Harlem Globetrotters invade Trojan Arena

TROY — You are Tyler White and you are having a very bad night. And loving it.

You are a member of the Washington Generals, as villainous a bunch of basketball players as they are futile. You took an inadvertent shot to the head moments ago and went to the bench to clear the cobwebs. As soon as your focus sharpens, you’re back in there just in time for Nate “Big Easy” Lofton to pull your pants down as you’re shooting a free throw. Ah, pro basketball. This is the life.

You are Amarion Shepherd and your seventh birthday was yesterday, so your grandmother took you and your brother to see the Harlem Globetrotters play Monday night at Trojan Arena. And you are loving it.

A couple minutes before the game, some of the Globetrotters road crew solicit your help with the show. You get to go on the court and help turn Globie the Mascot into a bowling ball launched like a slingshot with bungee cords. The smile on your face lasts four quarters. You will remember this for years.

You are Sam Worthen and you are not smiling. You are the coach of the Generals, fed up with the walking, the goaltending, the trash-talking and the double-dribbling that never get called. You are weary of the losing. It’s a streak the Globetrotters claim dates to 1971. Wikipedia claims the Generals all-time record is 6 wins and more than 13,000 losses.

“Tonight’s the night,” you say at halftime. “We’re working on it.”

The WWE villains would be proud.

That streak wasn’t in much danger Monday night, even after you added 22 points on the scoreboard to give your team a four-point lead going into the final 10 minutes. Eventually, the Trotters win by a score of too much to who cares.

You are Barry Terry and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. You are the object of derision on both sides of the court. You are the lone referee when the Globetrotters and Generals meet. You try to keep order as the clown princes of basketball work their magic. You fight a losing battle every night, but you still love it. Asked at halftime if you’ve got a fun job, you smile and say, “Sometimes.”

You are Nate “Big Easy” Lofton. You played last night in Duluth, Ga. The night before that was Atlanta. Tuesday night it’s Birmingham. Wednesday is Nashville.

“I really don’t know where we’re going after that,” you say an hour and a half before the game.

I checked for you. Thursday is Jackson, Tenn., Friday is Evansville, Ind., Saturday is St. Louis, Sunday is Memphis and next Monday is Tupelo. I got tired and stopped there.

“The season is Dec. 25 to April 25,” you say. “It’s four months. Then we go internationally for the summertime and during holidays. Total eight months out of the year.”

“We play every day, sometimes twice. We play doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays a lot,” you say. “We love it. We love it. Our mission is what it’s been: To bring happiness, smiles and joy to people around the world and to keep introducing and expanding the game of basketball and family entertainment. We’ve been around since 1926. No one has done it better and no one will.”

“This is one of the greatest organizations ever. It’s an honor to play for this team. Hundreds of thousands of people would love to do this. I’ve been doing this for a number of years and been in 30 countries. Best job in the world. This job.”

You looked up to Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal when you were a kid. You played college basketball at Southeastern Louisiana. And now you are the showman of the team, the man to has the microphone and keeps that Magic Circle moving.

Asked about Trojan Arena and the two very different backdrops, you laugh.

“You’re supposed to be looking at the goal, not the background,” you say. “I’ve played in bull rings, aircraft carriers, empty swimming pools. Tuesday our East Coast team played on top of the Wachovia Center — on the roof. What about that backdrop? Backdrop means nothing. It’s the guy shooting.”

You are Johnny Gibson of the Pike County United Way and your organization has brought the Harlem Globetrotters to Troy for a fund-raiser.

You wanted more people in the stands, of course, but you also saw a lot of people laughing and smiling and cheering and having fun.

“We wanted to bring a good, family event to Troy,” you say. Mission accomplished. “We’d like for folks to remember us this fall when the drive comes up.”