There had been two palpable feelings contained in the AdventHealth Training Center after the Orlando Magic’s follow on Friday: pleasure and empathy.
The enthusiasm to return to the ability was evident after the Magic canceled Wednesday and Thursday’s practices due to Hurricane Ian.
It was additionally clear how the hurricane’s affect on the Orlando and Central Florida communities was on the forefront of gamers’ and coaches’ minds.
“We’re fortunate enough to be here, yes, and we got practice underway but our thoughts and prayers are going out to the people who’ve been impacted and affected by Hurricane Ian,” coach Jamahl Mosley mentioned. “I really want to make sure they understand that our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with them. The community needs to understand we’re with them and continuing to think about them.”
The ideas have been backed up with motion.
The DeVos Family Foundation introduced Friday afternoon it’s donating $1 million to help with Hurricane Ian reduction efforts in Central Florida and throughout the state.
The DeVos Family Foundation (DVFF) and the Magic are working with native companions and officers to ensure assist is offered to these most impacted in Central Florida and all through the area.
DVFF is donating $500,000 to the Hurricane Recovery Fund arrange by the Heart of Florida United Way and the Central Florida Foundation plus $250,000 to the statewide Florida Disaster Fund, and $250,000 might be reserved for future rebuilding efforts.
“It’s truly incredible,” Mosley mentioned. “We talk about the perspective of things and the sport we’re in, but it’s more important how much we give back, take care of people and the lives that have been impacted by the hurricane.”
Even with Hurricane Ian on their minds, Friday was additionally about getting again to work of their first follow since opening coaching camp with two classes Tuesday.
The rust from not being on the follow courts was noticeable, based on a number of gamers.
“It was kind of tough,” large man Wendell Carter Jr. mentioned. “You could kind of tell when we started hooping that people were getting winded a little bit, but we picked it up. We got to push through that stuff.”
The message from Mosley to the crew was clear: don’t put stress on your self making an attempt to make up for the misplaced time.
“There are other teams practicing, getting drills and that’s going to be understood,” Mosley mentioned. “One thing about this team and just like this community, we’re going to be resilient, take what’s handed to us and make the most out of it. That’s what these guys showed.”
The Magic are scheduled to follow on Saturday and Sunday in Orlando forward of Monday’s preseason opener in opposition to the Grizzlies in Memphis.
Adding an additional follow over the weekend has been contemplated however isn’t seen as essential.
“We want to make sure the guys are recovering mentally as well as physically,” Mosley mentioned. “After we get the one in [Saturday], we’ll play just a little little bit of that by ear as a result of we’ll be touring Sunday.
“We want to make sure the families are safe; everybody gets their homes taken care of. That’s the first priority. There’s a lot of film work that’ll be done, there’s a lot of one-on-one sessions and small-group sessions that we’ll do, and then we’ll play that second practice by ear.”
The sense of urgency to stand up to hurry is current, however so is the understanding that dropping follow days wasn’t of their management and it’s about taking advantage of what they’ve.
“It’s definitely some pressure on everyone — not just the players, coaches too — some urgency to get back out here to make it through one day, but that’s not realistic,” guard Cole Anthony mentioned. “We got to take our time. It’s still preseason. When you try to catch up on lost time, people get hurt. We just want to keep everyone healthy.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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