Rockets see new practice facility as ‘more of a game changer’ than expected
The benefits of Houston’s luxurious new training and practice facility, which will host training camp for the Rockets starting Oct. 1, are already being realized.
Speaking at a Sept. 11 community event for first responders, general manager Rafael Stone said 15 members of the team’s current 20-player roster had worked out at the $70-million facility earlier in the week.
Among his comments:
It’s wonderful. Everything is state-of-the-art and really well done.
The ability to have a dedicated facility that is built around the team’s needs is honestly much more of a game-changer than I thought it would be. When you’re in it and you’re using it, you’re newly appreciative. All you need to play basketball is a basketball court. That’s where we’ve been for the last 20 years. All of a sudden, you get all these new resources, you’re like, ‘This is amazing.’
“The biggest difference is the space to do everything, from the weight room to the training facility to the court,” second-year prospect Cam Whitmore said. “We have two courts now. It’s great.”
Complete interviews with Whitmore and Stone are available on this page via Jackson Gatlin and his Locked on Rockets YouTube channel. Prior to this season and ever since Toyota Center’s downtown opening in 2003, the Rockets had primarily practiced on a smaller practice court inside their home arena.
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This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets: New practice facility ‘more of a game changer’ than expected
