BOSTON — Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer might have just one-upped his father on the basketball court.
Hoyer won a game of P-I-G on Tuesday against Slick Willie Shaw of the Harlem Globetrotters while the two messed around at Basketball City to promote the Globetrotters' game Saturday at the TD Garden. After, the pair went to Children's Hospital Boston to visit with the kids.
"Obviously, this is fun," Hoyer said of the basketball game, "but going over to the hospital is what you really look forward to, just bringing a smile to the kids' faces when they're going through a rough time. I think that's the most important part."
Shaw started by teaching Hoyer a few of the Globetrotters' techniques with the ball before they went one-on-one in P-I-G. Things started slowly for Hoyer, who couldn't match Shaw's lay-up, in which he spun the ball on his finger all the way from the free-thrown line before scoring. Shaw scored the next point by knocking down a shot from half court.
But Hoyer found his way back into the game, most impressively by hitting a shot from behind the backboard. Then, Hoyer won when Shaw couldn't match a shot from out of bounds beyond the 3-point line in the left corner.
"Highlight of my week," Hoyer exclaimed.
The newly re-signed Patriots' quarterback has some family history with basketball. His father, Axel Hoyer, was a forward for Ohio Wesleyan University, so he always pushed his son toward the court. Hoyer, though, was a standout in football and baseball at St. Ignatius High School in Ohio, and he decided to walk away from the hardwood.
"I know it was rough for him when I told him I didn't want to play basketball anymore, but for me, it's just fun now to go shoot, play some pickup hoops and things like that," Hoyer said. "That was his first love, so I was always out there playing. He loved watching me play, but it wasn't for me."
Things have obviously worked out for Hoyer, who signed his restricted free agent tender to return to the Patriots for his fourth season. And next year, it's widely believed he'll earn an opportunity to start somewhere else around the NFL.
But for the time being, Hoyer can revel in a different type of victory. As the Washington Generals can attest, it's not every day someone shows up and takes down a Globetrotter.
Have a question for Jeff Howe? Send it to him via Twitter at @jeffphowe or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
