(ABC 6 News) – The Harlem Globetrotters are in town Friday night at the Mayo Civic Center and for one player, playing in Rochester is personal.

While people have their favorite players if yours is Arysia “Ace” Porter, you might not know her love of basketball started in Rochester.

Going to Gage Elementary, Porter got into basketball at seven, when her dad took her to a local park to shoot some baskets. She made a basket on her first try and the rest is history.

“I think, the full circle comes like I get to come here and I get to show them what I’ve been working on. It’s been a lot since then and a lot of growth,” Porter told ABC 6 News.

“But now, I just get to come here and put on the memories. Which is the purpose of the Globetrotters. To put on some smiles for them and then just to show, you know, this is where I grew up.”

With the team since 2022, Porter describes the Globetrotters as a basketball game mixed with family entertainment. While it’s about the game, it’s also about the message.

“Especially the women on the team, I think my duty is to show that we’re just as capable. And we can do anything that anybody else can do. Anything the men can do, maybe a little bit better, you never know. But I think that’s the main thing, putting out the ladies and just paving the way for them.”

Porter says she’s excited to stay out on tour and continue seeing the world. For more information and tour dates, you can click here.