Harlem Globetrotters Announce 2013 Rookie Class

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With their annual training camp in New York coming to a close, the Harlem Globetrotters have signed five exceptional new players to join the iconic basketball team as they gear up for their 2013 “You Write the Rules” World Tour. The rookie class includes one of the top competitors from the 2012 College Slam Dunk Championship and two outstanding female players.

“The Globetrotters search the planet for highly skilled basketball players that also possess the personality and flair that comes with playing for the world’s most entertaining basketball team”

The Globetrotters will tip off the 2013 “You Write the Rules” World Tour by playing in the New York borough of Brooklyn for the first time ever when they bring their unique brand of family entertainment to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. The North American leg of the 2013 World Tour will continue starting December 26, 2012, running through April 2013. The team will play over 270 games in nearly 240 cities in 45 states and nine Canadian provinces.

“The Globetrotters search the planet for highly skilled basketball players that also possess the personality and flair that comes with playing for the world’s most entertaining basketball team,” said Globetrotters Legend Sweet Lou Dunbar, the team’s director of player personnel. “This fine group of young men and women epitomizes those traits, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the squad.”

Among the 2013 rookies is Bryan “B-Nice” Narcisse (NAHR-sihs), a 6-6 forward from Clemson University who was selected in the Globetrotters’ 2012 Player Draft. Narcisse, who has a seven-foot wingspan, reached the semis of the 2012 College Slam Dunk Championship by displaying his showmanship, making him a natural fit for the Globetrotters. On one dunk, the North Augusta, S.C., native donned a retro jersey of Clemson alum – and former NBA slam dunk champ – Larry Nance, and slammed home another dunk after the ball was thrown off the shot clock, which received a perfect score. An outstanding student, Narcisse finished his Clemson basketball career with a degree in communications studies already in hand.

Also signed were Tammy “T-Time” Brawner and Ariel “Mighty” Mitchell, who become the 10^th and 11^th females to ever don the red, white, and blue. Brawner, a 5-6 ball-handling wiz from Oakland, Calif., was an all-conference selection at Dominican University of California, where as a senior, she led the team in steals and was second on the squad in scoring, assists, and field goal percentage. Mitchell, a 5-6 sharpshooter hailing from St. James, La., earned all-conference honors at Dillard University in New Orleans, leading the team in scoring, field goals, and three-pointers as a senior.

Brawner and Mitchell join Fatima “TNT” Maddox, who last year became the team’s first female player in nearly 20 years.

Rounding out the Globetrotters’ 2013 class are high-flyers Alex “Moose” Weekes and Andre “Prince” Johnson. Weekes, a 6-8 forward from Lilburn, Ga., led Middle Tennessee State in blocks as a freshman and holds the school record for most blocked shots in a game, with eight. The 6-5 Johnson, hailing from Detroit, averaged over 13 points and five rebounds a game at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills.

These newcomers will join Globetrotter stars Special K Daley, Big Easy Lofton, Flight Time Lang, Dizzy Grant, and many others as the Globetrotters prepare for their 87^th consecutive year of touring the world. The Globetrotters break camp primed to hit the road for several spectacular international shows this fall. The team begins a 13-game tour of France, culminating on Sept. 29, before an exclusive one-game engagement in the world’s second-smallest country, Monaco, on Sept. 30. The team will then visit the Dominican Republic for the first time since 1991, with five shows from Oct. 19-21, before heading to the United Arab Emirates for five games from Oct. 25-27. All five of those contests will be played outdoors at tennis facilities: Dubai Tennis Stadium and Zayed SportsCity.

Sponsored by Howard Johnson Hotels, Greyhound Lines, Spalding, and Russell Athletic, the Original Harlem Globetrotters continue a world-famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 120 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, and to purchase tickets and team merchandise, visit the Globetrotters’ official Web site: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.