Under CEO Keith Dawkins, the Harlem Globetrotters have been making big moves over the last few years, and as the organization prepares for its 100 Year Tour, the Globetrotters made another big move by announcing its 2026 rookie class, one of its biggest in team history.
The group consists of 10 athletes, six men and four women, with players hailing from different walks of basketball life including The Big East, the Northeast Conference, the Southland Conference, HBCU schools and Yoh Iwasaki, the Globetrotter’s first athlete from Japan and third player from Asia (the others are “The Mongolian Shark” seven foot, Sharavjamts Tserenjanhor, who was the first Asian player in the early 2000s [his son Mike is currently starting at The University of South Carolina] and Jiang “Lucky” Shan from Beijing, China, signed with the team as part of their 2020 rookie class, who spent two seasons with the club).
These rookies will join the returning players, who are preparing for the official tip off event at Madison Square Garden on December 14th.
“This year we bolstered our player recruitment efforts with help of a scouting consultant with deep roots across the basketball landscape which resulted in us having greater presence at important events like NBA Summer League, the NBA Draft Combine, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and other facets of the global basketball landscape,” said Keith Dawkins President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios, in a statement. “All of this activity led to our first-ever open tryout, where these athletes were selected, and we are very proud to welcome them to the Globetrotters for this once-in-a-lifetime Centennial season.”
The rest of the Globetrotter and Washington Generals rookies include:
- Zanai Jones (Jersey City, NJ) – A 5’6” point guard who spent 3 years at Villanova University, before she transferred to SMU and averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
- Mike Saunders Jr (Indianapolis, Ind.) – A 6’0” guard appeared in 17 games as a grad transfer at Pepperdine in 2024-25 after being a key contributor for McNeese State’s Southland Conference Championship team averaging 6.0 points and 1.6 assists per game… prior to McNeese he was at the University of Utah, averaging 4.1 ppg in one season after two seasons at the University of Cincinnati where he averaged 8 ppg in two seasons.
- Deangelique Waithe (Lehigh Acres, FL) – A 6’0” forward who played three seasons at Long Island University, averaging 12.6 ppg in her senior year, earning team MVP honors, and was selected All-NEC Tournament 2nd Team.
- Kaleb Wallace (Atlanta, GA) – A 6’5” forward, played at Carson-Newman for two seasons and Catawba for two, averaging 8 ppg and 3 apg as a 6-5 guard.
- Ty’Ohn Trimble (Alton, IL) – A 5’7” guard, averaged 8 PPG and 5 APG in two seasons at Dillard University after starring at Parkland College for his first two seasons
- Tyrus Crawford (New Orleans, LA) – A 6’7” forward played for the Dillard Blue Devils where he averaged 4.76points and 4.7 rebounds per game
- Tauris Watson (Lexington, SC) – A 6’3” guard, played collegiately at West Georgia and Wofford after leading the Panhandle Conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game on 47.8 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent from 3-point range.
- Gabrielle Bunch (Laurel, MS) – A 5’9” guard who played at Mississippi Valley State from 2022-2024.
- Marissa Mandeldove (Lilburn, GA) – A 5’5” guard from Clark University, where she averaged 18 ppg in her three seasons for the Panthers, earning all SIAC honors her senior year.
- Yoh Iwasaki- a dynamic freestyle dribbler and trick shot artist whose short form videos have been seen by millions.
Per the release:
The full 100th Anniversary Tour will continue onwards with Boston and Pittsburgh on Friday, December 26th and continue the roll out across 200+ domestic markets and over 125+ markets internationally.
Fans can also expect all-new surprises like the Golden Basketball by Spalding®, epic pre-game Magic Pass experiences, 100 Year limited edition merchandise and many other new innovations for the “Ambassadors of Basketball.” International markets such as France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Mexico, and across Asia are just a few of the many locations the Harlem Globetrotters will be touring in winter of 2026 and running through the remainder of the year.
For more information about the Harlem Globetrotters™ and the Tour, visit their official website: www.harlemglobetrotters.com
