Manchester basketball fans in awe of American legends

THE slam dunk slapstick comedy of the Harlem Globetrotters proved to still be a big draw as thousands of basketball fans flocked to see the self-proclaimed World Champions in action at the MEN Arena.

Due to their continuing renewal of their squad, the Globetrotters’ crazy antics attract fans from all ages and last night was no different.

Megan, 21 and Mike, 25, both from Halifax, came to see "the tricks."

Megan said: “It’s the heritage and memorabilia from the Harlem Globetrotters from the 1920s that attracts me more than anything.

My dad loves them so that’s how I knew of them.”

She said: “They were really good. It’s just a great comedy show.”

Mike added: “We didn’t know what to expect really, we didn’t know whether it was going to be a game or just tricks. But it was a good mix of both, especially with getting the kids involved.”

In the show, the Globetrotters faced their opponents the ‘International Elite’ whose purpose it is to defeat their 40-year long winning streak in the battle for the World Basketball Championship.

But during this match-up, they face all sorts of ridicule from the Globetrotters. And with the special rule of the so-called ‘penalty box’ added to regular rules, this can result in 5-on-3 or even 5-on-2 plays.

Adam Rodgerson, 12, from Manchester, went to the show with his friend Thomas Entwistle, also 12 and from Manchester.

Both Globetrotters fans, they said: “We wanted to go last year, but our parents wouldn’t let us. Then we saw the advert and just had to go.”

Adam said he thought they were a bit more "silly" than expected: “I thought they would be more serious, rather than doing all the messing about that they did. But it made it more interesting.”

Thomas said: “My highlight was probably when Ant and Cheese were sliding around on the floor against the International Elite and still beat them with just the two of them.”

With mascot Globie and his big brother Big G cheering for the younger kids, it was evident that this is a family show. And with plenty of audience interaction on the floor and the occasional kids challenge, some even got as lucky as to get a souvenir from one of the players.

Acer, 11, and Jay Owen-Roszkowski, 6, both from Manchester, were one of the lucky few as they witnessed the spectacle with their dad Paul, 43.

Jay said: “Ant was my favourite, I got his sweatband!

They were so much better than the other team.”

Acer was proud to announce that they are going to ‘get a basketball net in the garden and practice.’

He said his dad introduced him to the Globetrotters: “My dad used to watch them when he was younger and he said he didn’t know whether he would ever see them in England again so he took us along.”

I didn’t expect them to be that good, they were just amazing.”

The Harlem Globetrotters can be seen at the Liverpool Arena tonight at 7.30pm.

By Alex Dorweiler