PORTLAND — Craig Robinson participated in his first campaign event for brother-in-law Barack Obama since becoming Oregon State’s basketball coach — a three-on-three “Hoops for Change” event designed to boost voter registration.

Robinson, hired by the Beavers on April 7, refereed Monday’s game. Portland Trail Blazers James Jones and Channing Frye served as coaches and team analyst Antonio Harvey provided the play-by-play.

Robinson is the older brother of Obama’s wife, Michelle. The Democratic presidential contender is a basketball fan who played on Hawaii’s state championship team in 1979 and plays pickup games on the campaign trail.

Basketball was a logical vehicle for a voter drive, Robinson said, because it is a way to reach out to younger people, who are historically less likely to vote.

“People older than me have said they haven’t seen anything like this since Kennedy,” Robinson said. “I’ve seen younger Americans getting involved in politics for the very first time. And I have seen older Americans who felt disenfranchised coming back to get involved.”

Contestants who brought in five new voter registrations answered Obama trivia questions for the right to compete in the event. The first eight to answer correctly were selected for the game, including two substitutes.

State Sen. Margaret Carter, a Portland Democrat, rallied a crowd of about 75 at the event, which the Obama campaign held in advance of the Oregon primary election May 20.

Jones and Frye were on their first week of summer vacation after the Blazers’ season.

“I’m excited to be involved in something that’s going to change the country,” Jones said. “Barack gives me the impression that he’s that guy.”