The Harlem Globetrotters Swing Through Farmville on 2024 World Tour

On April 2, the Harlem Globetrotters brought their 2024 World Tour to the Joan Perry Brock Center – hosting another major event at Longwood University in the arena’s first year in operation.

“I think the event went as smooth as it can go,” said Craig Stover, general manager of the Joan Perry Brock Center. “I would have loved to have a sellout, but I think the event went very well.” According to Stover, 1,600 tickets were sold to the event.

Stover began in his role in mid-2023, hired to manage the JPB close to the end of the 2022-23 academic year. Stover said the process to bring the Globetrotters to Longwood began around the same time. The process was a long one – including contacting a promoter, hashing out details through months of negotiation, and finally setting a date. This also includes various financial obligations, such as ticket sales.

The Globetrotters’ visit was the traditional Globetrotters experience: full of trickshots, comedy, and crowd interaction. At points, players threw water into the crowd, ran into the seats and joined the crowd themselves, among other interactive elements.

Furthermore, they brought in children and other fans from the crowd a number of times, including at one point where a group of kids “stole” the ball from a Globetrotter – tying the game in the fourth quarter between Harlem and their opponent, the Washington Generals.

However, in Globetrotters fashion, they stormed back and defeated the Generals 106-104 – notching yet another win in a storied history that includes over 27,000 of them. After the game, the Globetrotters hosted a meet-and-greet and autograph session where fans could get their merch signed by players and take selfies

The game brought in attendees from students, to members of the Farmville community, and beyond. One student who attended the game, Daniel Hince, said during halftime he was surprised the Globetrotters stopped in Farmville. “It’s really impressive,” he said, “I didn’t think we had a big enough stage for them to come here.”

Hince, along with Serenity Allen, said this was their first time ever seeing the Globetrotters. They agreed events like this help get students excited about the end of the semester. When asked what kind of events they would like to see in the future, Hince said, “Something like this. They get students excited, especially late in the semester when you’re getting stressed by finals,” adding, “it’s really cool to unite over something.

Stover said he and others are already looking at events for next year – both those he hopes will bring in a wider audience, as well as events focusing primarily on students.

“One of my goals for next year is to try to bring some more family-friendly events. As an example, Sesame Street Live,” he said. Stover said he also believes an increase in events for a wider audience will continue to spread the word about JPB to community members and beyond

On the other hand, Stover said he is working towards the JPB expanding the amount of student-centric programming – in addition to the already-existing pep rallies and basketball games. For example, Stover said he is working with Campus Recreation on a Club Boxing event in JPB with a target date of November 2.

Stover also said he is constantly looking for student ideas and feedback on events – which you can submit to him directly or at JPBinfo@longwood.edu.

The Harlem Globetrotters at JPBPhoto by Savannah BartlettManaging and Photo Editor