LEGENDS PLAYER CONDUCTS CLINIC

Larry ‘Gator’ Rivers offers tips prior to charity basketball game

For children who are hoping to sharpen their basketball skills, it doesn’t hurt to get some tips from a legend.

That’s exactly what a group of children did on the night of Oct. 20 when they attended a free 3-on-3 basketball clinic conducted by Harlem Legends player Larry “Gator” Rivers.

Rivers, who is also a retired Harlem Globetrotters player, came to Mentor High School along with the Legends team for a charity basketball game to benefit Project Hope for the Homeless in Painesville Township.

The Legends played against a home team comprised of local business professionals and other area residents in a game presented by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Zingales Team of Concord Township.

In addition to proceeds from ticket sales, additional funds for Project Hope were raised from sponsors who contributed at different levels to either play in the

game or receive recognition in a program handed out to fans.

It marked the second time in two years that the Harlem Legends have brought their combination of basketball prowess and entertaining style to Mentor High to benefit Project Hope. They played a similar

benefit game on Jan. 28, 2017, with Rivers also conducting a 3-on-3 clinic for kids.

“I work with kids to carry on the game of basketball,” he said. “We (he and his Legends teammates) are keepers of the game,” he said prior to the Oct. 20 clinic.

Rivers said children in this latest clinic would be performing basketball drills with titles such as the quick-hand catch, rapid fire

and pendulum swing.

After completing the clinic, Rivers joined Legends teammates who included former Globetrotters Michael Douglas, Trey Moore and Tyrone Brown to play in the benefit game. The Harlem Legends are part of the Michael Douglas Youth Foundation, which the basketball star founded in 1991.

“The mission of the youth foundation is to provide activities that are fun, educational

and provide a model of healthy living,” the organization’s website states. “The MDYF strive to help communities provide positive and educational activities for youth.”

In addition, the Harlem Legends aim to bring communities together through assisting organizations in their fundraising efforts.

“The celebrity games and activities are fun, positive and family oriented,” the website states.

BILL DEBUS — THE NEWS-HERALD Harlem Legends player and former Harlem Globetrotter Larry “Gator” Rivers, right, gives youngsters some basketball pointers prior to conducting a free 3-on-3 basketball clinic for children on Oct. 20 at Mentor High School. The clinic was held prior to the Harlem Legends playing a charity basketball game to benefit Project Hope for the Homeless in Painesville Township.