Harlem Globetrotters Entertain Berkeley Students

BERKELEY -- The sixth-graders filling the gym bleachers Tuesday at King Middle School erupted in laughter when their classmates, playing wheelchair basketball with a couple of the famed Harlem Globetrotters, accidentally collided with one another. They cheered when sixth-grader Torin Whittle made the first basket of the game from his borrowed wheelchair, and roared when one youngster tried to steal the ball from Globetrotter Orlando "Elgato" Melendez. Beyond the fun and laughter, the message from the Globetrotters and the Berkeley-based organizations that sponsored their appearance at the school -- the Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program and the Center for Independent Living -- was serious. More.