The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Sports

July 22, 2008

Timberwolves to hold training camp at MSU

By Chad Courrier

MANKATO — The Minnesota Timberwolves are bringing training camp back to Minnesota State University.

A Timberwolves spokesman said that an official announcement on the site of this fall’s camp will likely be made sometime in the next few weeks, but assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg said Tuesday that the team will be practicing at Bresnan Arena during the first week of October.

The Timberwolves also held camp here in 2006.

“The people of Mankato really made us feel welcome,” Hoiberg said. “Everybody (with the Timberwolves) had a good week.”

Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who lives just down the hill from campus, leaves it up to the coaches and team where it practices. Mankato is close enough to the metro area but far enough away to do some team-building.

“It has to be some place so it’s nice to bring it to the town where I live,” Taylor said. “We can do some things for the community and the kids, which we’ll do.”

The weeklong camp will culminate in a scrimmage on Saturday, Oct. 4, which Taylor said allows fans who can’t make it to Target Center the opportunity to see the players up close.

“That was a great scrimmage (in 2006),” Hoiberg said. “The fans really packed the place.”

Kevin Buisman, athletic director at Minnesota State, said that the Timberwolves talked in 2006 about returning some year.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to host the Timberwolves and showcase our university and facilities,” Buisman said. “I think we’re one of the few universities that have the opportunity to host two professional sports organizations on our campus.”

The Minnesota Vikings begin training camp at Minnesota State on Friday.

Taylor said the decision on where to hold training camp is discussed each year, and if the schedule allows, the Wolves could return in the future.

The team will practice one day at Bethany Lutheran College because of a conflict at Bresnan Arena.

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