Jan. 21, 2020
Terrace Road School staff and students were treated to a complimentary visit from Zeus McClurkin, a Harlem Globetrotter.
Zeus entertained everyone by talking about his life and path to play basketball. Zeus, who is 6’8”, shared that he is a testament to not giving up or letting obstacles get in the way of achieving one’s dream. He was cut from every basketball team he tried out for from seventh grade through tenth grade but he kept pushing and finally made his high school team for his junior and senior seasons.
He played his first couple of years of college ball at a Division II program but the departure of the head coach left Zeus on the outside looking in. Undeterred, he enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University, making the basketball team as a walk-on, beating out 30 other hopefuls in the process. Zeus earned an undergraduate degree in business management at NC A&T and then a master’s degree in marketing and communications from Franklin University, based in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Zeus is also one of the most decorated athletes on the Globetrotters rosters holding three Guinness World Record titles. Zeus has set the mark for:
- The most basketball slam dunks in one minute with 16 in 2017
- The most bounced three-pointers in one minute with 15 in 2017 and
- The most behind-the-back three-pointers with three baskets made in 2018.
Zeus shared his fun personality and crazy trick shots with students and shared an anti-bullying message reminding students to:
Talk to an adult
Empathize with others
Ask questions and
Mobilize to manage stress
Students and staff were delighted with his presentation. One student said that Zeus changed her life as she was able to talk to her mom about her problems at home.
Special thanks to the Globetrotter organization for this special opportunity.
