Obama hoops it up Friday night
Posted: Sunday, April 27, 2008 11:32 AM by Mark Murray
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
KOKOMO, IN -- Obama has been known to shoot a few hoops from time to time, but Friday night in central Indiana was the first opportunity the traveling press has had to bear witness to his skills as a baller.
Obama played in a 3-on-3 basketball game after a town hall here. The other participants were Marion High School junior Blake Hancock and Indiana University-Kokomo freshman Kory McKay, both supporters who collected voter registration forms from new voters to qualify for the “3-on-3 "Challenge for Change."
Hancock, who wore a T-shirt with "Blake the Great" on the back, invited two friends to join the game. Also on the court were WNBA Indiana Fever’s Alison Bales -- the tallest player on the court -- and the Fever’s Tamika Catchings, an Olympic gold medalist, who refereed.
Obama came out on the floor to cheers of "Yes we can." He wore long navy sweats, white tennis shoes, and a gray USMC (US Marine Corp) t-shirt, a gift from an agent.
During the roughly 25-minute match on half the court, Obama played well, blocking a few shots and sinking four of his own -- including the winning shot from three-point range. At one point, he drove to basket for lay-up, missed, rebounded his own shot, tried again, and scored.
He had a few turnovers and managed several assists, many of them to Bales, who hit quite a few shots herself.
