Wizards ‘go all in’ at Siegel Center

After five days of training at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, the Washington Wizards ended training camp with an open to the public intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. The “Black” team defeated the “White” team 53-49.

This is the third year the Wizards have held preseason training at VCU.

“The Siegel Center is a great facility,” said Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan. “We enjoy having training camp and working with the tremendous staff here at VCU.”

Prior to beginning camp, the Wizards had the court and hoops from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., shipped down to Richmond and installed in the Siegel Center. Jordan said that the players were “more familiar and comfortable” with their own court. A laughing Gilbert Arenas added, “Your floor was kind of hard so we had to bring our own.”

Even in the dreary weather this weekend, fans could be seen walking up and down Broad Street decked in Wizards regalia. They filled an anxious queue outside the Siegel Center for up to an hour.

“Living in Richmond, it’s hard to follow the Wizards,” Will Chan said after getting in. “It’s really cool to be able to see the Wizards play at VCU and all the exposure they are giving our school.”

Sitting in his seat before the action began, KJ Hermosa said, “I’m excited to see an NBA team come to VCU to play. For the most part I am a Wizards fan and I’m ready to see what they can do.”

After going through some basic shooting, three-man weave drills and a pep talk from Jordan and his assistants, forward Andray Blatche took the microphone. He thanked VCU and let everyone know that they were ready to “go all in,” citing the Wizards new marketing slogan for this year.

Two-time NBA All Star and USA international point guard Arenas garnered the loudest cheers from the 2,300 fans in attendance at Siegel during player introductions. The Wizards were split into two squads; the white, which included Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Antonio Daniels, and the black, which included Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, and Peter John Ramos.

VCU students were in for a treat as the Wizards showed the fruits of their labor from the past five days of practice. Arenas was at the center of several big plays as he scored the first points of the game with a nice fadeaway jumper from 20 feet. Five minutes later, Arenas would throw a behind the back pass to rookie Mike Hall for a slam dunk that brought the crowd to life.

Another player who stood out was Stevenson, an offseason free agent signing from the Orlando Magic. Stevenson seemed to not miss a beat with his new team and in one play did his best And One impression when he beat his man off the dribble at the three-point line, penetrated while blowing past two more defenders, and layed the ball in eliciting a huge ovation from the fans.

Michael “Beast” Ruffin and Antonio Daniels also contributed greatly, ending the scrimmage as the leading rebounder and scorer respectively.

But in the end the afternoon belonged to the fans and VCU students who were obviously having a blast.

“It was a cool experience to watch an actual NBA practice and to see how they play,” said Sunny Singh. His brother Karas Singh added, “I liked how the players gave back to the community by throwing out T-shirts after the game.”

The Wizards players also left with a positive experience at VCU.

“It’s been great here; the people have been really nice,” said forward Mike Hall, “For a college this is a nice facility.”

Center Etan Thomas added, “It was really comfortable down here. It was nice to be treated so well especially while we were working hard during two-a-days.”

The support that the VCU students offered was also greatly appreciated.

“We always appreciate the fans coming out,” Arenas said. “That’s why we hold these scrimmages, so the fans can come and see the players before we begin the season.”

Butler commented that fans were “unbelievable” and that they made him feel “right at home.”

The Wizards are now back in D.C. where tonight they will host the Toronto Raptors in their first preseason game.

Basketball fans who missed the game or just want to see more hoops action can make their way to the Siegel Center on Friday for Ram Madness.