Indiana students picked for 3-on-3 basketball game with Obama

Tools

By Beth Boehne

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kory McKay has been assisting Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Now, he'll assist him on the basketball court.

McKay, who volunteers for Obama's campaign office in Kokomo, is one of two students from Indiana schools who earned a chance to play three-on-three basketball with the senator. High school students who registered 20 people to vote and university students who signed up 30 new voters for Indiana's May 6 primary were eligible to be chosen for the game.

Obama's campaign announced Monday that Blake Hancock, a Marion High School junior, and McKay, an Indiana University-Kokomo freshman, have been chosen to play. Hancock and McKay each collected more than 150 registration cards, Obama's campaign said.

The date of the game has not been decided.

McKay is excited about the chance to spend time with Obama. He met Obama briefly in Chicago in 2005 and shook hands with him again more recently in Muncie.

"To share the court with him, and at least show him my 3-point shot, will be a huge honor," McKay said.

McKay's father, Gary McKay, ran for mayor of Kokomo in 2003, and ran for city council numerous times as a Republican. Kory McKay said his father was fine with his choice to be a Democrat.

"When I told my father, he chuckled and said 'if that's what you want to do, that's fine with me,'" Kory McKay said. "He doesn't have any bitterness towards me. He taught me to look at people for who they are and not the color of their skin or the political party they represent."

Thirty-eight other students from around the state who helped in the Obama campaign's voter registration effort will also be invited to meet the Democratic senator before the game. The campaign said Indiana was chosen because of its rich basketball tradition.

Obama was a member of Hawaii's championship high school basketball team in 1979. A recent YouTube video clip shows him casually sinking a three-point shot at a school gym in South Carolina during a visit to promote his education policies.

"He's a political Michael Jordan," Kory McKay said. "I've heard he's a very talented ballplayer."

Hancock will select two friends to match up against the team of Obama, McKay and one other person.

Hancock hasn't picked his teammates yet. The 6-foot-3 varsity football and baseball player joked that he's made a lot of new acquaintances since winning the contest, but none of them will be on his team.

"I know who my real friends are," he said.

Obama's campaign staff said the game would likely be played according to standard three-on-three rules, in which the first team to reach 11 wins.

Obama is battling Hillary Rodham Clinton for the state's 72 pledged delegates that are still needed to sew up the Democratic nomination for president.

Kory McKay said he's glad he's on Obama's team, joking that he might have fouled him too hard if he was on the other squad.

"I don't have to worry about getting tackled by Secret Service."

Hancock said he's not worried about hurting Obama.

"I'm just going to play basketball," he said.

Tuesday, Apr 15 at 11:14 AM The Rand Man wrote ...

"He's a political Michael Jordan,"? He must be referring to his stint with baseball.

Tuesday, Apr 15 at 8:06 AM whs student wrote ...

i think it is nice to see a future president to have a nice game of b-ball with some high school students i would love to do that and i don't even play b-ball.if i could vote (iam a 16yr old junior)i would for sure vote obama

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

Comments are moderated and will not appear on this story until after they have been reviewed and deemed appropriate for posting.

WSBT and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

WSBT Weather

icon
Current Temp 37
°
More Weather
More On Demand

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Tonight On WSBTFull Schedule

7.00
Wheel of Fortune
7.30
Jeopardy!
8.00
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
9.00
Grammy Nominations Concert Live
10.00
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
11.00
WSBT News
11.35
Late Show with David Letterman

Question of The Day

Do you agree with Notre Dame’s decision to keep Charlie Weis?

E-mail your comments. We'll pick some to read during WSBT News at 5.

  • Yes
  • No