Swish!
For only the second time in its nine-year history, lobbyists bested members of Congress on Monday night in the annual Hoops for Hope charity basketball game.
“The talent was good,” said George Washington coach Karl Hobbs, who prowled the sideline for the lobbyists. “The surprising thing was the way both teams were competing. I thought it was just supposed to be a friendly, shake hands kind of thing.”
Lobbyist Dave Wenhold, still basking in his side’s 46-35 victory, added, “There’s nothing like banging elbows to get that lobbyist-member interaction going.”
Players and observers alike praised the “sweet stroke” of Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as well as the play of Reps. Kenny Hulshof, R-Mo., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Ron Kind, D-Wis.
On the lobbyists’ side, Al Jackson, Monte Ward and Paul Miller were the standouts of the game at George Washington University’s Smith Center.
Georgetown coach John Thompson III coached the members, which gave Hobbs a victory over his crosstown rival in their first “meeting” (the two men’s collegiate teams haven’t played since they’ve been there).
“I don’t know if I looked at it like that,” Hobbs said. “It was good to just catch up with John.”
In an earlier contest, Hill staffers defeated a younger group of lobbyists, 66-55. The event raised $60,000 for local children’s charities.
