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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 14, 2005 Woman shines bright for Harlem hoops team Tiny guard Buckner will play big role when comedic hoop team faces locals in benefit game By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune When the Harlem Ambassadors take the basketball floor against local teams, there will be a distinct difference to their famous counterparts, the Harlem Globetrotters. The main attraction on the Ambassadors is a woman. That’s right, K.B. Buckner, a 5-foot-3 dynamo who starred at Hardin-Simmons University, figures to steal the show and a few hearts at 7 p.m. Thursday at South Medford High. "She’s got the deepest Texas twang," says Dale Moss, the team’s general manager. "Fans just fall in love with her when they hear that drawl." The team’s only woman should be in fine form when the "Stars and Stripes" version of the Ambassadors — they have two traveling teams that played more than 220 games last year — square off against four local teams for one quarter each. Advertisement The event is a benefit for Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity, which is building two low-income houses in Central Point and hopes to build four in Ashland next year, says Denise James, office administrator for Habitat. Advance tickets can be purchased at Habitat, the Bargain Building Warehouse or any Medford branch of Umpqua Bank. They are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, with children under 4 getting in free of charge. Prices go up $1 at the door. The Ambassadors, based in Fort Collins, Colo., are in their eighth year and pride themselves on being "the largest provider of entertainment to the military worldwide," says Moss. When they aren’t humoring troops, they help raise funds for not-for-profit agencies, Habitat being the most popular. After two weeks of training at Buckley Air Force Base in Denver, the team broke camp recently and played its first games. On Sunday in Salt Lake City, it played against — and to raise money for — displaced Hurricane Katrina victims sheltered at Camp Williams. "By the time they had a few minutes to watch our show, it was really rewarding to see we put smiles on their faces," says Moss. "It was a neat opportunity." Their show is similar to that of the Harlem Globetrotters, with exceptional basketball skill and high-flying dunks woven into a comedic routine. The laughs with the Ambassadors, however, are more spontaneous, says Moss, because the local players don’t know what’s coming and thus won’t have a conditioned response. Local squads are the Medford City Police, John Beck’s Crater Coaches and Co., Kids Unlimited and Radio Medford’s Best Team Ever. They will get an up-close view of Buckner, who last played at Hardin-Simmons in 2003 and was regarded as one of the best defenders in the country. "You never know quite what she’s going to do," says Moss. "She’s the person who initiates the comedy routine, annoys the ref, interacts with the fans and maybe causes a little mischief with the local team." She’s just as likely to break out in dance with a fan or break down a defender with a strong drive to the basket. Buckner has a degree in education and works at a New Hampshire summer camp with kids. "She’s got that smile that lights up the entire gym," says Moss, "sort of a Magic Johnson smile. Anyone who plays for us really has to have a heart for children." Buckner isn’t all show. A shooting guard in college, she made 6 of 8 3-pointers in the Salt Lake City game. There will be others to thrill the crowd, notably Jazz Copeland, the player-coach who is a dribbling wizard, and aerial artists Claudell Mims and Julian Assibey. Moss predicts there will be "20, 30, 40 dunks through the course of the evening." Assibey’s will be among the more spectacular because he is only 5-7. The Medford stop is the team’s first in Oregon this tour. It will be in Lakeview Friday and Grants Pass Saturday. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail Woman shines bright for Harlem hoops team ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s