Harlem Ambassadors visiting Evangeline Parish

The Harlem Ambassadors professional basketball team visited Evangeline to tour the area, stopping by Ville Platte City Hall Wednesday to meet Mayor Jennifer Vidrine and have lunch. The team capped off their visit by giving a demonstration and motivational presentation to parish fourth through sixth graders Friday at Ville Platte High School.
Team members come from different areas of the U.S., and the coach, Ladè Majic, used to play professionally in Israel before the Harlem Ambassadors formed in 1998.
The team grew enough that during the 2002-2003 season, a second team was formed. One team tours primarily in the eastern part of the country and the other in the west.
The name Harlem Ambassadors is appropriate in that the teams have performed in about 20 countries through the years so far. During the 2010-2011 season, the team had 219 performances nd 115 “Stay in School, Stay off Drugs” youth motivational programs.
Team members are chosen for their basketball skills as well as their positive life outlooks and ambassador-like interpersonal skills.
The team uses a mix of solid basketball skills and humorous gags to present a program stressing a family-oriented lifestyle that includes avoiding drugs, racial harmony and good citizenship.
While most team members stay with the Harlem Ambassadors for a couple of years, because of the strenuous pace of touring, Majic, the team coach, has been with the team all of its 15 years of touring.
Majic says on the team’s web site,“I love meeting the kids. That’s the best part of the event. It makes everything worthwhile. At our shows we want kids to know that they’re part of our team, too. We invite as many kids as we can to sit on the bench with us and have a front row seat. We want kids to get involved in all the fun!”
Sponsors of the event were Tee Cotton Bowl and St. Landry-Evangeline United Way.