Washington Generals Tour of China Commences

Photo by Jectre. Used under Creative Commons.

The Washington Generals and the Globetrotters have now officially started their tour of China with Yesterdays game in Liaoyuan. For the next 15 days, the Washington Generals will be playing the Trotters in 10 cities in China.

This tour is actually a precursor to a later China tour in December that will hit some of the biggest cities and venues that country has to offer.

This is an exciting tour for Washington Generals fans, Harlem Globetrotters fans, and the Trotters themselves.

First of all, it is exciting for the Washington Generals because as has been reported on this blog earlier, two new Generals will be participating in this tour.They will be Ryan Gunderson from St. Francis and Adam Powell from Greensboro.

I wish both of these young men good luck in what has to be an exciting tour for the both of them. I can't imagine being a young guy right out of college, and getting to play the spot you love in such an exotic land. Heck, I am 35 and have yet to even get a passport.

While both Powell and Gunderson are only signed up for the China tour, it is common practice for the Generals to test out their new players with a short overseas tour before using them for the upcoming season.

Of course, an offer they like better might come along for either of them, or they might simply choose not to play with the Generals. That life is most definitley not for everyone as the usually short careers of most Washington Generals players will attest to. However, we could be looking at one of the next team captains as well.

These guys are the first two players to join the Washington Generals since I started this blog, and I won't lie, I am excited to see what the future holds for both of them. One thing I do know, the Washington Generals have a long history of recruiting not only good players, but good people. So I am sure both of these players have a great future in store. Even if that long team future doesn't have Green and Gold in it.

Just one last Washington Generals note before I move on to my next point. Scooter was among the Harlem Globetrotters to make public appearances in China to promote the tour. I assume that means it will be Special K's Globetrotter team touring China.

That also means most likely it will be Coach Reggie's squad of Washington Generals that Gunderson and Powell will be playing for during the tour, as that is usually Generals squad paired with Special K.

I haven't been able to confirm either of these yet as the Trotters don't really make those details public. As more reports of the China and Argentina tours come out and I can piece it together I will be sure to update everyone.

This is also a big tour for the Globetrotters as they definitley have big plans to expand their following in China.

Already the Globetrotters have opened a satellite office in Beijing and even have a website up, although it's still a work in progress. You can CLICK HERE to view it, but don't ask me what it says because I have no idea.

Building interest in basketball around the world is nothing new for the Washington Generals or the Harlem Globetrotters. In fact, both teams have played in China before and the Globetrotters even met with Chinese Vice premiere Teng Hsiao-Ping back in 1979.

While the Harlem Globetrotters may have been around longer than the Generals, they are what they are today with the help of their less glamorous, but no less important counterparts. For their plan to work in China they will need the Generals to help show them the unique experience a game between these two teams offers.

I have no doubt that Adam, Ryan, and the rest of the Generals are up to the task.

Related links:

Deng Xiaoping Meets the Harlem Globetrotters

Harlem Globetrotters Flying Through China