Get Herald RSS "Photo:")
In a stunning move, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has announced he is withdrawing from the 2008 presidential race to take over as the head coach of Princeton University's men's basketball team. In a hastily arranged press conference, Obama cited the opportunity to compete against his brother-in-law, Brown Head Coach Craig Robinson, in the Ivy League.
"It has always been a dream of mine to be elected to the presidency, but my secret first love has always been basketball," Obama said. "When I first began dating his sister Michelle, Craig challenged me to a game of one-on-one. Even though he was this big star at Princeton back in the day, I was beating him 10-9. But he banked in a two-pointer and then, even though we had explicitly agreed to the 'win by two' rule, Craig took his ball and went home. Let's just say, I have never forgotten about that game."
Obama has no prior experience coaching basketball, and it is unclear if he ever played organized basketball beyond grade school. But his political savvy and likeability should bode well when negotiating with referees during games, and his name recognition will carry over to recruiting.
Princeton's decision to hire a political figure is almost unheard of in major college athletics. On the other hand, Obama cannot work out much worse than the Tigers' last hire, Joe Scott. Inheriting an Ivy League Championship team in the fall of 2004, Scott led the Tigers to a 38-45 record over his three years, setting numerous records for ineptitude along the way.
Scott's 2004-2005 and 2006-2007 teams are the only two in Princeton's history to finish the Ivy season with losing marks. The 2005-2006 team managed to lose to Carnegie Mellon University - a Division III school - and tied the record for fewest points in the three-point era, pouring in 21 against Monmouth University. This year's squad finished last in the Ancient Eight with a 2-12 mark.
Despite the challenges he faces in turning the program around and his limited knowledge of the game, Obama expressed confidence that he could restore the luster to the once-proud program.
"Hey, I'm in politics," he said. "I know a thing or two about winning without knowing a whole lot about all the issues. I don't think any players are going to catch me by surprise with any questions either. I mean it's not like they're from the (New York) Times. Did you see my speech at the convention?"
Robinson was unfazed by Obama's entrance into the Ivy race. The Bears went 6-8 in the conference in Robinson's first season at the helm, defeating Princeton twice. Despite being hired only last summer and having limited opportunities to work with his team prior to the beginning of the season in October, Robinson was able to take a young team and keep it competitive throughout the year.
"Tell him to bring it on," Robinson said. "I can tell you right now, he just lost his invite to Thanksgiving dinner, that's for sure. He'll be sorry when he's missing out on my world-famous mashed potatoes."
Obama's hiring heats up the Princeton-Brown rivalry in the Ivy League, but it puts the Hillary Clinton-Obama political rivalry on hold for now. Clinton's only comment on Obama's decision to withdraw from the race was "I wish him luck, but he'll never beat Wellesley."
