Superstars to ‘light up’ Houlton gym

Anytime the Harlem Rockets come to the Shiretown, the gymnasium is packed to see a star-studded performance of aerial dunks, flashy dribbling, razzmatazz passing, exciting tricks and all-around showmanship, but the show doesn’t lack humor, as seen on the faces of each youngster.     The Harlem Superstars, previously known as the Harlem Rockets, will be at Houlton High School’s Alumni Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5. Advanced tickets are available at Houlton High School, York’s Books or from any member of Houlton’s senior class.
A typical show, sponsored by the senior class, pits a team of Houlton High School seniors against the Harlem Superstars. Throughout the show, the Harlem Superstars pull pranks on each other, the opposing team and even on those in the audience. At halftime, youngsters even get in on the act … once in awhile it’s the Chicken Dance or the Macarena.
The Harlem Superstars are not the Globetrotters, although they do respect them for being the pioneers of comedy basketball, which was stated in a press release. “We do fund-raisers to raise money for a good cause.”
The Harlem Superstars put on a family show, with basketball the main attraction. The Superstars also do school visits and motivational speaking, with fun mixed in.
According to their press release, “The Harlem Superstars realize kids are our future and sometimes they may need to be encouraged, nurtured and given a few kind words of advice.” That is why it is not uncommon before the game to see the Superstars interacting with youngsters or just sitting down with them and talking to them.
Playing this year for the Harlem Superstars is 10-year veteran Kevin “Showboat” Jackson, who played in Houlton a year ago; Chris “Super Chicken” Turnquest; 12-year veteran Ricky “7 Footer” Lopes, who has also appeared in Houlton over the years; Ron “Rock-It” Christy; Mark “Hollywood” Jones and Jason “White Shadow” Gibbons of Bath. Also on the roster are Kelvin “Hometown Kid” Wiley and Thomas “Bama Slama” Morris.
They will be facing the mighty Shires’ Caleb “C-Rich” Richardson, Lowell “The Bean Stalk” Matthews, Ashir “Air-Ashair” Abouleish, Anna “Banana” Caron, Robby “Worm” Stairs, Justin “JJ Ny-Quil” Haggerty, Justine “The Machine” Anderson, Laura “The Scorah” Schools, Taylor “Teabag” Martin and Brandon “B-Dogg” McGuire.