Williams, Holmes turning heads at Dream training camp
Head coach Micheal Cooper is pleased with some of the separation he is seeing with some of the players at the Dream's training camp these last couple days.
Atlanta, GA -- Day two of the 2016 Atlanta Dream training camp is in the books, and the Dream have been working hard and taking it one practice at a time, as they push through their two-a-day practices.
The veterans, Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle, were not present; however, the Dream were able to incorporate their new selections Bria Holmes, Racheal Hollivay, Courtney Walker, and Niya Johnson in the equation while seeing how they presented their game at the next level.
"I thought practice went extremely well today," said Head Coach Michael Cooper. "This is a situation where the players were kind of tired. New and veterans. We were looking for that separation, and I think they separated themselves pretty good."
Rookie Holmes was very relaxed during her second day, as she focused on her game and answering to what Cooper expects from her. Atlanta is looking for a legitimate backupplayer for McCoughtry, and Holmes could be an ideal fit to fill her shoes when she comes off the court.
"I think overall I progressed a lot since the first day," said Holmes. "The first day waskind of tough, because I was a little nervous and had a little jitters in me, but overall I think I've been playing great. I've been helping my team, getting better by watching the older ones, and I'm just happy to be here!"
Another new face to the Dream is recently acquired second-year player, Elizabeth Williams.
Williams, who came by way of recent trade with the Connecticut Sun, also stood out yesterday, and she looks to be a key player when the ball is tipped off for the official season.
"You know what, I never thought I would have second thoughts about trading our No.4 pick after looking at the draft and what was coming out," said Cooper. "I love Elizabeth. When I was coaching in college, I was actually recruiting her, and she ended up going to Duke, but I always had a good feeling about her and her game.
"She's a defensive minded center, but she's a center that can play the game. We can run our offense through her. I think that's going to be that anchor of any championship team. That middle has to be covered, and she's a great blanket for us."
Overall the Atlanta Dream had a great practice, and they will continue their training camp on Wednesday at 7 am and 5 pm and practice through April 29th.