Joyce's Profile

PHOENIX -- On the heels of their annual training camp in New York, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters have signed four outstanding new players to join the iconic basketball team for their much-anticipated 2014 "Fans Rule" World Tour. The 2014 rookie class includes former Bobcat in Joyce Ekworomadu.

"We are coming off our best touring year ever in 2013, with more and more fans enjoying the Globetrotters than ever before," said Globetrotters Legend Sweet Lou Dunbar, the team's director of player personnel. "The Globetrotters are primed to make 2014 even more successful, and these terrific rookies will be a big part of that success."

The Globetrotters have set over 300 box office records in North America the past five years and entertain more than three million fans annually in dozens of countries across the globe, bolstering their status as the world's premier family entertainment company.

Among the Globetrotters' 2014 rookies, Joyce "Sweet J" Ekworomadu is the 12^th female player in the history of the Globetrotters. Ekworomadu 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 (hitting the game-winning shot), the first postseason win in program history. Ekworomadu connected on a school-record 82 three-pointers her senior year and finished third in the 2008 College 3-Point Championship. She previously played professionally in Poland and Italy and has been a member of the Nigerian national team since 2007. The parents of the Dallas native are from Nigeria but moved to the U.S. before she was born. Ekworomadu joins the Globetrotters with current female stars TNT Maddox and T-Time Brawner.

The other Globetrotter 2014 rookies include Corey "Thunder" Law of High Point University (N.C.), dunking sensation Jonathan "Hawk" Thomas of Marshall University, and the extremely versatile Saul "Flip" White, hailing from Summit, Ill.

The Globetrotters broke camp by officially tipping off their 2014 "Fans Rule" World Tour with the first-ever events at the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine, on Sept. 20 and 21. Tickets for the North American leg of the tour will go on sale Oct. 7, 2013, with the tour recommencing on Dec. 26, 2013. The Globetrotters will play more than 290 games in over 250 cities in 47 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico through April 2014.

The Globetrotters are currently preparing to visit Australia for the first time since 2004, with a 15-game tour of the country, beginning in October. The team will also entertain U.S. troops based overseas on their annual Holiday Military Tour before the North American tour resumes.

Sponsored by Wonderful Pistachios, Howard Johnson Hotels and Greyhound Lines, the Original Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 88^th consecutive year, continuing a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages. Throughout their history, the Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 122 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans—among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents—over more than eight thrilling decades. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, and to purchase tickets and team merchandise, visit the Globetrotters' official Web site: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.