The revamped Milwaukee Bucks and new head coach Larry Drew
concluded the first week of camp this week with the Bucks annual Fun Fest on
Saturday. The open practice featured scrimmages, drills, fan interaction, and
much more for the over 1,000 that filled the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The day
was also the first time fans got to see the new MECCA floor-inspired court
played on since it was debuted last month.
Drew was pleased with his new team heading into Saturday's
event. Following a week of practice including private scrimmages on Thursday
and a defensive focus on Friday, the head coach told reporters he was excited
about the prospects this season. Point guard Brandon Knight echoed those
thoughts, though he admitted that there were still kinks to work out for the
relatively unfamiliar 19 faces in camp this year.
Larry Sanders was one of just four players on the court at
Fan Fest who wore a Bucks jersey last season. He and Knight teamed up with O.J.
Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova, and Caron Butler for two 12-minute scrimmages against
Gary Neal, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olek Czyk, Luke Ridnour, and John Henson to
highlight the day. The ten were supported by a bench featuring the likes of
Nate Wolters and Marquette's Junior Cadougan.
Dubbed the black team, Sanders and his teammates for the day
are expected to be one of the starting-line options for Drew this season. The
five lost a scrimmage on Thursday to Neal's and Antetokounmpo's second-line,
though redeemed themselves in-front of the home crowd with a 41-29 win. Knight
led the game with nine points, followed by Sanders with eight.
First round draft pick Antetokounmpo put-up seven points for
the white team in their unsuccessful effort against the starters. Fellow rookie
Wolters led the bench with five. The pair took a break from the action to join
fans in a free-throw contest during a timeout. Shooting with a teammate from
the audience, the rookies kept the competition close, though Antetokounmpo and
his partner narrowly won by a margin of 13-to-12.
Bucks Squad Without Udoh and Delfino
Notable absences from Saturday's Fan Fest included returning
power forward Epke Udoh, Carlos Delfino, and Zaza Pachulia. Udoh was the only
unconfirmed omission prior to Saturday, as Delfino and Pachulia were both
sidelined earlier in the week. Staff for the team could only reveal that Udoh
complained of soreness that morning. Former Piston forward Khris Middleton was
the bright spot on the injury report Saturday, returning to participate fully
despite spraining an ankle on Wednesday.
