Kemba Walker poses for pictures in front of a large white screen in a little room at the Seigle Point Community Center Friday. He twists, turns, dribbles, flexes, flicks the ball and tries to comply when he's asked to look gangster.

But he's menacing only on the court. Walker is 6-1, weighs 172 pounds and was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats Thursday with the ninth pick in the NBA draft.

At Connecticut, Walker was magic. He led the Huskies, an among-other-teams-receiving-votes group most of the season, to the Big East championship and the NCAA championship. He was the best player on college basketball's best team, and whatever the Huskies required - points, passes, poise or a push - he gave.

Will the qualities that distinguished him last season distinguish him in the NBA? All Friday afternoon, strangers looked at him as if to say, "You don't look special. You look like one of us. But, hey, can we have your autograph?"

Walker left his Manhattan hotel at 5 a.m. Friday and caught a 6:22 a.m. flight to Charlotte. He might have slept Thursday night, but he doesn't think he did. He conked out on the airplane and again for about 45 minutes after he checked into his Charlotte hotel.

At 10 a.m. Walker and Bismack Biyombo, whom the Bobcats took with the seventh pick, were ushered to the office of team owner Michael Jordan. Jordan was joined by general manager Rich Cho and head coach Paul Silas.

At noon, Walker, 21, and Biyombo, 18, were introduced at a gathering of Bobcats' employees.

From there they headed downstairs to the players' lounge. They signed 100 basketballs scattered across three tables and 50 caps lined up on another. When Walker left the room, he saw a chart on a wall that tracks players' strength and conditioning work, and briefly paused to look.

The first name on the chart: point guard D.J. Augustin.

"I'm going to push D.J.," Walker would say an hour later at a news conference.

He would add: "I'm going to do whatever is possible to get on the floor."

The rookies walked out of Time Warner Cable Arena onto a red double-decker Charlotte Party Charters bus. Fred Whitfield, the team's president, served as tour guide as the bus rolled toward Bank of America Plaza.

Fans had been alerted via Twitter that the players were coming. About 200 waited.

A seven-piece band got off the bus first. The trombone player had been asked to play while he was still seated. But a thing most of us have probably never considered is that trombones don't lend themselves to narrow buses.

Rufus the mascot and four members of the team's dance line followed the band, and the rookies followed them.

Biyombo was first. He walked about two feet in front of Walker. Although it probably was a coincidence, Biyombo was drafted two places in front of Walker. Both wore Future Cat t-shirts. Walker wore his over a long-sleeved blue shirt and jeans.

No matter where you stood you could see Biyombo, who is listed at 6-9. But Walker was engulfed and then gone.

Fans were drawn to him. They took pictures and posed. A big blond-haired guy in a green shirt with yellow stripes handed Walker a Sharpie and asked him to sign his back.

Biyombo was drawn to the music and laughed and danced with Rufus and the Bobcat dancers. Walker did not.

"I'm a little shy," Walker said. "I love to have fun, though."

After 30 minutes at the plaza, the tour departed.

"I had no idea that was going to happen," Walker said about the fans. "They were really nice to me."

The bus headed north on Tryon Street and took a right on Seventh.

"How about a T-shirt!" a woman on the sidewalk yelled to Walker.

"I got nothing!" he yelled back.

The bus pulled up to Seigle Point Community Center, home of Freedom School Partners, a group with which the Bobcats work.

The rookies walked in and sat at a news conference. Above them was an orange poster with blue letters (Freedom School Partners Welcomes Our Bobcats!) and two big purple stars.

The players went upstairs and changed into their new uniforms, 28 for Biyombo and 1 for Walker. Stephen Jackson, whom Charlotte traded Thursday, wore No. 1. I'm thinking the Bobcats might not retire Jackson's number.

Down the hall from the players, the Level 2 class waited. The kids are in third, fourth and fifth grade. On the dry-erase board at the front of the room an instructor had written Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, although only the "y" in Dizzy was evident.

Then came one of those moments when, even if you have no interest in the Bobcats, you have to appreciate the impact athletes have.

Biyombo and Walker walked in, and the well-behaved kids clapped and, in time with their instructors, chanted. They were mesmerized. They sat on the floor and asked questions, the first of which was, "Do you have a limousine?"

They asked the rookies if they had a big house. Somebody asked: What's your favorite movie? Biyombo said, "Rush Hour 2" and Walker said, "Stomp the Yard." What's your favorite hobby? Walker said playing video games and Biyombo said reading books.

"The kids were excellent," Walker said smiling. "I really enjoyed my time in Charlotte. It's a great city and they deserve the best."

A little girl asked Rufus and the players if they could dance, and Rufus did and Biyombo did. Walker finally looked up and asked, "Me?"

You! the kids demanded.

So Walker danced a five-second dance. It still counts.

Finally a boy asked, "How tall are you?"

"Six-nine," Biyombo said.

Walker didn't answer. He wasn't asked.