Andre “Hot Shot” Branch never missed watching the Harlem Globetrotters as a kid when they came to his hometown of Houston in the 1970s and early 1980s.
“I was a fan before I became part of the team,” said Branch, in a phone interview Friday.
Branch, 35, is living his boyhood dream as a Globetrotter. And at 7 p.m. Feb. 18, he’ll live that dream in front of more than 6,000 fans at the new ShoWare Center in Kent, when the stunt hoopers come to play.
“It’s going to be a basketball game with a twist,” said Branch, in his sixth season with the Globetrotters. “Our goal is to get a lead so we can do the things people love us to do.”
Kent is one of more than 200 stops on the 2009 “Spinning the Globe” world tour by the Globetrotters.
The team performs basketball wizardry and all sorts of antics, with plenty of audience interaction.
“I’m getting a chance to do what I love to do, play basketball,” Branch said. “And I get a chance to interact with kids and everyone who is young at heart and bring smiles to their faces.”
Other players to watch include Big Easy Lofton, known as the Clown Prince of Basketball; dribbling-sensation Flight Time Lang; gravity-defying Hi Rise Brown; ball-handling extraordinaire Handles Franklin; fan favorite General Grant; and 7-foot-3 Skyscraper Alleyne.
Lofton will be the man on the microphone at the game, entertaining the crowd before the game, during timeouts and after the game. Players stay around to sign autographs for as long as 30 minutes.
“It’s a wonderful night of fun,” Branch said.
The 6-foot-4 Branch wears No. 9. He played at Baylor University in Waco, Texas in the mid-1990s and holds the school record for the most three-pointers in a season and in a career. But Branch didn’t receive the nickname “Hot Shot,” until he joined the Globetrotters, where every player has a nickname.
“Shooting the basketball is my speciality,” Branch said of his nickname.
ShoWare Center officials expect the Globetrotters performance to be close to sold out by the end of the week. The arena seats 6,700 for basketball.
The $62 court-side seats, $45 VIP and $25 sideline seats are already sold out, said Beth Sylves, ShoWare Center marketing director. Only $18 end-zone seats remain.
“The event has sold very well,” Sylves said.
A few suites are available for the event. Suite prices start at $600 and can handle 12 to 18 people.
The Globetrotters are in their 83rd season. The team splits into two squads to cover all of the playing dates. Other stops on the current Pacific Northwest trip include Everett, Spokane, Yakima and Portland.
“There’s about 10 1/2 months of travel,” said Branch, who lives in Houston.
The team mainly travels by bus, well-decorated on the outside with the Globetrotters name.
The Globetrotters play against the Washington Generals, a traveling team of former college players. The Globetrotters almost always win.
“We have an 83-year history,” Branch said. “People should come out and see what the hype is all about.”
For more information, go to www.harlemglobetrotters.com.
IF YOU GO
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18
Where: ShoWare Center
Cost: $18, only tickets left are end-zone seats
Tickets: www.showarecenter.com or 253-856-6999
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