Harlem MagicMasters to play in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Team Harlem MagicMasters, a New York-based basketball entertainment team, will begin its Indonesian tour at the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall in North Jakarta on Jan. 31, organizers announced here on Friday.

The 15-strong touring team is then scheduled to play in Medan at the Pardede Hall on Feb. 2, and in Surabaya at the Kertajaya Sports Hall on Feb. 4.

They will be playing against local teams made up of select players from the Indonesian Basketball League.

Hasani Abdulgani of the organizing committee said tickets for the game in Jakarta would cost between Rp 50,000 (US$5.88) and Rp 320,000.

Team Harlem consists of former players from the NBA, NCAA, CBA and AND1. Among the players are Marques Haynes, a NBA Hall of Famer and former Harlem Globetrotters member, John Smith, former NCAA star Jay Bryant and former USBL and Nike Pro-Am player Shawn Grant.

The team, which is scheduled to arrive in Indonesia on Jan. 29, will perform its unique take on basketball, with tricks and acrobatic slam dunks.

Organizers have released the list of the three Indonesian teams that will serve as Team Harlem's opponents. The teams are made up of national and local players.

For the Jakarta game, the Satria Muda Britama club dominates the lineup with seven players.

Among the Indonesian players taking part in the tour are Wahyu Widayat Jati and Dwui Eriano of Britama, and Romy Chandra and Denny Sumargo of HP Aspac.

The Harlem basketballers are also expected to hold a coaching clinic for local children.