It will be long past classroom hours at Summit High on Friday night when the Central Oregon Hotshots host the Salem Stampede. But school might very well be in session.

Grayson Boucher (pronounced BooSHAY), aka ”The Professor,” is expected to make his International Basketball League regular-season debut for the Stampede against the Hotshots, with game time set for 7:15 p.m.

Boucher, an Oregon native from Keizer, became a sensation while playing on the And1 Street Ball Tour, a group of players that travels around the United States and beyond, entertaining fans as a fresh, hip-hop version of the famous Harlem Globetrotters.

Boucher, noted for his ball-handling skills, was even featured with other And1 ballers last June on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Asked why his nickname is The Professor, Boucher responds: ” ‘Cause I school people on the court.”

But Boucher, 21, remains humble when he talks about his first experience in regular pro basketball with the minor-league Stampede. In fact, he currently plays behind two of Salem’s high-scoring guards. He played just eight minutes in the Stampede’s 116-113 exhibition loss to the Seattle Mountaineers on Saturday.

Boucher insists the adjustment from street ball – a form of basketball with emphasis on showmanship, individual skill and dunking – to regular basketball has not been difficult.

”It’s not a complete adjustment, but it’s a learning experience because it’s pro ball,” Boucher says. ”With And1, we practice just like my pro team. We play regular ball, too.”

The 5-foot-10-inch, 150-pound Boucher played basketball at McNary High School in Keizer and then at Salem Academy. He played one year at Chemeketa Community College in Salem before being discovered at an And1 street ball tour tryout in Portland.

”I’ve always been overlooked my whole career because I was too small,” Boucher says.

The And1 tour changed that. The tour, which is sponsored by the And1 shoe and apparel company, has been a television hit on ESPN2. And it has made Boucher internationally famous.

Boucher says he will miss the last few of the Stampede’s regular-season games, when the And1 tour starts in June. The tour hits 25 U.S. cities through August, then heads overseas to Brazil, Australia, Japan and Europe.

”I’ve met so many celebrities and NBA players,” Boucher says of his And1 experience.

On the tour, Boucher is known for his hesitation and spin moves, and for his ability to throw perfect alley-oop passes.

But Stampede coach Joe Becerra says that Boucher is much more than a street-baller.

”Grayson is just a tremendous ball-handler, besides the showmanship,” Becerra says. ”He pushes the ball extremely hard and does not turn it over, and he can score inside the paint. He’s a really good, fundamental defender, and that’s really surprising to people.”

Says Boucher: ”I love regular basketball as much as I like street ball. At heart, I’m a regular basketball player because that’s what I did before I played street ball.”

Hotshots coach J.J. Anderson says his team should match up well with the Stampede, and he is eager to see what The Professor can do.

”It’ll be interesting to see what his game is all about in a more regular setting,” Anderson says. ”He’s probably one of the most recognizable players in non-NBA basketball.”