Lawmakers play hoops with Obama at White House

WASHINGTON — You could call it the Obama All-Stars vs. the Capitol Hills.

President Barack Obama and a few members of his Cabinet played basketball Thursday night at the White House with a handful of House members, two of them Republicans.

“We ran into a president with some serious game,” said Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.

Obama had “a sweet crossover move” and appeared to be in great shape, Inslee said. “He put a real nice move on me and beat me along the base line.”

On the president’s team were Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. Also playing with Obama was his personal assistant, Reggie Love, once a forward for the Duke Blue Devils.

The game was closed to the press. Expected on the House side were Democrats Mike Arcuri of New York, John Boccieri of Ohio, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill of Indiana, Inslee and Rick Larsen of Washington state, Frank Kratovil of Maryland, Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania and Heath Shuler of North Carolina. Republicans invited to play were Jeff Flake of Arizona and John Shimkus of Illinois.

After playing with Obama, Inslee said, “I’m glad we could take his mind off the turmoil in the world for an hour and a half.”

Earlier in the day, reporters asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs why no women were invited to play, a point Gibbs called “well taken.”

“The president, obviously, is someone who, as the father of two young daughters, has an avid interest in their competing against anybody on the playing field” Gibbs said. “The president’s certainly played basketball and other sports with women in the past, and I anticipate he’ll do so in the future.”