Barack Obama, St. John Bosco fan? Former president cheers on Braves at Hawaii basketball game
Barack Obama's love for basketball has been well documented, including the high school game.
He took in St. John Bosco (California) vs. Saint Louis (Hawaii) on Monday night at the Iolani Prep Basketball Classic in Honolulu, where Obama was born.
The Bosco boys basketball team noticed Obama in the crowd, noting that the 44th U.S. president was rooting for the Braves:
Or was he rooting for both? The Braves were playing Saint Louis, coached by Obama's high school teammate in the late '70s on the Punahou Buff 'n Blue, Dan Hale.
St. John Bosco won the game 69-47 to advance to the next round against host Iolani on Wednesday.
Five-star sophomore Brandon McCoy and junior Kade Bonam each scored 21 points for St. John Bosco, the No. 1-ranked team in SBLive California's Southern Section Top 25 and No. 14 in the national SBLive/Sports Illustrated Top 25.
Obama — then known as Barry Obama — won a high school basketball state championship with Punahou in 1979.
He played JV and varsity basketball for Punahou:
The lefty went on to play basketball for Occidental College in Southern California in the early '80s before eventually turning his attention to politics, which seemed to work out pretty well for him.
But he clearly hasn't lost his love for basketball.
If Obama attends the St. John Bosco-Iolani game Wednesday and cheers for the Braves again, it'll be interesting to see if he shows up in Bellflower this season.
(Feature photo by Robert Deutsch-USA Today Sports)
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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
