WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey is confident that he could successfully take on President Barack Obama one-on-one in basketball.
“He’s got a great left-hand jump shot,” Casey said of Obama Tuesday, “but I think the closer to the basket I get, I think I can score on him.”
While Obama was busy filling out his 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket, Casey was playing in the 26th annual “Home Court” charity basketball game between members of Congress and Georgetown Law faculty at Trinity Washington University.
In the first half, Casey shook off a slow start to put his mid-range game on full display as he sunk jumper after jumper. At halftime, he looked past the “Hoya Lawyas” to address a more-prestigious opponent: the commander in chief.
“We played a couple of times in 2008 and then one in 2010, but never one on one,” Casey told The Daily Caller. “I think before he leaves office I’m going to make the request for that.”
Both Casey and Obama played high school basketball and boast coaching experience. They are almost the same age — Casey being 52 years old and Obama 51 — so neither would likely have an advantage.
Obama gloated about his “solid” crossover to ESPN’s Bill Simmons last year, but size could play the difference in a battle between competitors past their prime.
According to the White House’s medical exam of the president in 2012, Obama stood at 6’1″, 180 pounds. Since then, however, critics have alleged he has lost a notable amount of weight. Even when Obama first took office, Casey looked like he had a slight size advantage.
“I think it’d be very competitive,” said Casey of the potential showdown.
He refused to pull a Rasheed Wallace and guarantee victory, even shying away from predicting the game’s result altogether. He did admit, on the other hand, that if Obama would win, outside factors could influence play.
“He has Secret Service protection,” Casey told TheDC, “so I think he has somewhat of an advantage.”