The Harlem Globetrotters are making a stop at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Sunday to play the Washington Generals.
Globetrotter guard Chris “Animal” Hyche said that this year, the show’s theme is about pushing the limits.
“We are doing the magic circle in the dark with glow-in-dark basketballs and we are also attempting world records during the game,” Hyche said.
Some of the records are for the longest hookshot and also for specialized shots by blindfolded players.
In this fourth season with the Globetrotters, the 6-foot-5-inch Hyche said that he enjoys putting smiles on kids’ faces because of the interaction the players have with the crowd during the game.
“At other basketball games, the players don’t get to interact,” Hyche said. “This gives it a more personal feel.”
Playing basketball since he was 9 years old, the game took him to Talladega College in Mississippi and then a professional career in Mexico, Morocco and Kosovo.
When he returned to the states, he began working out with a trainer who used to be affiliated with the Harlem Globetrotters. Hyche said that he knew of the Globetrotters but had never attended a game.
The trainer suggested Hyche would be a good fit for the Globetrotters and made the connection for Hyche who was asked by the team to come to Philadelphia to audition for the team. He said his first time seeing a Globetrotters game was the first one he played in.
“It was a shock for me,” Hyche said.
The Globetrotters have changed the game this year by moving the four-point line back an extra five feet to 35-feet from the goal, and Hyche said there are several on the team who specialize in the shot, including Jet Rivers, Lights Out Lee and female Globetrotter Torch Lee.
While Hyche is known for his dunking, he said he also can hit the four-point shot, but mainly, he’s the guy on the receiving end of the Globetrotters antics on the court and his goal is to get the ball in the goal.
Playing 120 games during the seasonal tour, Hyche said the team usually practices for a couple of hours prior to each game.
Hyche said for audiences to be ready for a great show.
“You don’t know what to expect in shots and entertainment,” Hyche said.
Tickets for the 2 p.m. game are available at the Harlem Globetrotters website or by calling the Owensboro Sportscenter at 270-687-8330. The Owensboro Sportscenter is located at 1215 Hickman Ave.
