During warmups before the game, the Rockets were working the crowd at Alumni Gymnasium from high fives to slam dunks. Houlton’s Isaac Cone even had the chance to go on the floor and play a bit of one-on-one with The Finisher to show his “magic.”
From the beginning of the game all of the players were unsure what their role was on the court. It was impossible for any of the players to get a feel for the game because the game would go on relatively normal for two minutes, and then “Showtime” or “Super Chicken” would take over and the Harlem Rockets would be dancing or pulling some type of prank, which was usually followed by another two or three minutes of basketball.
The players awkwardly tried to keep the same pace of game as the Rockets by running up and down the court throwing up 3-pointers and jogging back on defense, but even then the players were completely unsure of what was coming up next, as was the crowd.
The shenanigans began early and were inserted often within the show — shooting silly string into the unsuspecting audience to “Super Chicken” adding an Afro wig and referring or swinging his Jamaican dreadlocks to rev up the laugher.
During the game it was jokingly mentioned to Houlton girl’s coach Shawn Graham, who was sitting in the stands with his family, that “If Houlton was going to stall in a game someone would call out ‘Princeton’ or ‘triangle’, but if the Rockets are going to stall, they call out ‘Chicken Dance’.”
No matter the mischief that the Rockets performed on each other or the crowd, they displayed their skill and talent for the game, which awed children and adults alike.
Overall, it was a combination of confusion and entertainment from the players’ point of view, while making each child and adult in the packed house feel good.
The Class of 2008 raised nearly $3,000 for Project Graduation.
Rockets rock in Houlton
While the kids in the crowd laughed with excitement, the players on the court gawked around with confusion. None of the Houlton “Super Seniors” knew what to expect when playing against a team like the Harlem Rockets. Some expected an unorganized game, but none expected the chaos that was the Harlem Rockets show.
