Celtics assistant coach sporting new P.E.I.-themed Air Jordans
'I want to do his home proud'
An assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, originally from P.E.I., is making plans to show off his new Island-themed kicks in Toronto at a marquee game on Christmas Day.
Scott Morrison got the idea to refurbish a pair of his Air Jordans along P.E.I. lines last summer. He was coaching the Celtics' summer league team and a player from Senegal had shoes with images from his home country.
Morrison approached Toronto-based shoe artist Shea Coughlan to do something similar for his own home.
"I wasn't sure how they'd come out," said Morrison.
"He exceeded my expectations. I just sent him four or five pictures of stuff that represented P.E.I. to me and said do your thing."
Coughlan said there was a lot of back and forth over the design.
"I want to do his home proud," he said.
"I really like to create an experience for my customers, as I did for Scott on his, and I really want them to mean something."
The post-production work on the sneakers is durable enough for regular use, said Coughlan.
"Scott could go to a basketball practice in these shoes," he said.
"They are made to be worn and that's where a lot of the experience comes in."
Morrison said he wanted the shoes as a tribute to P.E.I., and he is planning to break them out for one of the NBA's biggest stages.
The Celtics are scheduled to play the Toronto Raptors Christmas Day. Morrison is hoping the new shoes will attract some attention, both for Coughlan and for Prince Edward Island.
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With files from Island Morning