SPORTS NOTES NEWS - Harlem Globetrotters 2008 Draftee Donald Thomas Begins Quest for Gold in Beijing

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

Former College Hoopster Opens Olympic High Jump Competition. Thomas, a former collegiate basketball player at Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Mo., captured the 2007 World Indoor title in Osaka, Japan with a leap of 7 feet, 8.5 inches, and figures to be a top contender for an Olympic high jump medal.

PHOENIX, Arizona USA --- (BUSINESS WIRE)

Sunday August 17, 2008

TWO SPORT ATHLETE TURNS TO PRO HOOPS

Last month, the iconic Harlem Globetrotters selected Bahamian track and field star Donald Thomas as a top pick in the team’s second annual draft. Sunday, Aug. 17, the high-jumping sensation will compete in his first-ever Olympics.

Thomas, a former collegiate basketball player at Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Mo., captured the 2007 World Indoor title in Osaka, Japan with a leap of 7 feet, 8.5 inches, and figures to be a top contender for an Olympic high jump medal. A medal would cap a meteoric rise to the top of the sport for the 6-2 Thomas, who discovered his high-jumping prowess when challenged by a friend to give it a try in 2005—and he cleared seven feet in basketball shoes.

Thomas turned to track and field full-time and transferred to Auburn, where he became an All-American and claimed the 2007 NCAA indoor high jump crown.

In addition to Thomas, the Globetrotters selected five others to compete for roster spots on “the world’s most famous team,” including number one overall pick Patrick Ewing, Jr. (son of former New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing). Sonny Weems, the 2008 State Farm College Slam Dunk Champion; Slam Dunk runner-up William Bullard of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Siena long distance marksman Tay Fisher; and Sudanese big man Longar Longar—all of whom were invited to camp in advance of the Globetrotters’ 83rd consecutive season of touring the world.

“We look for players that bring special skills and the personality to potentially be Harlem Globetrotters,” said Coach Clyde Sinclair. “We hope we can be as fortunate as last year, when our top draft pick, Ant Atkinson, not only made the team, but has flourished.”

In 2007, Atkinson was the number one selection in the team’s inaugural player draft after an All-American career at Barton College that culminated in an NCAA Division II National Championship.

The Harlem Globetrotters have traveled to 119 nations and have played before over 128 million fans, crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life.

Ant Atkinson is living proof that you don't have to be big to have a big impact. At a mere 5-10, 155 pounds, Ant will long be remembered for leading one of the greatest comebacks in the history of college basketball, scoring 10 points in the last 39 seconds (including a lay-up at the buzzer) of Barton College's heart-stopping 77-75 win over top-ranked Winona State in the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship game. Ant's performance in that game and throughout the season earned him a multitude of honors: First Team All-American, Tournament MVP, and Conference Player of the Year, which he actually won each of his last two college seasons. Ant was one of five players selected in the Globetrotters' first ever player draft in July 2007.

Born in Wilson, N.C., Ant is a fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Carolina Panthers, and his hobbies include playing the drums and video games. He enjoys speaking to community groups and sharing his life story, something he hopes to continue someday as a youth pastor. "Kids of this world need something positive in their lives," says Ant. "I think my character, personality and basketball skills go hand in hand with the Globetrotters' mission. I want to touch lives through my basketball."