physical description — i.e., “bald, goatee, black knee brace,” “blonde crew cut, maroon shorts,” etc.
Yeah. Easily could’ve been a nightmare. But I’d like to thank those teachers who helped me out before the game began.
© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Harlem Wizards player Arthur "King Arthur" Lewis leads the crowd in the "Cha Cha Slide" dance on the court during the halftime intermission of the Harlem Wizards' game against the Bouncing Bobcats on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School.
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