All is not lost playing for Washington Generals. Columbus North grad sees the world
· Yahoo Sports
Coaching the Washington Generals comes with an understanding that you are not necessarily preparing yourself for the next big job with the Duke Blue Devils or Boston Celtics.
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“I don’t think it will translate to high school or college coaching,” Kooper Glick said with a laugh. “But it’s a good thing to talk about. It’s good on the resume.”
The losses pile up, of course. For more than 70 years, the Generals have played the foil to the Harlem Globetrotters, losing game after game, city after city.
Glick, 29, never imagined a life playing for the Washington Generals. Does anyone? The former Columbus North standout, a close friend and teammate of former Bull Dog star Josh Speidel, played in junior college for a year before going on to be a key player for Division II Barry University (Fla.) for two years, then closing out in 2018-19 with Emporia State (Kan.), where he averaged 13.3 points per game.
The sweet-shooting lefty, who put up 35 points on Central Oklahoma late in his senior season, was not ready to give up the game after college.
“I didn’t have incredible stats or incredible film, but I felt like I was good enough to keep playing,” Glick said.
So, he packed up and played professionally in Armenia. He was there four months. “I didn’t have a great experience,” Glick said. At the end of his season, he returned home and told his agent he was ready to be done and move into the “real world.”
“He said, ‘I’ve got one more opportunity for you,’” Glick said. “That was the Generals – and I’ve been doing it seven years now.”
Glick, who started out playing before transitioning into a coach/player role last season, has been to 40 countries on six continents. When he was on the World Tour playing against the Globetrotters in 2024, he played 92 games over 121 days in Europe. He has seen three of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Pyramids of Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil – through his travels with the Generals and Globetrotters. He has scored 87 points in a game in Denver. And yes, it came in a loss.
“It’s been a blessing to utilize basketball as a vehicle,” Glick said. “It’s taken me around the world to meet different people and gain insight and gain knowledge. And there’s a lot of little things like trying local cuisine and going out and exploring cities. It’s been really cool traveling the world and playing basketball.”
It can be grueling, too. The “season” typically starts around Christmas and runs through the next four to six months with the summer and fall filled with international tours. There have been nights when Glick was completely exhausted before he even arrived at the arena.
But he has also witnessed the magic the Globetrotters have delivered to basketball fans for 100 years.
“Sometimes you feel like a rock star doing this because we’re on tour and entertaining the masses,” Glick said. “And then other times it’s incredibly brutal. You get the arena dead tired. But then you get in front of the fans and the energy comes back.”
The Washington Generals, founded in 1952 by Louis “Red” Klotz, competed in thousands of games against the Globetrotters over the years. The Generals took on a few different iterations over the years, including 11 years as the New York Generals from 1995 to 2006. The Generals dissolved in 2015 before coming back two years after they were purchased by the Herschend Family Entertainment, the owners of the Globetrotters.
There are times, especially playing internationally, when the Generals are mobbed by fans.
“The kids will swarm us and ask for autographs and I’m like, ‘You know this is worth absolutely nothing right?’” Glick said with a laugh. “I’ve signed so many autographs. We’ve had times where we come back to the hotel and fans from the game will be there, or we go get something to eat and they’ll just follow us. It’s pretty cool.”
There are three groups of Generals’ teams, each made up of eight players. Glick transitioned into more of a coaching role this year, though he did still continue to play depending on the night. The teams are made up of players who competed at the college level.
“There’s actually, surprisingly, not that much turnover,” Glick said. “My group might have one rookie every year. Looking at the pictures and videos really takes you back and makes you smile. Any athlete knows your teammates become your family. Going through the ups and downs out on the road with your family makes it even more special.”
Not that family always gets along. There have been some disagreements with his North Carolina teammates about the state best known for basketball. “We argue about that all the time,” he said.
Glick is not sure how much longer he will continue to compete as a Washington General. Traveling eight or nine months of the year can be difficult. “The older I get, the more I want to settle down somewhere,” he said. Glick, whose family owns a funeral home in Columbus, said he has interest in real estate or working with his family. He also works on the side as a basketball trainer in Columbus and would like to continue in that area.
But when Glick does get done, he will have plenty of stories to tell.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about the Generals and the Globetrotters,” he said. “I think whatever I do in my next chapter, the things I’ve learned as an athlete will carry over. It was completely unexpected to go this route, but being a Washington General allowed me to fulfill my dream of being a professional basketball player and travel the world.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: All is not lost playing for Washington Generals. Columbus North grad sees the world