Move over Globetrotters, the MagicMasters are in town

Although high school basketball season is over, the gym at Martin Luther High School will be full of dunks, three-pointers and showmanship as the Harlem MagicMasters, Professional Entertainment Basketball’s newest team will square off against the Martin Luther Cougar All-Stars on Saturday night, May 20.
Martin Luther Varsity Head Coach and Dean of Students Steve Hicks will coach the Cougar All-Stars, a team of alumni, faculty, staff, and board members against the Harlem MagicMasters, a team of 24 talented players, many whom have collegiate and professional experience as well as showmanship ability.
“It’s an entertaining game,” said Rudy Johnson, Vice President of Sales for the MagicMasters. “You’ll see acrobatic slam dunks, guys doing tricks with the basketball and of course we do acts similar to the Harlem Globetrotters.”
“We’re excited,” Hicks said. Some members of the MagicMasters went to Martin Luther 10 days before the game was to take place in order to interact with some of the students and generate interest for the upcoming game.
“They told us to play it like a regular game, and they’ll do their thing,” Hicks said.
In addition to the game, Martin Luther is trying to establish a relationship with the MagicMasters that will allow the team to establish itself in Queens and host a basketball camp at the high school in the future.
“They would like to get into the Queens community,” Hicks said. “It would be good if we could try to make our place the Queens home base for them.”
Johnson acknowledged that they are working on details for a possible camp at Martin Luther in July, and he said if the details are not finalized in time for this year, they will look to host a camp there next year.
Jack Bryant, a former all-conference basketball star with the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, founded the team in 2003 after spending more than 30 years as a successful businessperson in the marketing and media industry.
The game is scheduled to begin a 6 p.m. with tickets costing $10 for adults and $8 for kids when purchased in advance, and $12 for adults and $10 for kids when purchased at the door.
To purchase tickets, please call Martin Luther High School at (718) 894-4000, or send an e-mail to info@MartinLutherNYC.org. Money raised will be split between the MLHS Athletic Program and a charity to be determined by the students.