Woodward was the first female player to be signed by the Harlem Globetrotters in 1985, after captaining the women’s Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984. I actually pick his brain,” she said enthusiastically.Įkworomadu, who spends down time coaching kids back in Dallas, is continuing an important legacy for women that Lynette Woodward started. 3 Globetrotter jersey was retired in 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York. … And if you work on your weaknesses you’ll get better,” she said.Įkworomadu said she never got the chance to meet ex-Globetrotter and NBA great Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain before he died in 1999, but she has had the pleasure of meeting Fred “Curly” Neal, whose No. Even if you can do the trickery, you have to work on your individual game. “A lot of people just see the tricks, but if you want to play this game the best thing to do is to focus on basketball first,” she said. “On our days off, I lift a couple weights, and I stretch to prevent injury,” said Ekworomadu, who also uses massage after games and vigorous workouts for sore muscles. Now she’s more conscious about taking care of herself. We travel so much,” she said.ĭuring her first year playing for the team, she was sick quite often. I try to stick with things like salmon, chicken and veggies and try to have a good breakfast of fruits, real eggs, toast - so your brains get going, especially being on the road - and I try to always get a good night’s sleep. Staying fit goes beyond her rigorous performance schedule. I ask them how they enjoyed the show and how they’re doing.” I feel I’m making a difference in the world,” she said. Obviously, this is a great thing, a great job for me to have. “Whatever God’s purpose is for me, I go with that plan. She connected on a school-record 82 three-pointers her senior year and finished third in the 2008 College 3-Point Championship.”

Her Globetrotters official bio notes she “was the Southland Conference Player of the Year and Student Athlete of the Year in 2008, when she averaged 18.7 points per game and led the school to an opening round Women’s NIT victory. The Sentinel & Enterprise spoke with Harlem Globetrotter Joyce “Sweet J” Ekworomadu on Monday morning. In 1971, in an unprecedented, last-minute upset, the team beat the Globetrotters 100-99. The Harlem Globetrotters, founded by Abe Saperstein in 1926, with their “trick shots and side-splitting comedy,” will match up against the infamous Washington Generals, founded by the late Red Klotz. WORCESTER - The iconic Harlem Globetrotters will pump up the DCU Center on Friday with a show families have been marveling over for decades. Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site. The team plays Friday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Harlem Globetrotter Joyce 'Sweet J' Ekworomadu takes the ball down the court during a game at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in 2013.

Sweet j globetrotters