Globetrotters Dazzle Corpus Kids

The gym was rocking, the music was playing and the Harlem Globetrotters were doing what they do best–entertaining their young audience and bringing smiles to hundreds of kids’ faces. Curly Neal, perhaps the most famous Globetrotter of all, joined teammates Wildkat Edgerson and Wun “The Shot” Versher at Corpus Christi School on Tuesday for a live skills demonstration and C.H.E.E.R. for Character’ presentation that had both children and grown ups captivated by the trio’s charisma. “You can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk,” said Edgerson, happily celebrating his 31st birthday. “It’s important for all of you to go to class and listen to what your teachers say.” Almost exactly one year ago he and legendary “Sweet” Lou Dunbar first thrilled Corpus kids last February. This time, Neal served as one of his sidekicks. “Kids grow up so much faster these days but things we teach stay the same–be good to your parents, stay in school and dream your dreams,” said Neal, who played in over 6,000 games in 97 countries during his 22 seasons with the world’s most famous basketball team. “I do hundreds of these a year and it never gets old. This is a chance to give back–to play Santa Claus once a year.” Known for his shiny bald head, ear-to-ear smile and unmatched dribbling ability, Neal became just the fifth Globetrotter to have his number (22) retired at a ceremony last February at Madison Square Garden in New York City. “Don’t give in to peer pressure,” was the message of Versher, who invited first-grader Shaley DeHaas, second-grader T.J. Michel, third-grader Dillon Malaret, sixth-grader Elizabeth Lomis and Vice Principal Kris Knowles into the team’s famous “Magic Circle” to learn some of the ‘Trotters’ tricks to the trademark tune of “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Testing his young listeners’ memories, Edgerson asked how many of them remembered him from last year’s visit. Hundreds of tiny hands shot into the air. He then challenged students to define each of the five tenets of C.H.E.E.R. one at a time–cooperation, healthy mind and body, effort, enthusiasm and responsibility. After several intentional “near misses,” he finally took a bounce pass from Neal, dribbled behind his back and dunked the ball, eliciting loud cheers from the energized crowd. “It’s fun to be back here, putting on a show and being positive role models for the youth whose lives we touch,” Edgerson said. “That is the most rewarding part of what we do. Basketball is merely a vehicle to drive our message home.” Those who missed Tuesday’s appearance in Pacific Palisades can still catch the Globetrotters perform this weekend. They will be at Honda Center in Anaheim at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. on Saturday, at Staples Center in downtown L.A. at 1 p.m. on Sunday and at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario at 1 p.m. next Monday, Feb. 16.