The Harlem Globetrotters ended training camp in Prescott, Ariz.
with 30 players selected for the 2002-2003 team. Among them is a
new face: UCLA alumnus Billy Knight.
Knight will throw away his baby blue and gold and don the
prestigious red, white and blue. His first appearance during the
club’s world tour will mark his professional debut.
“I really like the team,” Knight said in a phone
interview.
“It has always been a dream of mine as a kid to play with
the Globetrotters, and I want to see if I can make it a
career.”
Now he will get his opportunity to shine with former NBA stars,
including Cedric Ceballos and John Starks.
Together the team will travel to Europe for a few games before
playing in the 2002 Fall College Tour, which includes games against
Purdue, St. John’s University and Connecticut.
More notably the team will face 2002 NCAA Division 1 champion
Maryland, a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The theme of this year’s squad is “Reclaiming the
Game,” and Knight wants to help with his new level of
play.
“At UCLA I was just a three-point shooter, but I was also
stiff,” he said.
“The Globetrotters have loosened me up and have taught me
a lot of tricks and dunks.”
In his senior season with UCLA, Knight averaged 14.1 points in
33 games as a starter. He appeared in 117 career games and shot an
impressive .403 percent from the three-point line, which is among
the best in the Pac-10.
Knight was not drafted into the NBA, and has jumped from
professional league to league since graduating.
“Trying out for other leagues got confusing, and it was
stressful,” he said.
Knight said that “leagues in Europe are shady” and
he is happy with his new team.
The Globetrotters have recently been inducted into the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame. They are Knight’s best opportunity
for success.
“They pay good money, and they travel around the
world,” he said.
“It will make a name for myself, but also being from UCLA,
I will help the team’s fan base.”