Sinks Shot : Bush Praises U of M Team

President Bush saluted University of Michigan’s 1989 NCAA championship basketball team as “America’s sports heroes” today--and then upheld his own athletic reputation by sinking a crowd-pleasing foul shot.

Bush, who played first base on Yale’s 1948 baseball team, stepped to the free-throw line of an impromptu basketball court in the Rose Garden, said nervously, “I’m going to live with this the rest of my life” and lofted the ball toward the hoop.

The ball rolled half way around the rim before it dropped through to cheers from the White House gathering, which included Michigan’s congressional delegation, Vice President Dan Quayle and members of three area high school basketball teams.

Moments earlier, Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson, who tossed in the winning free throws against Seton Hall in the college championship game April 3, showed Bush the preferred way when he swished his shot.

The President described the Wolverines as a blend of “shooting, intelligence and character.”