On the court with the Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters are all about gimmicks. And their fans love them for these “innovations” the iconic team continues to bring to the sport of basketball. The team unveils a new one – the 4-point shot – when they visit Nassau Coliseum on Sunday.
“Way cool,” is the opinion of 18-year-old Matt Freedman of Lynbrook, an avid basketball fan who has enjoyed the antics of the Globetrotters over the years. “I’ve definitely got to check that out, ” he said.
This new trick is a part of the games on the team’s 2011 “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, which began December 26 and continues through April. The 2011 tour marks the team’s 85th season of playing their unique brand of basketball.
The Globetrotters debuted the 4-pointer to a national audience amid much fanfare on Dec. 5, during an ESPN2 telecast of the Globetrotters’ win over the Washington Generals from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Harlem Globetrotter Dizzy Grant drilled the first official 35-footer in the closing seconds of the first quarter, and the basketball and 4-point circle utilized on the shot will now be displayed at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Grant was one of four Globetrotters to successfully hit the groundbreaking shot that night, along with Special K Daley, Ant Atkinson and Firefly Fisher.
“The Globetrotters have been at the forefront of basketball’s evolution throughout the sport’s history,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “From the alley-oop to the slam dunk to the behind-the-back pass, the Globetrotters have long brought innovations to basketball that are now staples of the game, and we’re confident the 4-point shot will change the game of basketball going forward.”