Mar 14, 2006 3:45 pm US/Mountain
Bush Visits Autistic Teen Hoops Star
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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At the airport in Rochester, N.Y., President Bush met with Jason McElwain, the autistic student who scored 20 points in the last four minutes of his first varsity basketball game.
CBS
President Bush is the latest in a string of high-profile fans to call on Jason McElwain, the autistic basketball manager who drew national cheers by scoring 20 points in four minutes for his high school team.
On his way to Canandaigua, N.Y., Tuesday to speak at Medicare events, Mr. Bush stopped at an airport near here and greeted McElwain, accompanied by his parents and coach, and called him "a special person."
"Our country was captivated by an amazing story on the basketball court," the president told reporters gathered on the tarmac, his arm draped around the 17-year-old senior, with Air Force One, the presidential jet, in the background. "It's the story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which in turn touched the hearts of citizens all around the country."
The president joked that if his aging body would let him return to the basketball court, he'd want a lesson from McElwain.
McElwain, who because of his autism, didn't begin talking until he was five and still lacks some social skills. Despite suffering from the little understood developmental disorder, he has served as all-around motivator for the Greece Athena High School basketball team, in Greece, N.Y., a Rochester suburb.
Last month, the coach had him suit up for the final home game of the season and put him in with four minutes to go when the team opened a large lead. In his first and only appearance for the team, the 5-foot-6 manager missed his first two shots, but then sank six three-pointers and another shot, for a total of 20 points in three minutes.
"My first shot was an air ball (missing the hoop), by a lot, then I missed a lay-up," McElwain told CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman. "As the first shot went in, and then the second shot, as soon as that went in, I just started to catch fire."
"I've had a lot of thrills in coaching," Johnson says. "I've coached a lot of wonderful kids. But I've never experienced such a thrill."
The jaw-dropping performance was caught on a student video and made national news. Hollywood is also hounding him to sign, Hartmann reports. McElwain's mom, a dental hygienist, says they've already heard from Disney and Warner Brothers.
Mr. Bush said he learned about McElwain from seeing him on TV.
"I wept, just like a lot of other people did," he said, as McElwain beamed beside him.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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