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Rockets Training Camp 2002, October 1-7
By: Mark Swanson, Rockets.com correspondent
Steve Francis, stepping up his team leadership role, has looked impressive at camp.
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Day Six: October 6
NEWS & NOTES
Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis were very impressive during extensive scrimmaging.....In 12 minutes of play, the pair combined for 18 points, five assists, five steals and a pair of blocks.....Eddie Griffin also was effective down low.....The first team was Francis at point guard, Mobley at shooting guard, Kenny Thomas at small forward, Griffin at power forward and Kelvin Cato at center.....Maurice Taylor sat out again Sunday, as trainers "baby" him along.
Cuttino Mobley has sat out the last two days of camp to rest a minor sprained ankle.
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Day Five: October 5
NEWS & NOTES
Cutino Mobley (ankle), Moochie Norris (left knee) and Brandon Kurtz (right foot) sat out the morning practice with minor injuries.....Glen Rice (right knee) sat out part of the morning session.....Maurice Taylor participated in all drills.....Coach Tomjanovich addressed the team again before practice and is very happy with the team's progress.....the morning session focused on special situations and basic skills, while the evening was more of a scrimmage.....the team will practice only once Sunday and once Monday before playing its first preseason game Tuesday at Memphis.
Day Four: October 4
NEWS & NOTES
Instead of the customary two practice sessions, coach Rudy Tomjanovich decided to run the team through one long practice today. See what Bostjan Nachbar had to say in the fourth installment of the rookie's daily diary.
One of the questions at training camp is whether Kenny Thomas will see most of his minutes at the '3' or '4' spot this season.
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Day Three: October 3
NEWS & NOTES
Coach Tomjanovich addressed the team before practice, stressing the need for leadership, especially later in the season.....The team continued to focus on developing the motion offense, which is designed to allow all five players to have scoring opportunities.....Kenny Thomas has been working at both small and power forward.....Glen Rice did not participate in the morning practice, although Maurice Taylor did and looked very smooth during post scoring drills.....Rookie Bostjan Nachbar continues to impress from the outside, making 14 consecutive jumpers during shooting drills.
Eddie Griffin will enter the 2002-03 season with a little extra muscle after undergoing an offseason workout regimen.
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Day Two: October 2
NEWS & NOTES
Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor sat out the morning practice, instead working on their injuries. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich wasn't concerned though, saying that both were coming along nicely.....Rookie Bostjan Nachbar has started to show his outside touch, hitting five jumpers in a row during transition drills.....Terence Morris looked the best during defensive drills, forcing several turnovers and getting one block.....Steve Francis has continued to become the go-to man and looks comfortable doing it, both as a scorer and as a leader.....Eddie Griffin looks like he's put on about 20 pounds during the offseason.....The team worked on a more motion-oriented offense during the morning session, although it needs some more time learning it.
Glen Rice had the familiar shooting stroke working on the first day of training camp.
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Day One: October 1
NEWS & NOTES
The Rockets got a major scare when Maurice Taylor came up gimpy and clutching his surgically repaired right achilles tendon. Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious, though as it just stiffened up.....Glen Rice also showed some discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee and sat out the second half of the afternoon practice. However, he did have his old shooting stroke back.....Eddie Griffin took the ball to the basket on numerous occasions, getting either a dunk, layup or foul virtually every time.....Moochie Norris had several quality moments, including getting two baskets, an assist, a steal and two rebounds in the span of two minutes.....Kelvin Cato also showed a calming veteran influence and toughness on the inside.
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Media Day
The Rockets held their annual Media Day session on Monday afternoon before heading off to Austin, TX to begin training camp on Oct. 1. Rockets.com was on hand at Media Day to bring you highlights from the day's events.
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College | Exp. |
| 10 | Tierre Brown | G | 6-2 | 189 | McNeese State '01 | 1 |
| 13 | Kelvin Cato | C | 6-11 | 275 | Iowa State '97 | 5 |
| 52 | Jason Collier | C | 7-0 | 260 | Georgia Tech '00 | 2 |
| 3 | Steve Francis | G | 6-3 | 195 | Maryland '99 | 3 |
| 30 | Steve Goodrich | C | 6-10 | 220 | Princeton '98 | 2 |
| 33 | Eddie Griffin | F | 6-10 | 232 | Seton Hall '01 | 1 |
| 29 | Juaquin Hawkins | F | 6-7 | 205 | Long Beach St. '96 | R |
| 50 | Brandon Kurtz | C | 6-10 | 245 | Tulsa '00 | R |
| 6 | Tito Maddox | G | 6-4 | 190 | Fresno St. '02 | R |
| 32 | Pete Mickeal | F | 6-5 | 230 | Cincinnati '00 | R |
| 5 | Cuttino Mobley | G | 6-4 | 210 | Rhode Island '98 | 4 |
| 44 | Terence Morris | F | 6-9 | 221 | Maryland '01 | 1 |
| 9 | Bostjan Nachbar | F | 6-9 | 221 | Slovenia | R |
| 12 | Moochie Norris | G | 6-2 | 185 | West Florida '96 | 5 |
| 41 | Glen Rice | F | 6-8 | 220 | Michigan '89 | 13 |
| 2 | Maurice Taylor | F | 6-9 | 260 | Michigan '97 | 5 |
| 21 | Kenny Thomas | F | 6-7 | 245 | New Mexico '99 | 3 |
| 18 | Oscar Torres | G | 6-6 | 210 | Venezuela | 1 |
| 42 | Sonny Watson | C | 6-11 | 241 | Dixie J.C. '95 | R |
| 11 | Yao Ming | C | 7-6 | 296 | China | R |
2002-03 Preseason Guide
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