Harlem Globetrotters performing at the Show Me Center on Wednesday

In the height of March Madness, the Show Me Center will host a basketball game you shouldn't miss. It's not high-stakes, just highly entertaining.

The Harlem Globetrotters return to Cape Girardeau on Wednesday for their "Spinning the Globe Tour." They'll bring fun and entertainment, but the team's history brought much more to basketball than fancy tricks.

The Harlem Globetrotters started in the 1920s as a team outside of Chicago. They are credited with helping form the fast-break offense, the slam dunk and the player scouting system. They are also credited with helping integrate the NBA.

Globetrotter Aundre "Hot Shot" Branch said he was "in a state of shock" when he researched the team and learned its history.

"They changed the whole game of the NBA," Branch said.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.comAlex Miller, 10, gets a lesson in basketball spinning from Globetrotter Aundre "Hot Shot" Branch on Monday at Alma Schrader Elementary School.

In 1950, three black players signed with teams in the NBA -- two of whom had already been made famous with the all-black Harlem Globetrotters. Chuck Cooper and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton had played as forwards with the team.

"That was our championship," Branch said. "Now it's just having fun."

"Fun" seems to be synonymous with the Globetrotters. The team formed near Chicago, but Branch said the name was eventually changed to "Harlem" Globetrotters because "Harlem is known for great entertainment."

During halftime and timeouts, players interact with the crowd, play jokes and show off their legendary ball handling. They integrate new tricks with the fan favorites like the "water" bucket and other practical jokes. Instead of running lay-up drills, they warm up using the magic circle, where each player dribbles, tosses, spins, bounces and plays with the ball before tossing it to a teammate.

"Every single year we kind of feed off of what the fans like," Branch said.

The players' ball handling can be mesmerizing, even to veterans. Branch said one of his first times in the magic circle, he stood "hypnotized" by a teammate's tricks before he got "smacked in the head" when that teammate passed him the ball.

The Harlem Globetrotters have been hypnotizing audiences for 83 consecutive touring seasons. They have played in 120 countries for 128 million fans, according to the franchise.

Branch said he has traveled to 35 countries with the team. The Houston native has been playing basketball since he was 5.

"I knew I wanted to play professional ball," he said. "This is my NBA."

But do the Globetrotters play a basketball game or perform in a show?

"It's a game full of entertainment," Branch said. It's a basketball game, "we just add our own flavor to it."

Fouls, out of bounds and other official rules apply. The Globetrotters just spice it up for a little family fun that, according to Branch, never gets old.

"The wholeness of what we stand for would prevent our game from becoming stale," he said.

The Harlem Globetrotters will play the Washington Generals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Show Me Center. Tickets are $20 at the Show Me Center box office, Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at 651-5000 or online at www.showmecenter.biz.

Globetrotters ambassador

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