Where is professor from and1

Making the NBA was going to be very, very tough. This meant that each month he would receive a shipment of AND1-branded clothes and basketball equipment. Celebrities Athletes Actors Musicians Lists.

He grew up in Oregon. He was 18 years old. Boucher went on to form Global Hooper in , his own brand of basketball streetwear. Some people are gifted genetically with the ability to shoot, dribble, run fast, and jump high. But another big part of making it to the NBA is having the size and strength to compete with the best in the world.

Most basketball players at this level are tall, some are really tall, and almost all of them combine the gift of height with exceptional on-court skills that allow them to succeed and thrive in the league.

There is no rule that says so and many great players have been under 6 feet tall. But height is a huge advantage and if you have the basketball skills to go with it, you just might be NBA bound. One reason this could be is his size. This is maybe an average size for a full-grown adult male, but by NBA standards, it is small. He would have a hard time getting away with some trick moves, even though they are amazing and hard to do, at the NBA level.

I think if he really wanted to, when he was young, Boucher could have had a shot at playing in the NBA. He did have the skills to make an excellent point guard with his unreal ball handling, awesome passing, and long-distance shooting abilities.

His small size is a factor, sure, but if you look at a player like Nate Robinson , Spud Webb , or Muggsy Bogues , they were also smaller in size, similar to the Professor. If he gave it a shot and was focused on competing at an NBA level, instead of just streetball, I think he would have had some good years in the league. Boucher also has a really unique set of basketball skills that would have made him difficult to guard in the NBA. AO, "that he was only here because he was white.

But it was his game that convinced his future teammates. Fess is one clutch baller. Twice that summer he hit buzzer-beating game-winners against the And1 contract team. The one from 26 feet at Madison Square Garden in front of 10, fans won most of the And1ers to his side. Main Event. Before hooking up with And1, Boucher had left the state of Oregon only three times.

The biggest crowd he'd played for was about Suddenly, he was traveling all over the country and playing in front of at least 5, fans a night, a screaming, dancing, fist-pumping demographic that John Harvey, a.

High Octane, dubbed Hollyhood. From a basketball standpoint, the assimilation was smooth. But with him it doesn't look rehearsed.

P is just playing. Socially, the learning curve has been a bit steeper. He does his best to blend. He's got shorts below his knees and big T-shirts. He's all, 'S'up, Oc? Boucher insists he talks and dresses the same way he always has. But he does admit to coming out of his shell since joining the team.

Early on, after signing with And1, Fess would sit at the mike during promotional spots and speak quietly only when questioned. But in this gig, he has learned from the masters of smack.

His favorite trash-talker, Troy Jackson, a. Escalade, says he knew the new life had soaked in the day Fess hit Philly radio listeners with a boastful dare: "You haters want to be me? Come and see me! As The Professor has become less of an oddball on tour, he feels more like one at home. Before a promotional signing in Salem's Lancaster Mall recently, Fess chows a burger at the food court.

He's jittery: "I wonder if anyone will show up. Fess looks relieved. He had nothing to worry about. Since earning his contract 18 months ago, The Professor has become And1's most popular baller, getting more appearance requests than any other player.

The tour uses Fess in its national advertising campaign in addition to Alston and Jason Williams. Because fans would get so annoyed when Fess wasn't available for postgame autographs, the company had to change its policy: Fess no longer meets with the press after games. Still, this is the first time Boucher has been The Professor so close to home.

He strides unobtrusively into Copeland Sports. Inside, people are already lined up. His people. His new people. He's no longer Grayson Who Plays in the Park. Most of these fans don't even know he's from around here. To them, he's a mythic character they know only from TV.

The Latino kid from the food court waits patiently at the back of the line. He's also inspiration. The freshly painted one-bedroom sits in an ordinary development. Boucher pops in Volume 1 , the Skip tape. Through jerky, handheld footage, you can make out Alston crisscrossing, cuffing, shaking defenders. It's eerily familiar choreography. Sitting here at the intersection of his two worlds, Boucher gives Alston the highest Professorial sign-off: "See that?

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