Trampoline dunking among Globetrotters show feats
Expect some amazing feats when the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters visit Peterborough on Thursday.
“Something cool we are doing this year is we have some trampoline dunkers called the Flying Globies,” said Globetrotters’ trick shot artist Zeus McClurkin, by phone while stuck in Toronto traffic during a promotional tour on Sunday.
“They’ve been doing some phenomenal things from these trampolines. Dunks I’ve never seen before in my life. It’s really cool.”
The Globetrotters bring their 2018 Amazing Feats of Basketball World Tour to the Memorial Centre at 7 p.m.
“You’ll see a lot of high-flying slam dunks, half-court trick shots and crowd participation that is unrivalled in sports,” Zeus said. “We’ll even come up into the stands at the Memorial Centre and bring you guys down to spin a ball on your finger. You might see a bucket of confetti at one point and you know you’re going to have a good time.”
The Globetrotters invented the three-point shooting line but now that the NBA and many basketball leagues do the same, they Globetrotters have created the four-point line. It pushes the line 30 feet from the basket.
“For 93 years the Globetrotters have been innovators of basketball,” Zeus said.
“We invented the three-point line, the three-man weave, the slam dunk and the alley-oop. The four-point line we’ve refined and made our own.”
Zeus is one of the best trick shot artists in the world. He holds two Guinness World Records for the most slam dunks in one minute and most bounced threepointers in a minute. His resume includes trick shots from a school bus on top of a roof and from a zipline at the Mall of America.
Zeus says the Globetrotters have seen basketball’s growth in Canada. The success of the Toronto Raptors and players like Vince Carter and Steve Nash have inspired a generation of Canadians now making their mark in the NBA, NCAA and internationally.
Last week, Zeus met 13-yearold Toronto sensation Elijah Fisher at Crestwood Prep. Fisher, a Grade 8 student who plays on his school’s junior high school team, turned heads at the Kawartha Classic earlier this year.
“I’ve definitely seen a progression in the skill level of Canadian basketball,” Zeus said.
“It’s really evident in the NBA but I got an opportunity to meet a young man in North York who is six-foot-six and 13 years old. The kid can dunk better than when I was a senior in college. He’s an amazing talent and, apparently, there are kids like him all over Canada.”
He says the Canadian crowds are sophisticated basketball fans.
“You guys really like to see the set plays,” he said.
“You enjoy the water bucket and if we accidentally pull somebody’s pants down during the game, but you guys are looking for really good high-flying dunks and good screen and rolls and nice set plays within the realms of basketball.”
Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at harlemglobetrotters.ca, memorialcentre.ca, by phone at 705-743-3561 or in person at the PMC box office. A Magic Pass is also available through the Globetrotters website that gives fans an opportunity to meet the Globetrotters prior to the game for autographs and photos.
The Globetrotters last visited Peterborough in April 2016.