Wizards a slam dunk with Buck students

The Harlem Wizards brought their basketball tricks to the William L. Buck School last Friday morning, entertaining students and sending some children home with cool prizes.

Wizards players Swoops and King Arthur made the students a part of the show, which was sponsored by the school’s PTA. The Harlem Wizards team was formed in 1962 and have brought their entertainment style of basketball to places all around the world.

The Wizards did two shows at Buck last week, one for students in grades K-3 and another for students in grades 4-6. Each time, one child was chosen to perform a series of tricks. Second-grader Elijah Johnson and sixth-grader Hristos Michaelides were each picked from a crowd of their classmates to practice some Wizard-like basketball magic.

Other students had to try to get the ball away from the tricky King Arthur. At the end of each performance, the Wizards called up a group of students and teachers. Swoops, standing the middle of the circle, would throw the ball to one of them but always had a trick up his sleeve. Anyone who dropped the ball would have to leave the circle as the crowd would shout “You got tricked!”

The PTA’s cultural affairs committee booked the Wizards for last week’s performance. Committee co-chairwoman Darlene Adams said they always to try to bring in something high-energy for the first assembly of the school year. She also said that the committee usually chooses an event that is physical education-related, to encourage the children to stay active while the weather is still warm.

Adams said the children were really excited by the performance. “The kids are loving it, that’s what it comes down to,” she said. “And they will go home and try to spin a basketball.”

The PTA hosts about a half-dozen assemblies each year. Adams said they try to touch on all of the academic areas, including art, music and dance. “I really try and make it a cultural experience for them,” she said.

Principal Mark Onorato said the Wizards demonstrate the skills necessary to be successful at anything. “This type of talent, this type of skill, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “It’s practice. It’s dedication and it’s hard work — the types of things we want you to do here.”