07.18.2008 6:23 am
Smith’s secret hoops weapon: One tall Obama aide
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
State Sen. Jeff Smith’s annual hoops tournament and community fair is Saturday in Fairground Park, and make no mistake about it: The feisty Democrat is in it to win it. 
How do we know?
For his squad, Smith has recruited Barack Obama’s Missouri Vote Youth Director, the 6-foot-7 Julius van de Laar– who just happens to have played forward for the Furman University basketball team.
Smith has recruited three other tall ballers, which begs the question of why they would let the 5-foot-5 lawmaker on the court.
“None of them are guards,” Smith explained. “They need me to feed it to them down low.”
And, of course, it’s his tournament.
There’s no need for the sarcasm; Senator Smith is a baller. The man can play!