By Charley Falkenburg, Staff
Chatter, laughter and excitement the kind only young children can generate permeated the Johnson Park Elementary School gym as students from every grade level gave their undivided attention to Herbert “Flight Time” Lang of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters.
Mr. Lang made a special visit to the school on March 6 to personally congratulate Ms. Mary Demarest’s fourth grade class for winning the Harlem Globetrotters Goodwill essay contest last year.
The essay was written on the importance of the Princeton Young Achievers Program.
As a special reward, he presented his team’s CHEER program on good character to the entire school peppering in some of famous tricks along the way.
”It’s part of what we do we go around delivering positive messages and have fun at the same time,” said Mr. Lang.
The children were captivated as soon as Mr. Lang introduced himself while spinning a basketball effortlessly on his fingertip.
After the momentum from playing the “Harlem Globetrotter Clap Game,” Mr. Lang taught the students about CHEER, a program that was designed by the Globetrotters with the help of the U.S. Department of Education. He explained the acronym stands for cooperation, healthy mind and body, effort, enthusiasm and responsibility.
He demonstrated how his team lives by each of those words and how they should apply those same words to their lives in and out of the classroom.
Mr. Lang picked four students to join him and represent cooperation, healthy mind and body, effort and enthusiasm.
By popular vote, second grade teacher Gerri Bustillo ran up to represent “responsibility.”
When asked about her definition of responsibility, Ms. Bustillo said it meant doing what is most important at the time.
The participants then participated in Mr. Lang’s “Magic Circle” Johnson Park style. The audience laughed as the basketball passed under legs, over backs, and off elbows and heads in the five-minute performance.
The fun didn’t stop there.
Eyes widened and “wows” were murmured as Mr. Lang transferred a spinning basketball from his fingertip to the tiny tip of kindergartner Abigail McMillin.
Mr. Lang took the time to answer questions about himself and his team. He answered a range of inquiries from how many games he has won to requests of showing how to do a slam dunk a skill that got him noticed by the Globetrotters in 1998 despite his 5-foot, 10-inch height.
But the real question? Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?
”I would take Kobe a couple of years ago, but now I would take LeBron,” he answered.
Mr. Lang performed one last signature trick scoring a basket from the back of his neck eliciting applause, cheers and multiple “do it again” chants.
Before departing, he invited everyone to come out and see his team play over the weekend. The Globetrotters are set to play two games at the Sun National Bank Center on Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.
”I’m riding solo now, but I look forward to playing with my guys this weekend,” said Mr. Lang.
But winning is just a plus for the team.
”Making people happy is what Flight Time and the Harlem Globetrotters are all about,” said Mr. Lang.

