Sports

Hoops and Humor in Suwanee

The Harlem Legends, a Globetrotters offshoot, entertain fans at North Gwinnett High.

Landen Prather is familiar with the basketball court at North Gwinnett High in Suwanee. He played there in 2002-03, so the Chick-fil-A operator didn't have many cobwebs to knock off to get ready for the Harlem Legends.

Sue Shumeyko hadn't played basketball since high school in New Jersey, so she practiced for the Legends game for a couple of hours in her driveway.

They were two of the local group of businesspeople, educators and city leaders who put the basketball gear on Saturday to take on the Legends, a Harlem Globetrotters warmup act, in a benefit game for Roberts Elementary.

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They called themselves the Bulldog Bombers. They had nicknames such as "Big Red" and "Sizzle." Those were the women. The men had such intimidating names as "Sweetness" and "GoGo."

The Legends, a group of ex-Globetrotters and former pro athletes, were led by the evening's clown prince, Michael Douglas, a Lawrenceville resident. The actual Globetrotters will be making appearances at the Gwinnett Arena on March 12, and Philips Arena earlier the same day.

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The Bombers, the evening's foil du jour, included Prather, who works at Chick-fil-A on Moore Road in Suwanee, Suwanee Mayor Dave Williams, and teachers and administrators from several Suwanee schools.

Basketball? It could be called that. But as the attached video shows, it was more about fun, and the audience was as much a part of the event as the athletes.

Douglas (24) wore a microphone the entire evening, bantering with the audience and other players in true style of Meadowlark Lemon, the signature Globetrotter. Douglas toured with the Globetrotters from 1986-93 as a showman.

There were some other locals in the evening's Legends lineup, including former Berkmar athlete Adrian Borders.

And Nakisha Reeves, a Lawrenceville resident who played high school ball in Texas, got in the act. What does Meadowlark Lemon think about women in the Globetrotters? "He loves it," she smiled.

Douglas said he does about 30 shows a year, 10 in the Atlanta area. "I am so happy that at age 50, I am still able to run up and down the court," he said after Saturday's game, while signing autographs for some of those attending.

Shumkeyko (11), the Roberts teacher, was the only woman who started for either squad.Β 

The Bombers had their moments. Suwanee mayor Williams and Mayor Pro Tem Jace Brooks teamed up early for some points as if it was a memo from the zoning department; Brooks scored on a pass from Williams. But the athletic skills of the Legends took little time to take over. The score was 17-5 with 6:00 to play.

Then the antics kicked in, and the Legends led by a less intimidating 39-33 score at halftime.

Brooks scored for the Bombers right after halftime, and lo and behold, the score was 39-35. Then the Legends put their attitudes back on, and the score was 63-48 after three quarters and 81-54 with 5:30 to play in the game.

Prather said he practiced about three weeks for the contest. His three-pointer in the third quarter brought the score to a respectable 48-41. And he was smooth in ball-handling and leading the Bombers' offense.

Of course, Globetrotter-style outcomes are about as suspenseful as pro wrestling matches. For those of you keeping score at home, the final score was 99-60, Legends.Β 

"Tonight beat them all," said the Legends' Reaves. "The atmosphere was great."


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