“There isn’t a night I haven’t scored 30 in this gym,” McComb High School head basketball coach Hilton Harrell said before the game between the Summit Rotary All-Stars and the Harlem Ambassadors.
The All-Stars fell 71-40, and Harrell fell short of the mark he had set pregame, but he was still smiling, as was everyone else, including the line of kids waiting for autographs.
One thousand two hundred people enjoyed the smooth, really cool stylings of the Harlem Ambassadors at Horace Holmes Gym on Friday night.
The Ambassadors beat the Summit Rotary All-Stars despite the best efforts of the 18 All-Stars, who were clowned, wrestled and danced over at least once a quarter and dunked on closer to 10 times every quarter.
The starting five for the All-Stars kept it close from outside early, but the experienced Ambassadors had more chemistry and used it for much higher percentage shots off much crisper passes.
The All-Stars were beset by airballs after a quick start. The airballs sent the shooter to midcourt for pushups as punishment, a punishment not as severe as some of the Ambassador’s routines.
In the first quarter, I was pinned at half court bringing the ball up. I wasn’t able to scamper away, despite my best efforts.
My leg was hooked and then the People’s Elbow rained down upon me.
I did get two free throws out of it and consider myself lucky after what happened to Southwest head coach Bill Wallace.
Yes, I made one free throw, and that’s all I needed.
In the third quarter, Wallace had his shirt tucked in and his shorts pulled up to his chest, revealing plenty of leg before he shot his free throw.
He banked in his shot and may be ordering new uniforms for next season in order to increase free throw percentages, despite how they may affect running.
While tricks and routines were tossed around on Friday, what the Ambassadors passed along was probably a little more important than the number of jumpers the All-Stars made or how many alley-oops Harlem was able to throw down.
The Ambassadors visited three schools and spoke against drugs, AIDS and violence during the day on Friday and continued their positive message into the night.
After the game, with 22 people shifting around the gym alternately cleaning up or waiting for their ride to clean up, the Ambassadors Maurice Jones walked over to a small child quietly sobbing on the front row of the bleachers.
Jones poked the child’s head up and got him to follow along as he walked over to his parents.
That was the message the Harlem Ambassadors brought.
Even with the music and the dancing and the basketball, there wasn’t any show to it, at all.
