Grizzlies ragged but energetic on first day of camp
Ronald Tillery
Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins ended the first day of his first NBA training camp by challenging his players to a game of "go home or sprint."One player had to dunk while another sank a free throw while a different teammate buried a 3-pointer — all in sequence — so the team could board the bus and return to the hotel.
If not, the Grizzlies had to run the length of the court.
It took a few tries. But guard Marcus Williams finally ended the night session with a long-range basket that led to a roar and wrapped up a day in which there was plenty of trial and error.
The Griz have a lot to smooth out. But that was to be expected with a bunch of players coming together for the first time.
"Raggedy," Hollins said when asked to sum up the day. "They worked hard but we have a long ways to go. It was raggedy, but with good effort."
Hollins brought the team to Birmingham-Southern College as part of a bonding mission. The process continues all week with two-a-day practices.
Tuesday’s sessions were geared more toward conditioning and introducing basic offensive and defensive principles.