Times Wire Reports

KOKOMO | For Barack Obama, figuring out how to cap a long campaign day in basketball-crazy Indiana was a no-brainer -- you shoot some hoops.

After a noisy campaign rally, Obama donned sweat pants and a "USMC" shirt for a little action on the courts, with no ordinary companions. His 3-on-3 team included Alison Bales, a member of the WNBA's Indiana Fever.

Blake Hancock, a Marion high schooler was picked to take part in the game because he collected 150 voter registration forms, and he picked some high school friends and they joined Obama for about 15 minutes of half-court hoops.

Obama is noted for using basketball to get his exercise and is said to be a fierce competitor. He kept up with the younger competitors, but at one point joked with medics standing by that they might be needed.

And he proved to be effective, scoring four baskets that included a nifty left-handed three-pointer, along with four rebounds and a couple of steals.

In what he'll certainly interpret as a sign of things to come in Indiana -- which is in the next round of primaries May 6 -- Obama's team won 15-5.

While his relative lack of Washington experience has been repeatedly used against him, Obama's youth and athleticism could offer a dramatic general election contrast with Sen. John McCain, 71, the likely Republican nominee.

But in a Chicago Tribune interview Friday, Obama said he has no plans to use McCain's age against him, should he win the nomination. He also discounted suggestions that the Arizona Republican is too old to be president.

"I don't think that's going to be the issue that people vote on," he said. "'People respect John McCain. They know he's a tough guy."

On every major primary day -- with the exception of New Hampshire, where he was surprised with a loss -- Obama has played basketball. It's a game he has played since childhood, striving to perfect his left-handed jump shot on playgrounds and in exclusive health clubs.

In the short term, basketball is almost never a bad thing in Indiana, where a critical primary is May 6.

"I get asked about basketball every single day," said Rep. Baron Hill, a Democratic congressman from the state and member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

"I've watched him play," Hill added of Obama. "He's not a bad player. He's got some game."

The Associated Press and Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.