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Bobcats Host Blue/White Scrimmage presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
By David Walters
bobcats.com
December 15, 2011
Blue/White Scrimmage Gallery | Blue/White Scrimmage Video
Excitement was evident as the Charlotte Bobcats treated their fans to the inaugural Blue/White Scrimmage presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina on Saturday, December 17.
Fans showed up early, with many lining the streets outside Time Warner Cable Arena as early as 3 p.m. waiting for doors to open. A full house also packed Lowe's Home Court for a 4 p.m. Chalk Talk with Bobcats Television Announcer Steve Martin, Radio Broadcaster Scott Lauer and bobcats.com's Matt Rochinski.
Despite a 5 p.m. start time, many players, including rookie Kemba Walker, took the court early to shoot around as fans began to fill the lower bowl. Following an address to the crowd from Bobcats Head Coach Paul Silas, the team hit the court for their stretching routines and a light practice before the game, going through drills and running a few plays.
Around 5:45 p.m., the teams tipped off the scrimmage, and the crowd got their first look at Walker in a Bobcats uniform and welcomed him with plenty of cheers. Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin also drew rousing ovations on this night, showing the crowd was ready for some Bobcats basketball.
Both Walker and Augustin wore microphones for the game, giving the fans a more in-depth listen to the teams' two point guards. At one point, Walker took his microphone off, citing that he was "too wild for this."
The game was close into the second half, but at the end it was the White Team of Augustin, Henderson, Derrick Brown, Tyrus Thomas, Boris Diaw, Ronald Dupree Taylor Griffin and Ben Uzoh that pulled away to get the 46-42 victory, despite Matt Carroll's buzzer beating three-pointer.
Henderson led the White Team with 10 points, while Diaw chipped in nine points and three rebounds.
"It was a good one for us," said Henderson. "We got to get out into the arena in front of some fans and do some things that we've been working on the last week, so it was good to get out and have a little fun."
Ismail Muhammad led the Blue Team with 10 points, including a highlight-reel dunk in the final four minutes. Walker played a good all-around game, scoring four points, bringing down six rebounds and dishing out three assists in his Bobcats debut.
After the game, eager fans were treated to a postgame autograph session on the court with all the Bobcats players, coaching staff, the Lady Cats and Rufus. Players stayed on the court for over 30 minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans.
"The fans come out and support us every night, so we want to show them the same support," said Augustin. "If I've got to stay here all night signing autographs, I will."
The Bobcats will next host their first preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. on Monday at Time Warner Cable Arena. Catch all the action on SportSouth, listen to us on WFNZ or join the live chat on bobcats.com.
