UNION SPRINGS #- Until Friday afternoon, Skyler Sweeney had never seen a slam dunk live and in person. For her, it was a truly dazzling feat.
“That was the first time I ever saw one,” said Sweeney, 10, a fourth-grader at A.J. Smith Elementary School in Union Springs. “And it was right there, right in front of me. That was really exciting.”
Sweeney was among the many students who got the opportunity to see Harlem Wizards basketball players Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson and Ron “Skycam” Ferguson do their thing on the elementary school court Friday afternoon.
Sponsored by Union Springs youth basketball, the players were on hand to promote an upcoming game in Union Springs that will pit the Harlem Wizards against a team of Union Springs teachers as a fundraiser for the youth basketball program.
Physical education teacher Todd Salls was instrumental in getting the players to Union Springs and getting the game organized.
“I saw them at the State Fair this summer,” Salls said. “After that I started looking into getting them here and maybe doing something as a fundraiser. They are very entertaining and they work well with kids and they have a lot of laughs and I thought it would be something good for us to do here.”
The Harlem Wizards were created in 1962, a team in much the same vein as the Harlem Globetrotters. The team combines athleticism with family entertainment all set in the atmosphere of a basketball game, creating a format that has come to be known as “showball.”
Ferguson played for Central Lakes University, averaging 15 points a game and played in the IBL and ABA and also boasts a 40-inch vertical leap that has won him numerous slam dunk contests.
While Simpson played for Southern Connecticut University, playing as a key member of the 1997 New England Conference and Northeast regional championship teams and went on to play with the Harlem Globetrotters in 2006 and 2007.
The two athletes have been able to combine their court skills with their comedic skills. Getting all the students up on their feet and excited with not only their tricks, but also their humorous games that included challenging teachers to keep up with them in a game of catch and getting students like Michael Henry involved in the action.
Ferguson singled Henry, 10, a fifth-grader, out of the crowd.
Ferguson playfully antagonized Henry, challenging him to prove that Henry was as good a basketball player as Ferguson and Simpson.
Henry followed their lead, performing a series of tricks, which won him and autographed poster and Union Springs youth basketball.
And Henry couldn't have been happier to be a part of the show and prove his abilities.
“It was the best day of my life,” Henry said. “I was really excited. It was so cool. The whole thing was awesome.”
Correlating with the school's character education efforts, Ferguson encouraged the students to set high goals and dreams for themselves, to take their education seriously and have respect for others as well as themselves and to stay away from drugs.
Things Ferguson hoped to serve as role model for.
“You can be anything you want to be,” Ferguson said. “A doctor, a lawyer, a basketball player, a soccer player as long as you are willing to work and persevere and follow those four things.”
Sweeney was among the many students who got the opportunity to see Harlem Wizards basketball players Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson and Ron “Skycam” Ferguson do their thing on the elementary school court Friday afternoon.
Sponsored by Union Springs youth basketball, the players were on hand to promote an upcoming game in Union Springs that will pit the Harlem Wizards against a team of Union Springs teachers as a fundraiser for the youth basketball program.
Physical education teacher Todd Salls was instrumental in getting the players to Union Springs and getting the game organized.
“I saw them at the State Fair this summer,” Salls said. “After that I started looking into getting them here and maybe doing something as a fundraiser. They are very entertaining and they work well with kids and they have a lot of laughs and I thought it would be something good for us to do here.”
The Harlem Wizards were created in 1962, a team in much the same vein as the Harlem Globetrotters. The team combines athleticism with family entertainment all set in the atmosphere of a basketball game, creating a format that has come to be known as “showball.”
Ferguson played for Central Lakes University, averaging 15 points a game and played in the IBL and ABA and also boasts a 40-inch vertical leap that has won him numerous slam dunk contests.
While Simpson played for Southern Connecticut University, playing as a key member of the 1997 New England Conference and Northeast regional championship teams and went on to play with the Harlem Globetrotters in 2006 and 2007.
The two athletes have been able to combine their court skills with their comedic skills. Getting all the students up on their feet and excited with not only their tricks, but also their humorous games that included challenging teachers to keep up with them in a game of catch and getting students like Michael Henry involved in the action.
Ferguson singled Henry, 10, a fifth-grader, out of the crowd.
Ferguson playfully antagonized Henry, challenging him to prove that Henry was as good a basketball player as Ferguson and Simpson.
Henry followed their lead, performing a series of tricks, which won him and autographed poster and Union Springs youth basketball.
And Henry couldn't have been happier to be a part of the show and prove his abilities.
“It was the best day of my life,” Henry said. “I was really excited. It was so cool. The whole thing was awesome.”
Correlating with the school's character education efforts, Ferguson encouraged the students to set high goals and dreams for themselves, to take their education seriously and have respect for others as well as themselves and to stay away from drugs.
Things Ferguson hoped to serve as role model for.
“You can be anything you want to be,” Ferguson said. “A doctor, a lawyer, a basketball player, a soccer player as long as you are willing to work and persevere and follow those four things.”
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