Hoops comedians to help service club raise money

Lisa Perry figures the last time she played an organized game of basketball was when she put her high school uniform on for the final time 25 years ago.

But when Perry, a member of the Rotary Club of Cabarrus County, learned that the local community service organization would host a traveling comedy basketball team and play for charity, Perry thought it was time to don a uniform once more.

On March 9 at Robinson High School in Concord, the Cabarrus Rotary Hoop Stars will battle the Harlem Ambassadors in a game to benefit various nonprofit agencies in Cabarrus County. Tickets are $5; children 5 or younger get in free.

According to information provided to the Rotary Club by the Harlem Ambassadors, the team offers “a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam dunks, dazzling ball-handling tricks and hilarious comedy routines.”

It is doubtful that the Hoop Stars will do any of those things. Undoubtedly, they will play some basketball, but they will also play the straight men to the Ambassadors’ jokes and pranks.

Strong reputation

The Ambassadors’ news release says the team performs more than 200 shows a year and has helped nonprofit agencies generate millions of dollars. The team is made up mostly of players who played small-college basketball.

Linda Brown, president of the Rotary Club of Cabarrus County, said she was won over by the Ambassodors’ strong reputation.

“They’ve been doing this for many, many years (since 1998),” said Brown. “They specifically do charitable organizations. They are all college-educated and drug-free, and all have a positive message for youth.”

In a way, the local Hoops Stars players are anti-professionals. Instead of getting paid, they have to pay to play, or at least have someone sponsor them to participate.

Perry’s company, Concord-based Perry Productions, is sponsoring the $200 for her to play. Joining her on the court from the Rotary Club will be Concord podiatrist Kevin McDonald and Landis general contractor C.J. Loftis.

Loftis needed some help in deciding to play. At a Rotary meeting Feb. 21, Loftis entered his name in a hat for a random drawing to recruit one player from the club, a prize he dubiously accepted.

Two quarters of comedy

Loftis said he’s not in the best shape. He kidded that he hopes to play in the two quarters of the game that are reserved for the comedy show rather than playing in the two quarters when the teams will play real basketball.

“That’s why I signed up, just for the embarrassment,” said Loftis.

“To let somebody have a laugh. Hopefully, the more the audience laughs, the greater turnout we’ll have next year,” Loftis said.

Figuring he’s one of the few Cabarrus Rotary members who actually still plays some competitive basketball, McDonald was tabbed as the Hoop Stars’ coach and director of basketball operations. Last Sunday, he was preparing for the first of two practices he scheduled to get ready for the Ambassadors game.

“The way the game works,” said McDonald, “the first and third quarters are relatively serious basketball. (The Ambassadors) will have a lot of people that can dunk. I haven’t seen my team yet, but I don’t think any of them can dunk.

“I will get the five or 10 best basketball players and see if we can score some baskets. The second and fourth quarters are more of a comedy show. So that’s when I’ll put in the others, the ones who don’t play much basketball.”

The Hoop Stars roster will include several deejays from Charlotte radio station 96.9 Kat Country.

The Rotary Club of Cabarrus County was founded in 1985. It is 70 members strong and meets every Thursday morning at the Cabarrus Family Medicine building at Branchview Drive and Copperfield Boulevard in Concord.

Brown said the club annually raises $30,000 for charity and scholarships. Its signature seafood festival fundraiser brought in $20,000 last fall.