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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 HeraldSports The view through the back window It’s not every day you get a spotlight into the past. As a millennial, I’m constantly reminded that the world I’ve come to know in many ways is drastically different from the way the world once was. Sometimes, when talking about my career with my dad, he’ll just shake his head and say everything is so different than when he was my age, that he can’t give me any real solid advice because of that fact. Time marches on, things change. It’s the way of the world. But some of that change is monumental, and painful, too. The Harlam Sam Globetrotters mean Barbee more to sports — and FROM THE SIDELINES this culture at large — than simply a comedy basketball team that has transcended sports and invaded pop culture. /HW¶VÀDVKEDFNWRWKHV:H¶UH in Chicago. The city is being ravaged by organized crime due to Prohibition. It goes without saying that racially, things weren’t equal. Though the QRUWKHUQVWDWHVKDGQ¶WRI¿FLDOO\ instituted Jim Crow laws, African- Americans had a tough time breaking into the dominantly white society. As happens now, some members of the marginalized community turned to less reputable sources of income, and the problem only got worse. Enter Abe Saperstein, who wanted to start a comedy basketball team. But he wanted to take it a step further. He wanted to start a black comedy basketball team, something that was near-unheard of then. “From all the stories that my father VDLGLWZDVYHU\GLI¿FXOW´$EH¶V daughter Eloise said. “It was very GLI¿FXOW,WZRXOG¶YHEHHQHDVLHUWR start an all-white comedy team. There weren’t too many African-American players out there. There weren’t other WHDPV,WZDVYHU\GLI¿FXOW´ Mothers and grandmothers would call Saperstein and beg him to take their son or grandson. One name in particular stuck out: Leon Hillard. Eloise called him a “dribbler H[WUDRUGLQDLU´+HGURSSHGRXWRIKLJK school, and was referred to Saperstein by his family, who, like many others said, “My son can play basketball. Take him on the road with you. Save KLVOLIH*HWKLPRXWRI&KLFDJR´ For many of the original Globetrotters, playing for Saperstein was the only place they could be paid to play. Basketball — and all sports at that time — were considered white activities. Jackie Robinson famously EURNHWKHFRORUEDUULHULQEDVHEDOO years after Saperstein started paying black players. The NBA, which was NQRZQE\DGLIIHUHQWQDPHLQWKHV GLGQ¶WLQWHJUDWHXQWLO Oftentimes, the players would sleep on the bus, or, like in Montana or North Dakota they would have to ¿QGEODFNIDUPIDPLOLHVVRWKH\FRXOG sleep under a roof. In Europe, they would go into a restaurant and clean the place out. All the patrons would leave. So, the Globetrotters crew would get to work. Eloise would set the table. Another man would make coffee, another would scramble eggs. :KHQWKH\ZHUH¿QLVKHGHDWLQJLI WKH\SROLFHGLGQ¶WFRPH¿UVWWKH\ would leave “a stack of money on the WDEOH´:KHQWKH\ZHUHPHWE\SROLFH the communication barrier was too much. ³:HZRXOGWU\WRWHOOWKHPWKH\ were basketball players, but they’d QHYHUVHHQEDVNHWEDOO´(ORLVHVDLG This wasn’t that long ago, and look where we’ve come. Looking out of the back window of the car and seeing how far we’ve driven is something most kids do. That’s all I’m doing. The Globetrotters, in part, are a measuring stick. Now they have a woman playing for them. For its entire history, the Globetrotters have been marching to the beat of their own drum, following the lead of Abe Saperstein QHDUO\\HDUVDJR Even if you don’t like basketball, or don’t like the Globetrotters’ brand of it, you have to understand WKHFXOWXUDOVLJQL¿FDQFHRIWKHP,W might be a little heavy-handed to say the Globetrotters were crucial to the development of equality over the decades, but they certainly helped. — Sam Barbee is a sports report- er for the Hermiston Herald and East Oregonian based out of Herm- iston. He can be reached by email at sbarbee@hermistonherald.com or on Twitter @SamBarbee1. Follow Herald Sports @HHeraldSports. Follow sports on Twitter @HHeraldSports Bulldogs rout Bucks in War on 84 Kiana Heehn scores 15 points off bench to lead Bulldogs By SAM BARBEE Staff Writer Kiana Heehn transferred from Pendleton as a middle schooler and watched her older sister play at :DUEHUJ &RXUW 6KH ZDVQ¶W JRLQJ to let her only varsity game there be a disappointment. The senior reserve scored 15 points off the bench — all on 3-pointers — to lead all scorers and helped, in part, propel the Bulldogs WRDGUXEELQJRIWKH3HQGOH- ton Buckaroos Friday night. 1R3HQGOHWRQ&5& SOD\HU VFRUHG LQ GRXEOH ¿JXUHV Maddy Juul and Sara Ramirez each added 13 points for Hermis- WRQDQG-DQVHQ(GPLV- WRQSLWFKHGLQZLWKDOOFRPLQJ LQWKH¿UVWKDOI “I think it helped a lot I was back LQ3HQGOHWRQ´VKHVDLG³,WNLQGRI PRWLYDWHGPHWRVKRRWPRUH´ She added that a blowout win on the road is made especially sweet EHFDXVHLW¶VDW:DUEHUJ&RXUW +HHKQ KDV ¿OOHG WKH UROH 7DY- in Headings manned last season, a sharp-shooter coming off the bench. Heehn set the tone for the second quarter after a relatively quiet initial period. 8S DIWHU WKDW ¿UVW TXDU- ter, which Hermiston took control RI ZLWK DQ UXQ WKDQNV WR IRXU straight Buck turnovers, Heehn hit KHU ¿UVW WKUHH RI WKH QLJKW RQ WKH second quarter’s opening posses- sion to push the count to 18-7. Two minutes later, she hit an- other, starting a two-minute stretch where she would hit three 3s in total. They came in the midst of a 19-1 run that took a competitive game and made it a blowout. Overall, Hermiston shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range in the second TXDUWHU IRU LQ WKH ¿UVW KDOI and 11 of 17 for the game. From there, Hermiston coach Steve Hof- fert just sat back and watched his team play. “I’ve had the luxury of doing WKDWWKHVHSDVWIHZJDPHV´KHVDLG “They’re just feeling so good and FRQ¿GHQW ZLWK KRZ WKH\¶UH SOD\- ing and they believe in each other. I mean, Kiana Heehn comes off See BULLDOGS, A10 STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Hermiston’s Jansen Edmiston shoots the ball over Pendleton’s Shelby Greb in the Bulldogs’ 76-32 win against the Bucks on Friday in Pendleton. Hermiston’s Simon chooses MSU-Northern By SAM BARBEE Staff Writer Since he was in third grade, Hayden Simon wanted to play college football. He dreamed of playing at Ohio State University, a school bigger than Umatilla Coun- ty entirely. Now, a decade later, Simon has realized his childhood dream, sign- ing with Montana State Northern in Harve, Montana last week and joins a Lights program trying to pull itself out of a hole when they ZHQW )URQWLHU &RQIHU- HQFH DW WKH 1DWLRQDO$VVRFLDWLRQ RI,QWHUFROOHJLDWH$WKOHWLFV1$,$ level. Simon will play middle line- backer and maybe get a few oppor- tunities to run the ball, something he did as a senior at Hermiston. “I just really liked their academ- LF SURJUDP´ KH VDLG $QG ZKLOH taking his visit in late January, “re- ally liked the people there. That’ EDVLFDOO\ZKDWGLGLWIRUPH´ Academically, Northern provid- ed some things the Simon family was excited to see. It has a relative- O\VPDOOHQUROOPHQWXQGHU- JUDGXDWHVIRUWKH¿VFDO\HDU and the student-professor ratio is about 13 or 14-1 Simon started playing football in fourth grade and was coached, in part, by his dad Mike, who helped oversee Simon’s football teams until KHUHDFKHGPLGGOHVFKRRO:KHQ6L- mon was about to made the transition into seventh grade football, Mike got an inkling that his son might have the tools to continue playing. “I started noticing when he was sixth grade entering into ju- QLRUKLJK´0LNHVDLG³+HKDGWKH ability athletic-wise to go to the next level of football, whether it’s high school, onto the varsity, and then college. Ultimately it was on Hayden and his work ethic to get WKHUH´ STAFF PHOTOS BY SAM BARBEE Hayden Simon of Hermiston smile with his parents Deannie (far left) and Mike after signing a National Letter of Intent Wednesday. A three-year starter, Simon was an anchor on Hermiston’s defense, which was one of the best units in the state as the Bulldogs won the state championship in his junior season. In total, Simon recorded WRWDOWDFNOHVVRORVDV- VLVWV VDFNV WDFNOHV IRU loss, two fumbles recovered, three fumbles forced, six passes defend- ed, three hurries and two blocked punts. As a running back his senior \HDU 6LPRQ FDUULHG WLPHV LQ Hermiston’s zone scheme and ac- FXPXODWHG\DUGVDQGDWRXFK- GRZQJRRGIRUD\DUGVSHUFDU- ry average. Simon’s best season in terms RIWDFNOHVZDVLV¿UVWDWWKHYDUVL- ty level, making 71 total stops, 37 of which were solo jobs. His best statistical season, though, was his junior campaign that resulted in a state title. His 63 total tackles was VL[WKRQWKHWHDPDQGKLVWDFN- les for loss tied Jessee Rodelo for ¿IWK+LVWZREORFNHGSXQWVFDPH WKDW \HDU DV ZHOO DV KLV ¿YH SDVV GHÀHFWLRQV,QIDFWKLVPRVWPHP- orable play from that season was knocking down what would have been a sure touchdown pass in a ORVVDW&RHXUG¶$OHQHDORVV that likely propelled the Bulldogs to its only title. He made an impact right away, recording eight tack- OHVLQKLV¿UVWYDUVLW\JDPHD trouncing of Rex Putnam. Simon said his decision to at- tend Northern came rather quickly. He visited the campus in Havre “a FRXSOHZHHNVDJR´DQGHVVHQWLDOO\ knew then he would later sign. His position coach, linebackers coach Arthur Smith, made an impact on Simon right away. ³+H¶VMXVWDFRROGXGH´6LPRQ said of Smith. “If you meet him, KH¶VMXVWVXSHUFRRO´ There were a couple other schools in the mix. He exchanged HPDLOV ZLWK (DVWHUQ :DVKLQJWRQ several times, but Simon never se- riously considered the Eagles, he said. Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas was also in the running. He had also been in contact with several local schools, including Eastern Oregon, but really want- ed to leave the area and “have the full experience away from my SDUHQWV´+DYUHLVDERXWDKRXU drive from Hermiston. For his parents, Mike and Dean- nie, there wasn’t any interference from them regarding their son’s choice. They like the campus, like the town of Havre, which is sim- ilarly sized, and don’t mind he’s JRLQJDERXWPLOHVDZD\IURP home. ³:H¶OOEHDWHYHU\JDPH´0LNH said matter-of-factly. “I enjoy watching Hayden. It makes me SURXGWRZDWFKKLPSOD\´ Globetrotters making a pit stop in Kennewick By SAM BARBEE called. “I was 7 or 8. I didn’t know DQ\WKLQJ´ Chamberlain wanted a little The sight must have been curi- sports car, but, being 7 feet tall, ous. A seven-foot tall black man that wasn’t the easiest proposition. and a short, 7-year-old white girl So the salesman said he would re- approaching a Jaguar dealership PRYHWKHIURQWVHDWVÀLSWKHGRRUV in London in 1958 had to have around so the swung the other way, been interesting. The man was which allowed Chamberlain to :LOW&KDPEHUODLQDQGWKHJLUOZDV drive the little gun-metal sports car Eloise Saperstein, the daughter of from the back seat. :LOW OLNHG WKH LGHD ³6HQG LW Harlam Globetrotters founder and longtime coach Abe Saperstein. KRPHWR3KLODGHOSKLD´KHVDLG --- Chamberlain was a rookie that The uniforms are nearly as fa- year, and hated being a rookie, Elo- ise said. He was forced to carry the mous as the name. The blue tops veterans’ bags — a tradition still with stars embroidered on the front employed in the NBA, and hated and back. The white shorts with it. He wanted to buy a Jaguar, but red stripes, the antics on the court, the vets wouldn’t go with him. So the playful demeanor of the play- ers and the very name itself are he took Eloise. “My job was to sit in the car and famous. Even if you don’t know he would say, ‘How does it feel? anything about sports, you know +RZ GRHV LW VPHOO"¶´ (ORLVH UH- this name. Staff Writer The Harlem Globetrotters. The name itself conjures up scenes of fancy dribbling, antics with and in the crowd and famous basketball names that transcend the sport. On )HEWKHZRUOGIDPRXV*OREH- trotters will perform at 3 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, :DVKLQJWRQ 2XU /DG\ RI$QJHOV Catholic Church, with the help of new-ish resident Mark Gemolski, is spear-heading the event, provid- ing group rates for tickets. A comedy basketball team start- HGSOD\LQJH[KLELWLRQVLQDQG started a residency at the Savo- by Ballroom the next year. It was called the Savoy Big Five, and was organized into the New York Har- OHP*OREH7URWWHUVE\XQGHU the direction of Abe Saperstein. Saperstein chose Harlem as the WHDP¶V XQRI¿FLDO EDVH DV +DUOHP because a out-of-town team sound- ed better, and because Harlem was thought to be the center of black culture at the time. The Harlem Re- naissance was in full swing under Langston Hughes, and Saperstein wanted to connect his group of Chicago south-siders and their cre- ative form of hoops to the seeming- ly endless supply of creativity from Harlem. The Globetrotters functioned as a way for African-Americans to play professional basketball while most of American athletics were segregated. The Globetrotters, at one point, were a competitive or- ganization that participated in the :RUOG 3URIHVVLRQDO %DVNHWEDOO Tournament and won the thing in :LWKWKHULVHRIWKH1%$LQ WKH¶VDQGWKHLQWHJUDWLRQRIWKH 1%$LQWKH*OREHWURWWHUV See TROTTERS, A10
