The sounds emanating from the Robertson Gymnasium at the University of California Santa Barbara could only be attributed to that of basketball players in action.
Balls bouncing. Shoes squeaking. Whistles blowing. Shouting. Cheering. Clapping.
Only members of the Portland Trail Blazers and other VIPs in attendance, however, could adequately discern the goings on during the closed session on a sunny, Southern California afternoon.
Afterward, Damian Lillard confirmed that the Blazers had put forth a solid first day of training camp.
“It was about a B-plus,” he said. “It was good energy.”
Lillard added that play certainly could have been sharper, however.
“We’ve been playing for the last month or so and today was the worst day,” Lillard said. “So, I think it was like that excitement and emotion of things being official created some of that sloppiness.”
The team didn’t do a lot of live drills, but Lillard said they did have two eight-minute scrimmages. Each side traded off making shots and playing sloppily.
“Overall, it was a good day but we didn’t have enough ‘five’ action for anything to really get going,” Lillard said. “Just a good day of getting stuff in. Getting back into the swing of things. I think tomorrow will be a more smooth day.”
New starting power forward Jerami Grant said everyone is continuing to get acclimated with one another but added that getting in a few weeks of work prior to camp has paid off.
“We’re ahead of the curve right now,” he said. “Here, we’re just fine-tuning a bunch of things.”
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups had a similar assessment of Day 1. He said coaches installed some plays and concept, and then turned the team loose.
“Usually on the first day you implement things and you start going up and down and everybody is so antsy, it’s sloppy,” Billups said “But it was OK. It was not as bad as I thought it might have been.”
A major difference to this training camp from the previous 10 for Lillard is that he couldn’t go home after practice. The Blazers chose to move training camp out of state in order to create a bonding opportunity. That began upon the team’s arrival Monday night after media day at the Moda Center.
“We’ve got each other,” Lillard said. “I think being here, it’s almost like a retreat. We play basketball, we go through practices, we go eat together and we’re spending time together kind of in a bubble. So, it creates a lot of opportunity for us to bond and get together and be connected as a team.”
For Grant, it’s also his first time in a training camp held away from the city where his team resides.
“I think this is a good vibe,” Grant said.
The idea to move training camp belongs to Billups. The first day left him feeling confident that he made the correct decision.
“We had a really good meeting and dinner last night,” he said. “We will get together again tonight.”
The landing spot does have a bad past memory for Billups. He played his first college game with Colorado at UC Santa Barbara. The Buffaloes lost 71-47 on Nov. 24, 1995.
“We lost and I played terrible,” he said. “I’ve been telling people that for two days.”
Now he’s returned as the head coach of an NBA team coming off of a 27-55 season. New players, new schemes and a new setting, with great accommodations.
The team is staying at the Ritz Carlton Bacara, which rests along the beach, adding to the overall team-bonding experience.
“Everybody’s obviously really happy waking up looking at that water every day,” Billups said. “So, the mood is good.”
-- Aaron Fentress reported from Santa Barbara, California.
afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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