BERKELEY -- The sixth-graders filling the gym bleachers Tuesday at King Middle School erupted in laughter when their classmates, playing wheelchair basketball with a couple of the famed Harlem Globetrotters, accidentally collided with one another.

They cheered when sixth-grader Torin Whittle made the first basket of the game from his borrowed wheelchair, and roared when one youngster tried to steal the ball from Globetrotter Orlando "Elgato" Melendez.

Beyond the fun and laughter, the message from the Globetrotters and the Berkeley-based organizations that sponsored their appearance at the school -- the Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program and the Center for Independent Living -- was serious.

Harlem Globetrotters' Anthony "Buckets" Blakes addresses students at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The appearance allowed non-disabled children the opportunity to learn about wheelchair basketball with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters who are in town for a series of seven Bay Area performances. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group) ( Kristopher Skinner )

Addressing the students from his wheelchair, Trooper Johnson, a former member of the U.S. National Wheelchair Basketball team and sports coordinator for BORP, told the young people in the audience that people who use wheelchairs "can do the same things you can do."

And CIL Executive Director Stuart James, who also uses a wheelchair, told the students, "This wheelchair isn't a big scary thing -- actually, it's pretty cool."

The Globetrotters, the traveling attraction of basketball artistry and high jinks now in their 90th year, are in town for a week of appearances at Oracle Arena in Oakland and SAP Center in San Jose from Friday through Jan. 24.


The stop in Berkeley was made as part of their Great Assist initiative of outreach and involvement in the communities they visit. This is the second year the Globetroters have visited Berkeley.

After Globetrotters Melendez and Anthony "Buckets" Blakes were introduced, it was time for the kids without disabilities to strap themselves into wheelchairs, which are modified for basketball, and roll onto the court.

Harlem Globetrotters' Orlando "El Gato" Melendez passes the ball during a game of wheelchair basketball with students at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. The appearance allowed non-disabled children the opportunity to learn about wheelchair basketball with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters who are in town for a series of seven Bay Area performances. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group) ( Kristopher Skinner )

Sixth-grader Spenser Walton, who shot several baskets, was one of those who crashed into a teammate on the court. "It's hard to know where or when to move," he said of the experience.

Other students shared their impressions.

The challenge for Liam Mattingly was trying to dribble with one hand and move the chair forward with the other.

Elijah Williams said he's normally a good player -- and a fast runner. "But I can't go fast in a wheelchair," he said. Normally he jumps when taking a shot. "But the strap holds me down," he said.

Torin Whittle said he'd had fun, but found that "it's hard to scoop up the ball" from a chair. And it was hard "because you're a little lower to the ground than you're used to."

But Whittle said he'd learned something that day: That able-bodied and people without disabilities can do the same things. "They just do the same things differently."

The Globetrotters closed out the event with some fancy ballhandling and words for the youths to take away with them.

"All of you have something to offer," "Buckets" Blakes said. "Whether you have a disability or not, you have something to offer to the world."