Playing B-Ball with Barack Obama, 1988/1989, by Marshall Poe
From MemoryArchive
Who: Marshall Poe What: Playing Basketball with Barack Obama When: 1988/89 Where: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Playing B-Ball with Barack Obama, 1988/89
In 1988/89, I received a fellowship to work on my dissertation at Harvard (I was in a Ph.D. program at Berkeley). In those days I played basketball a lot more than I studied, which may have had something to do with the seven years it took me to complete my degree. As soon as I got to Cambridge, I discovered “the Mac,” as everyone calls the Malkin Athletic Center. As university rec centers go, the Mac is pretty much a disaster, though Harvard has made repeated and very costly attempts to put a better face on it. The basketball courts are particularly crappy: the gym is on the third floor, it’s drafty in the winter, sweltering in the summer, and has only one regulation sized court, the other two courts being somewhat too narrow (and too narrow to allow any short of perimeter game). Despite the poor environs, the Mac is where all decent pick up basketball is played at Harvard.
And this is where I had the opportunity to play with Barack Obama—Senator from Illinois, Democratic rock star, and possible presidential candidate. Barack played in the “afternoon game” (vs. the “noon game”). This game was particularly popular with undergrad jocks and competitive guys from the professional schools. Obama was, of course, in law school. I knew him as one of the “law school guys.” This was a group of players that included Barack (a lanky forward—see more anon), Leon (a lithe diddling guard with big horn-rim glasses and a great sense of humor), Frank (great ups, tough inside—I’d played with him when he was a Berkeley undergrad), and a huge guy from the Caribbean whose name escapes me. There were also other regulars who should be mentioned: Jeff (a very strong off guard), Tom (tough forward with a surpassing jump shot), Sandy (fast guard, great handling skills, good shooter), Big Bill (a very athletic power forward, impossible to stop in the paint), Mark (another power forward good near the basket), Doug (a mathematician…), Curtis (yet another power forward with an excellent inside game and real stopping power), and “Jack Plastic Shirt” (an older guy who always but always wore one of those PVS weight loss shirts—he was a bit strange). I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone, but the years have taken their toll on my memory.
We’d get together nearly everyday at 4:00 to “run” for a few hours. There was lots of yelling and fighting and misbehavior—which is to say it was an ordinary pick up game. It was competitive—there was no “next five” rule, that is, the guy who “next” could pick any players he wanted, even if they had just come off the floor. If you weren’t good enough, you never got picked up. I remember asking new guys whether they had played high school ball. If they hadn’t, they got passed over and had to play on the “side court.” The “center court” was for good players only. In hindsight, that was cruel. But we didn’t want to play with just anyone.
And now to Barack. I remember him well for several reasons. First, his name. “Baruch” means “blessed” or something in Hebrew, and a Jewish friend of mine had just taught me the Shabbis blessing of the wine for fun (we used to drink a lot in those days, and a little ancient ritual made drinking that much better). I recall thinking it was an interesting name for an African American to have, and wondered about Obama’s background. Second, as I’ve said, he was part of a crew of "law school guys" (as opposed, say, to the “business school guys”). Finally, Barack had game, and he was even then a natural leader. He was tall (I’d say about six-four), but very thin, and this shaped his style of play. He couldn’t really hold his own in the paint, but he had good ups and would snatch rebounds over slightly shorter and heavier players in a graceful motion that reminded me of Karem. He was relatively fast and agile, but had no outside game that I recall. I do remember him bringing up the ball from time to time, which was probably not a good idea (though I don’t think he had a bad handle). It suggested that he wanted to be in charge (I did the same thing sometimes, much to the chagrin of my teammates).
The game was full of what you might mildly call “personalities,” and fights of various sorts often broke out (usually over bad calls). Lots of yelling and anger. Barack participated, as did pretty much everyone, but I don’t recall him really going off on anyone. He was active in arguing, but he didn’t loose his cool. He often played the role of conciliator. He had (and has) a great, rich baritone voice that commanded respect and a nearly continual fetching grin, a real “thousand watt” smile. He was a winning personality, and respected for his opinion, even though he wasn’t one of the best players.
On the whole, Barack acted like everyone else: he was competitive, wanted to win, and he did what was necessary to achieve this end. On the center court at the Mac, picking players for anything other than skill usually lost you the game, and so Barack didn’t do it and neither did most anyone else.
I recall fondly sitting on the sidelines of the court after we’d played until exhaustion. We’d rehearse every moment in the games, laugh at each other’s bad play, and generally have a good time. It was very friendly and very enjoyable. I liked Barack, and I loved all of my b-ball comrades—even if I occasionally lost my cool (sorry, guys). It was a blast.
