<< Previous   of   Next >> Katheryn Waldeck For the Enterprise  (click to enlarge) Derrick "Spaceman" McMichaels of the touring Harlem Ambassadors rises for a dunk during a game against the Shoreline Firefighters Sept. 19 at Shorecrest High School.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

High-flying Ambassadors hoop it up for charity

Todd Matthews
For the Enterprise

SHORELINE -- Slam dunks, alley oops and blazingly quick behind-the-back passes were on display last weekend as the Harlem Ambassadors were in town to compete against the Shoreline Fire Department and raise money for the Rotary Club of Lake Forest Park.

The Sept. 19 event at Shorecrest High School marked the first time that the professional show-basketball team performed in the Pacific Northwest.

"This is a very unconventional fund-raising event for us," Lake Forest Part Rotary president Scott Wands said as fans filed into the gymnasium. "We thought it sounded like a real fun thing to do."

The Harlem Ambassadors, founded in 1998, have toured the world to provide entertainment for such causes and organizations as military personnel stationed overseas, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, and numerous charitable groups. Team members promote the values of education, a drug-free lifestyle and racial harmony as part of their performances.

The Ambassadors' stop in Shoreline was one of 16 performance dates in 17 days. It was also part of a larger, nine-month tour that will send the group to Washington and Idaho this month, Montana and the Dakotas next month and Alaska in December.

"We travel nine or 10 months out of the year and play 100 to 150 games," said Ketrick "Jazz" Copeland, who has played for the Ambassadors for five years. "We play everyone -- former college players, former professional players, teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers. It all helps to raise funds for organizations."

Shortly after tip-off, it was apparent that the Shoreline Fire Department was in over its head. The team's first air ball caused Ambassador K.B. Bucknor (the lone female member on the roster) to stop the game and demand five pushups from the offender, all to the delight of fans in attendance.

The home team also showed a good sense of humor while the Ambassadors committed their pranks, like running among the crowd in the stands, creating distractions during free throws, mock-wrestling on the court and executing some lightning-quick ball movements that left players and fans dizzy.

The firefighters did manage to display some streaks of talent. The Ambassadors were ahead by 15 points in the first quarter when Cameron Stewart completed the home team's first basket -- a 3-point shot that glided through the air and sank cleanly into the net. And the players showed real hustle against their swift foes, passing the ball well and completing a surprising number of 3-pointers by game's end.

The Ambassadors prevailed 93-81, despite swapping scores at the end of the second quarter and inheriting a 45-13 deficit. But in the end, fund-raising and entertainment took priority over competition.

"We get a feel for what the other team is like," Copeland said. "If the other team is more competitive, then we get more competitive. If they are more relaxed, then we get relaxed, and just focus on having a good time."