Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Basketball To Host Harlem Globetrotters
7/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 24, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Harlem Globetrotters Owner and Chairman Mannie Jackson and two of the Big Ten Conference's top universities announced today that their teams will play exhibition games in early November. The Globetrotters will play at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich.), the defending NCAA National Champion, on Nov. 12 and at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.) on Nov. 14. Michigan State and Purdue are the first of several elite college programs the Globetrotters will be playing in the fall, a list that is also expected to include a game at Howard University, a historical black college in Washington, D.C. These games will be competitive exhibitions played under NCAA rules.
"Not since the early 1950's have the Globetrotters played exhibition games against colleges, so we're excited about playing the fall college tour. Both Coach Izzo and Coach Keady, along with the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches), have been instrumental in helping create a tour. We're happy to announce these two Big Ten universities as the first major schools on board," said Jackson, a former Big Ten star himself at the University of Illinois. "We are excited about playing them and helping them get ready for their college season."
"This game is an exciting opportunity for our fans and will be a competitive challenge for our team," said Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, whose Spartans defeated the University of Florida, 89-76, for the national title this past April. "The NCAA National Champions playing against the world famous Harlem Globetrotters is the matchup of a lifetime."
"This should be one of the best preseason attractions we've ever had here," said Purdue Head Coach Gene Keady, the 1999-2000 Big Ten Coach of the Year who will also serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Olympic Team this fall in Sydney, Australia. "In addition to being great entertainers, the Harlem Globetrotters are also a group of very talented basketball players."
On April 1, 2000, the Globetrotters defeated the NABC College All-Stars, 82-80, during Final Four Weekend at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse. Globetrotter veteran point guard Johnny "Ace" Rhodes was named Most Valuable Player of the game (24 points & three steals). Next year's Final Four Weekend will be played in Minneapolis, where the Globetrotters again will challenge the nation's top college seniors.
The original World Series of Basketball against the college all-stars began in 1950 and was resurrected by Jackson in 1997 after a 35-year layoff. A year ago, the Globetrotters swept a three-game series against the 1999 College All-Stars. Fifteen players from the 1997 and 1999 series were drafted by NBA teams. Overall, the Globetrotters own a 151-65 record in games versus college all-star competition. The team's current win streak stands at 1,268 victories, with the last loss, a 91-85 setback, occurring to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Legendary All-Stars on Sept. 12, 1995, in Vienna, Austria. The Globetrotters' last loss to college competition was a 101-89 defeat in Denver in the spring of 1962.
The Globetrotters recently completed a 200-plus game tour of the United States and Canada, their 74th consecutive season of entertaining fans around the world. The team is currently playing a 12-game schedule in South America. Check out the team's official web site at www.harlemglobetrotters.com for more information.
