Sports Notes - Harlem Globetrotters' Inaugural Draft - July 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Tuesday July 17, 2007

Holding their first ever player draft. the Globetrotters selected: Anthony “Ant” Atkinson of Barton College, Sun Ming Ming of China, Mario West of Georgia Tech, Brent “Air Georgia” Petway of the University of Michigan and Marcus Kennedy of the University of Montevallo.

GLOBETROTTERS Also Select Chinese Player Sun Ming Ming

PHOENIX, Arizona USA --(BUSINESS WIRE)

The legendary Harlem Globetrotters have added to their roster of basketball magicians by holding their first ever player draft. Selected were: Anthony “Ant” Atkinson of Barton College, Sun Ming Ming of China, Mario West of Georgia Tech, Brent “Air Georgia” Petway of the University of Michigan and Marcus Kennedy of the University of Montevallo.

* Anthony “Ant” Atkinson, at 5-10, 141 lbs., led one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history, scoring 10 straight points in the last 40 seconds of Barton College’s 77-75 win over Winona State in the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship game.

“I’m very excited that the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters have considered giving me the opportunity to represent them as a basketball ambassador to the world,” said Atkinson. “I think my character, demeanor, personality and basketball skills go hand in hand with what they are trying to accomplish as they travel the world. I want to touch lives through my basketball.”

* At 7-foot-9, Sun Ming Ming is the tallest known basketball player in the world and the latest basketball wonder from the Far East.

* The high-flying Mario West captured the 2007 State Farm College Slam Dunk Contest, netting a perfect score in the final round to edge Brent Petway for the title.

* Nicknamed “Air Georgia,” for his 42-inch vertical leap (and Georgia roots), Brent Petway’s dunking prowess earned him a number of highlight moments on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays throughout his career.

* Marcus Kennedy, a 2007 NABC Division II All-American, drained a near half court shot at the buzzer to win the 2007 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball South Regional championship game.

These players will be invited to training camp in the fall to compete for the honor to join the Harlem Globetrotters for their 82nd consecutive season of touring the world. Since their inception in 1926, the Globetrotters have traveled to 118 nations on six continents and have played before over 125 million fans.

For more information on the Globetrotters, visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

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