WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — The sound is unmistakable.
There’s the rubber soles squeaking on polished hardwood floors, the erratic thump-thump-thump of a bouncing leather ball and the grunting and taunts of towering athletes as they advance up and down the court.
“Give me the ball,” one of them shouts, hand raised, leaning into the man guarding him.
The ball zips through the air and leather meets flesh. A few maneuvers later, he shoots and the ball arches toward the basket.
Swish.
Professional basketball has come to West Virginia.
It may have only been the second day of training camp for the National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Pelicans, whose players are practicing this week at The Greenbrier resort, but the team already is showing signs of being a cohesive unit.
“They’re competing their butts off,” said first-year head coach Alvin Gentry, who signed on with the team in May weeks before winning an NBA championship as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors.
“They’re off to a great start,” he added, noting the team has made strides learning an entirely new system and playbook through four short practices. Last year, the team, under former coach Monty Williams, was more defense-oriented and played at a slower pace. Under Gentry, the team is expected to play an up-tempo offense.
The Pelicans, an up-and-coming team led by its fourth-year superstar forward Anthony Davis, announced in August it would move its training camp from its facilities in New Orleans to The Greenbrier, which has hosted the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints for similar offseason training in the past two years. Both teams are owned by billionaire Tom Benson.
Training camp is a critical time for a team and allows players time to bond, learn new plays and acclimate themselves to the speed of the game after the offseason.
Gentry, who visited The Greenbrier in August with team general manager Dell Demps during the Saints’ training camp, said coming to the posh West Virginia resort has been good for the team.
“I’m not sure there’s a better place in the United States when you take the whole package,” he said of The Greenbrier, noting the quiet, isolated property, its lush surroundings and range of amenities available to guests.
“Obviously, Jim (Justice) isn’t going to do anything that isn’t totally 100 percent first class,” Gentry went on to say of the resort’s billionaire owner, who has been instrumental in negotiating bringing both New Orleans-based teams and the Professional Golfers Association Tour to West Virginia.
Players, coaches and staff are staying at The Greenbrier during the four-day camp, a team spokesman said. Meals also are provided by the resort’s kitchen.
“We can’t ask for anything better,” Gentry added.
And from what he and Greenbrier officials have said, the team has been well taken care of.
In order to accommodate the team, The Greenbrier installed basketball courts inside its indoor tennis facility, a relatively new addition itself.
“From what I understand, the players are loving it,” said Greenbrier spokesman Erik Hastings. “Being on the road together — it’s a good place and time for bonding.”
While the camp is intended to prepare the team for the regular season, which for the Pelicans starts Oct. 27, and help determine which of the 18 players will make the final 15-man roster, time for recreational activities has been included in the tight schedule.
When asked what the team had planned for the afternoon following a Wednesday morning private practice and scrimmage that was open to the public, Gentry said players would travel to The Greenbrier Gun Club for a skeet shooting session.
“It’s out of the box,” he said, laughing. “We’ll go up and have a little fun with that.”
Gentry said the shooting session, along with bowling competitions and other activities, gives players a break from the pressures of a fast-paced training camp.
“They work really hard,” he said of the team. “It’s good to get away.”
Training camp started Tuesday with two practices and will continue through Friday.
Gentry said players have worked hard, and while he has noted some issues with conditioning, he said there is no question the team is going to be competitive.
Part of that, he said, comes from building on the team’s past success.
Gentry also has the help of Mike D’Antoni, a Mullens native, Marshall University graduate and well-regarded NBA head coach, who came up with the popular the “seven-seconds-or-less” offense currently making headway through the league.
D’Antoni, who has coached the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, where Gentry served as an assistant, is advising the team this week.
“He’s a very knowledgeable guy,” Gentry said of D’Antoni who joked with the coach from the sidelines at Wednesday’s practice. “He’s a good friend of mine, and I trust in him what he tells me.”
The last 90 minutes of Wednesday’s practice was open to the public and attended by nearly 300 people, many of whom were students from White Sulphur Springs Elementary School.
Following the scrimmage, students and fans pressed players for photos and autographs.
The only other portion of camp open to the public is Thursday’s scrimmage from 6 to 9 p.m. There is no cost to attend the scrimmage, but a transportation cost of $5 and $2 for adults and children, respectively, will be charged for shuttle services. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
As for the financial impact of the Pelicans’ stay at The Greenbrier, Hastings didn’t say how much would be brought in, though he assured the Gazette-Mail the benefit would be minimal.
“(Jim Justice) is always looking to bring multiplier economic impact to the state, and give West Virginians an opportunity to see extraordinary events such as professional basketball,” he said.
Justice, who is president and CEO of about 50 companies, is the wealthiest West Virginian and the state’s lone billionaire. According to Forbes, he has a net worth of $1.7 billion, most of which he earned managing coal mines.
He also is seeking the state Democratic Party’s nomination for governor.
The Pelicans made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011. Before then, the team was called the Hornets, a carryover from when the team was based in Charlotte. The team moved to New Orleans in 2002.
Reach Samuel Speciale at sam.speciale@dailymailwv.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @samueljspeciale on Twitter.