Tay trotting way around the globe

Just got off the phone with former local hoops star Tay Fisher, now a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters.

The former Kingston High School and Siena College standout, now nicknamed "Firefly," and his new teammates bring their high-flying act to his old stomping grounds, Albany's Times-Union Center, on Feb. 7th. "I'm just blessed," Tay, who's already been to Qatar, Libya, Spain and Tunisia, among other exotic locales, said. "Just when you think it's good, it gets better and better. ... I want to be a Globetrotter for a long time." For my story, which will appear in the Poughkeepsie Journal next week, we talked about playing for the world's most recognizable hoops team, playing more than 260 games between December and May, not to mention all the hard work he and his teammates put in to make their skills look so flawless.

Sure, it's Super Bowl Sunday, but if you can make it to Albany, I highly recommend it! The Globetrotters came to my alma mater, SUNY New Paltz, in 1998 and it was a night I still remember fondly to this day. It was the most amazing sports display — half-court shots, a guy who dunked from 2 feet above the rim — I've ever seen. They put on a must-see show!

"Learning all the different moves and seeing the smiles that I'm able to put on the faces of kids, moms and dads when we play in every city — it's remarkable how much they enjoy it," Tay said, when I asked him about the best part of being a Globetrotter. "I'm happy I'm able to do that."

For more information about the Globetrotters' game in Albany — I'm guessing they'll beat the Washington Generals ... that's just a hunch! — click here.