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Harlem Wizards Squeak By Drug Free All Stars
By Cathy Patton
It was hoopz and alley oops, whirls and twirls, steals and thrills and plenty of fun for all as the world famous Harlem Wizards took on the ESPN Drug Free All Stars Thursday night at Mt. View High School.
Official Jim Redmond set the tone for the evening that became pregnant with pranks and possibilities when he placed the basketball under his shirt before the tip off. The Mt. View court was Redmond’s turf and he wasn’t about to let the whacky Wizards forget it.
But Redmond and the Drug Free All Stars were no match for the Wizards who made up the rules as they played the game.
Nothing was considered off limits or out-of-bounds by the Wizards who did everything from shooting on the practice goals to taunting and teasing the fans to performing the crowd pleasing basketball pageantry that pumps up the audience where ever they go.
The Wizards led the Drug Free All Stars 29 to 26 at the end of the first quarter. By half time, the Wizards held a respectable 65-54 lead. Mysteriously, though, when the third quarter began the scoreboard revealed that the Drug Free All Stars had magically gained a whopping 20-point lead over the Wizards.
Not to be outdone, the Wizards turned on the heat. When the buzzer sounded the scoreboard showed a 129-127 Wizard victory.
“We had to win Broadway,” quipped as he led the Wizards in post-game antics and autograph session.
Bonita Miano, BOE coordinator of Adult and Student Services, noted that proceeds from the game will help fund Drug and Violence-Free Day on May 3. “The event will be here at Mt. View High School this year and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” she said.
The Board of Education and the HOPE Coalition sponsored the game, Miano said, thanking all the participants, players, sponsors and volunteers who made the second annual match between the Drug-Free All Stars and Wizards the crowd-pleaser that it was.
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