THE show homes were definitively an attraction for prospective buyers at the newly developed neighbourhood of Bandar Park-lands (Bandar Bukit Tinggi 3) in Klang.
But, the setting took an enlivening twist with renowned streetballer Grayson “The Professor’’ Boucher from the AND1 MixTape stable showing up at the People’s Park outdoor basketball court on Saturday.
Following an easier stint signing autographs and posing for photos with his fans at the Hoops Arena Indoor Basketball Court in Summit USJ a day earlier, the 26-year-old icon made his first appearance in displaying his exceptional skills to the spectators including the community around the area.
Stay away: The Professor (left) shielding the ball from previous In Search of Freestylists winner Tan (centre) while Low looks on.The hosts WCT Land also took the extra effort in ushering their visitors to the event with buntings lined up along the Kesas Highway leading up to the venue.
In showing his appreciation to the staunch backing in lining up the exclusive programme as part of his debut appearance in Malaysia, The Professor also handed over a half pair of his collectors’ shoe to the property developer’s sales and marketing manager Stewart Tew.
A total of 80 youngsters signed up for the open run and they were vying to earn the 10 slots for the exhibition match featuring The Professor.
The Professor considered three elements — effort, entertainment and skills — in picking the 10 deserving players.
The tiny figure, who stands at standing at only 1.78m, admitted it was a tough call to select the hopefuls for a rare opportunity to be in the friendly encounter.
“It was great seeing them showing so much interest. And it is always hard to turn them away when they tried their best to be in the line-up,” he added.
Three competent local men’s cagers from the recently concluded National Basketball League (NBL) were invited to join the occasion. The trio were Tan Kian Hoong, Ooi Ban Sin and Low Ee Kheng.
Previous winners of the In Search of Freestylists including Tan Soon Chern, Yap Tee Shen and Ismadi Hamidi were also in the fray.
And this season’s In Search of Freestylists finalist Tan Choon Sing was in his element as the 12-year-old earned a place in the Orange team against The Professor’s Blue Team.
