Of all the basketball players at this weekend’s Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., Devon Collier may be the only who has met President Barack Obama.
The 6-foot-8 Collier, a senior forward at Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony, signed to play at Oregon State, which is coached by Craig Robinson, the President’s brother-in-law.
He attended a Nov. 28 game in Washington, D.C. in which Oregon State beat George Mason and featured President Obama and his family watching from courtside in the half-full Smith Center.
“I never shook the President’s hand so it was exciting for me,” Collier said Thursday by phone. “It means something special because he’s the first black President and I was shaking hands with him. Plus, he’s the 44th president and I’m wearing the No. 44 jersey.”
**For more on the Hoophall Classic, read about Mike Gilchrist’s status here.
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