On Oct. 24, the Harlem Crowns are coming to Sooke to play against against the Edward Milne community school’s Senior Boys’ Basketball team. Tickets are available at the main office at EMCS. There are a limited number of tickets available, and the game begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $9.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door; children under 6 are free. The event will be a fundraiser for the Senior Boys’ basketball team.
The Harlem Crowns are a zany bunch of basketball players who combine comedy and talent. As their name suggests, they are an offshoot from the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Harlem Crowns began their existence in the mid-50’s when a former Harlem Globetrotter by the name of Chico Burrell formulated a team composed of highly talented basketball players.
Chico Burrell was born in Harlem, New York. He attended New York University and upon graduation, he joined the Harlem Globetrotters.
Chico played with the “Trotters” for 12 years during which time he was an outstanding performer. Chico blended his talents with such Harlem Globetrotter greats as Goose Tatum, Sweetwater Clifton and Maquis Haynes.
After years of success with the Harlem Crowns, Chico Burrell retired and sold the team to a group of Northern California Businessmen. One of the incumbent members on the Harlem Crowns, Herbert Scaife, is presently managing the team. Herbert Scaife hails from Arkansas and resides in Oakland, California during the off season.
Members of the Harlem Crowns are chosen for showmanship as well as their ability to play above average basketball. At the beginning of each season, approximately two weeks in October, a very organized training camp is held in a designated Northern California city. Candidates and possible new additions are brought in from all over the United States.
The requirements for being considered a member of the Harlem Crowns are:
The Harlem Crowns play a regulation four quarter game against any opposing team furnished by the sponsors. There is never a dull moment during the game because of the zany acts and laugh-a-minute routines that are very numerous.
From California, eastward, the Harlem Crowns have staggered the comical imagination of spectators in places such as Canada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
The Harlem Crowns have also taken their show several times abroad to places like Tokyo, Japan the city of Manila in the Philippines Islands and Singapore. They also venture south of the border into Old Mexico.
The Harlem Crowns are sponsored by various groups that include the local police and sheriff departments, F.F.A., booster clubs, lettermen clubs, student body clubs and various cities’ service groups.
For an evening of relatively low-cost entertainment that supports the EMCS Senior Boys’ Basketball team, drop by during school hours at the EMCS main office for your advanced tickets. Or, take your chances and, space permitting, buy your ticket at the door on the evening of the game.