The Harlem Globetrotters presented their 2010 “Magical Memories” World Tour at in Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University Thursday night.

The Globetrotters dazzled the crowd with their athletic and precision skills as part of its 84th consecutive season of touring, and they are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1926, Chicago native Abe Saperstein created the team and adopted the name Harlem for the word’s association to the African-American community. All of the original players hailed from the south side of Chicago and most attended Wendell Phillips High School.

Over the years the team has played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 118 countries.

The current roster includes players with ties to North Carolina. Orlando “El Gato” Melendez and Cobra Coley both graduated from North Carolina universities. Ant Atkinson is a Wilson native.

Melendez immigrated from Puerto Rico and graduated from Marion High School before attending the University of North Carolina.

Coley is originally from West Palm Beach, Fla., and is playing his first year with the Globetrotters after graduating from UNC-Charlotte. Coley’s claim to fame comes from his 40-inch vertical leap and ability to slam dunk. He missed winning the 2009 Slam Dunk Championship by a single point.

Atkinson — who did not play in Thursday’s game — was a first team All-American at Barton College.

He’s best remembered for leading a comeback victory in college basketball, scoring 10 points in 39 seconds to beat top-ranked Winona State in the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship. The storybook finish became a YouTube favorite, gaining popularity for Atkinson who was selected as a top pick by the Harlem Globetrotters’ inaugural player draft.

Since joining the team, Atkinson has traveled the world and appeared on ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”