THE WHITE SHADOW was a popular television series during the late 1970's about a former NBA player coaching an inner-city basketball team.
A memorable season two episode titled GLOBETROTTERS had all the makings of a jump the shark occasion (that's when a TV show begins going downhill)...
But it's actually a classic, entertaining and important episode because, for starters, it introduced us to (despite the next episode, ME? Formerly introducing him to the team and coach as well as another character-student beforehand) a new member of the Carver High School basketball team...
Nick Vitaglia, played by John Mengatti, is the cousin of Timothy Van Patten's Salami. A New York native, Nick can't stand Los Angeles for several reasons...
There's no stickball, the weather is much too sunny and there's never any rain...
Although at one point the rain does fall, causing Nick to dance beneath the wet sunshine while the other players look on in disbelief...
Nick continues to complain about his new home, but he and Salami have some old school fun crashing a sporting goods store...
Sending an uptight employee into an emotional tizzy...
The episode has a lesson intact: The Carver High team is on a winning streak and their egos have heightened to epic proportions.
Coach Reeves (Ken Howard) has an idea: have the team work a charity car wash to bring them down to Earth... The plan doesn't work.
The guys have so much attitude, they're even condescending to several of the "menial laborers" at the car wash.
And for some odd reason, these lifelong basketball fanatics don't recognize the employees as the famous Harlem Globetrotters, a trick-shot basketball team that humiliate opponents, worldwide.
At the end of the episode, Reeves sets up a surprise game with the famous b-ball dynamos: and the Carver team learns a lesson in being humble, and realistic.
As can be expected, the Harlem Globetrotters destroy the Carver High players in front of the entire school. At one point they even pour a bucket of water on token team wimp Goldstein (Ken Michelman).
Back to the point at hand... John Mengatti's Nick Vitaglia wound up a permanent resident of Carver High and became an instant fan favorite.
Usually a new cast member of any already popular (and in this case, perfect) TV series would be an unnecessary addition - but not only did John Mengatti fit in perfectly with the team, he brought a cool edge and street savvy humor to the proceedings.
