A fun tine will be had by all when a benefit is held Saturday evening for the Noxapater High School basketball teams.
The Harlem Dreams, a touring team similar to the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, will play a team made up of local leaders and Noxapater faculty. Organizers of the game hope to sell out the school's 750-seat gymnasium.
“It's going to be really fun and entertaining,” said Noxapater principal Chet Wilkes, who will be on the team opposing the Dreams. Others on the local team include school superintendent Randy Grierson, Louisville mayor Will Hill, girls basketball coach Rena Hickman and softball coach Jodie Duran.
The benefit was the brainchild of first year boys coach Jonathan Pope, a member of the Dreams who will participate in the benefit. “At the college I went to (William Penn University in Iowa), one of the assistant coaches used to play with the team. That’s how I ended up getting the contact information.”
Pope, a Starkville High School graduate, toured with the Dreams before becoming an assistant coach at Columbus last year. He still participates on occasions when he can fit it into his schedule.
“I have a stable job now. Back then when I was on the road with them that was my only job. I was free to move around and travel.”
Pope enjoyed traveling throughout Canada with the Dreams. “It’s always interesting when you get to leave the United States and go play in a different country.”
The website for the team states “The Harlem Dreams are led by entrepreneur R. K. Morris and funnyman, showman Harold 'Lefty' Williams. “We're an exhibition show basketball team that tours all over the world. Every show includes incredible athleticism, entertainment and comedy.”
The mission of the Dreams is to “Promote professional achievement, entertainment, comedy, strong leadership capability, self-discipline, teamwork and excellence in athletic performance.”
Williams, a former Harlem Globetrotter, started the team, and it was he that Pope contacted for the benefit. “We keep in touch. I hit him up to see what he thought. He was cool with it.”
Pope put together the local team that includes several members of the Noxapater faculty. ‘I tried to pick some of the more popular teachers.”
The game will be four 8-minute quarters and will feature skits and crowd interaction.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door. Organizers have been seeking sponsors to purchase tickets for the school's 400 students. As of press time, most of those tickets had been purchased, according to school secretary Pam Parker.
VIP tickets for $20 will allow ticket-holders to attend a meet-and-greet with the players prior to the game. The meet-and-greet is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the gym, with tipoff for the game at 7 p.m.
