DAYTON — President Barack Obama will be making his first visit Tuesday to Dayton as commander-in-chief.

The White House announced Thursday that Obama will be bringing David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom, with him to the University of Dayton Arena to take in a NCAA First Four basketball game, the first step to the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“I think it’s great. He is a huge basketball fan,” City Commissioner Nan Whaley said. “Even he knows that Dayton is a huge basketball town.”

Whaley is also a member of the NCAA First Four local organizing committee, which is showcasing the event with a free festival Sunday in the Oregon District from noon to 10 p.m. when the teams playing in the First Four will be selected.

The University of Dayton Arena and the city have been hosting NCAA tournament games since 2001, first as a play-in game between the 64th- and 65th-ranked teams for the final spot in the national tournament.

When told the White House had confirmed the visit, Catherine Petersen, Montgomery County communications director, was ecstatic.

“How fantastic for our area that the president of the United States is coming to the First Four at the University of Dayton Arena,” she said.

Greg Gantt, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, also was pleased with the president’s visit. “We should be Daytonians first, whether we agree with the president’s politics or not,” he said.

The White House said the visit is part of Cameron’s trip to the United States.

No details were immediately available.

Assistant Police Chief Mark Hess said the Dayton Police Department had yet to receive any formal notification. The department has a special dignitary protection unit. University of Dayton officials declined to comment.

Last year, the NCAA expanded the format to include eight teams playing for four spots and tapped Dayton as host through 2013. City and community leaders have said they want the First Four to have a permanent home in Dayton and are working to convince the NCAA to keep the venue in the city .

The organizing committee has raised $600,000, plus thousands more in in-kind donations, to showcase the city through the NCAA First Four Festival on Sunday and activities for the teams during their stay. Montgomery County contributed $200,000 and Dayton gave $25,000. The remainder came from local businesses and individuals.

The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau estimate d this year’s First Four will bring $4 million to the local economy.

“We are celebrating the city and getting national attention,” Whaley said . “The president’s attendance will be great for ticket sales and great for showcasing Dayton.”

Organizers have said they have sold more than 10,000 ticket packages for the 13,000-plus seat arena.

Obama was last in Dayton on July 9, 2008, to campaign. Then-Sen. Obama stopped at Dayton’s Stivers School for the Arts, where he spoke about his plans for education if elected president. That same day, Obama held a campaign rally at Fifth Third Field.

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