Education Secretary Arne Duncan has proven his love for basketball this summer, making a couple of surprise appearances at some of the most popular spots to shoot hoops in the Washington, D.C.-area.
The Obama Cabinet member was seen hooping at the famous George Goodman Summer Basketball League games at Barry Farms on July 12. According to Goodman League Media Relations Director Mac Williams, Duncan scored 16 points with six assists in his debut “inside-the-gates” of the Goodman League.
But the former Harvard All-American basketball star didn’t stop there; he was also seen at Georgetown University the following week, hooping in the annual Nike Pro-City League, formally known as the Kenner League.
For 20 years, the Kenner League has been a league for players from Georgetown and other local schools to play ball during the summer. Occasionally, some NBA talent will join in and play, such as former Georgetown players like center Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers or center Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons.
No NBA stars have come out to play yet this summer, but that didn’t stop Duncan from taking the court.
Standing about 6-foot-5-inches tall, Duncan, 47, played basketball professionally for an Australian basketball league, so he’s well familiar with the game.
“I want to thank Georgetown University for opening its doors to so many student-athletes and outstanding ball players from the DC area,” said Duncan, who played for Team Can’t Be Stopped.
“I enjoyed the chance to compete against Georgetown’s current and future players and so many others who play here and in professional leagues across the globe.”
Some of the players didn’t recognize Duncan at first sight, but it didn’t take them long to realize that whomever he was, he had game.
“It was pretty cool,” Georgetown junior guard John Caprio said. “I’ve obviously heard of him, but when we got out on the floor, I didn’t know it was him. Once we started to play you could tell he’s been around the game and knew what he was doing.”