Las Vegas Aces stress defense as training camp begins

Bill Laimbeer’s anxiety is gone.

Well, some of it, anyway.

The practice court is ready, most of the players are in Las Vegas and Aces training camp is officially underway.

The Aces began practicing Sunday at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, and Laimbeer, as the team’s head coach and president of basketball operations, opted to emphasize defense and conditioning during their first set of two-a-days.

They’ll practice twice on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, too, before tapering back the workload in advance of their first preseason game, which is May 6 versus the Chinese national team at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“All the worry I put into this … This is really a good day for me,” he said. “We’re trying to be a defensive team, pushing the ball. We have a lot of very fine athletes on this team, and we’re young, so we can run all day.”

Laimbeer was stressed, initially, about the state of the facility, which was remodeled to accommodate the Aces during training camp, and the readiness of his players. But it was finished, they competed and he was pleased.

So pleased that he ended the second practice ahead of schedule.

No. 1 overall pick A’ja Wilson was impressive, as expected. Fellow rookie Ji-Su Park, who hails from South Korea, was also impressive, unexpectedly.

“She competes, she’s 6-foot-6, and she listens well,” Laimbeer said. “She implements what we ask her.”

Aces veteran guard, Las Vegas native and UNLV alum Sequioa Holmes said the first two practices were “intense,” but was also satisfied with how they concluded.

Defense was always the focus, she said, even during offensive drills.

“We’re going to work hard, every time we step on the floor,” Holmes said. “The finished product, by day one, isn’t going to be perfect. … (But) with the personnel we have, it went well. I expected us to do well.”

Laimbeer is looking forward to building on their first day of camp, and is looking to the players to retain the concepts he’s installing.

“There’s going to be some slippage from day to day,” Laimbeer said. “See how they implement (them). Continuing to run them and get them into conditioning shape that we’re going to need when it gets to the season.

“And our defensive schemes,” he added. “Work, work, work so they trust each other.”

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Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.