Washington Informer

Mystics coach Trudi Lacey inserts Shannon Bobbitt into the game during the second half of WNBA action on Friday, June 15 at the Verizon Center in Northwest. Bobbitt, a new addition to the Mystics, helped Washington defeat her former team 67-66. "One team's trash is another team's treasure," Bobbitt said after scoring eight points and receiving numerous standing ovations from the crowd.

Starting next summer the Redskins will conduct training camp away from their headquarters in Ashburn, Va. The decision gives Coach Mike Shanahan just what he wanted. The Redskins will expand their facility in Ashburn, ensuring the team will be there for many years to come, which is a dream come true for Loudoun County.

The state of Virginia and the team announced Wednesday that the Redskins will hold training camp in Richmond starting in 2013. A specific site for the camp remains undetermined. Richmond is considering a number of locations for the site and will be making announcements regarding that process in the days and weeks ahead. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will join Redskins officials on Aug. 4 to celebrate the deal. McDonnell has approved an initial $4 million "performance-based grant to support the expansion and retention" of Redskins Park.

Since joining the Redskins in 2010, Shanahan has expressed his desire to conduct training camp elsewhere. He feels that this would create a stronger bond between the players. Except for a two-year stint in Carlisle, Pa., the Redskins have trained in Ashburn most of the past 12 years. They also held camp in Frostburg, Md., prior to the year 2000.

The District of Columbia, Bowie State University and other interested parties have attempted to lure the Redskins into relocating on their turf. In 2027, their stadium lease at FedEx Field expires. As that time approaches, there will be even more attempts to persuade the Redskins to move their facility out of Virginia.

Redskins Park opened in 1992. Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999, and since that time, the facility has been through several renovations. Last month, they opened an indoor practice site.

"At this time in order to make a more seamless transition instead of trying to pick up roots and move 60 players and 25 coaches and everything else, we felt the best thing to do was remodel what we have here, make this facility state of the art," Bruce Allen, Redskins general manager, said.

"Virginia considers the Redskins our team. Virginia is committed to keeping the Redskins right here in our state for years to come, and today we've taken a significant step towards accomplishing that goal,"McDonnell added in statement.

During the Redskins' rookie minicamp on May 28, Robert Griffin III had the chance to prove to Coach Mike Shanahan and the rest of the coaching staff why he deserved to be the team's first overall pick.

The team had its first organized team activity of the offseason. But in this case, the Heisman Trophy winner had a different group to please – his veteran teammates.

"With rookie minicamp, you're more there to show Coach that, 'Hey, the team drafted me, I'm as advertised,'" Griffin said. "But with the vets, it's more of, 'I can help this team win, show them why Coach has so much confidence in you.'"

Shanahan expressed his confidence in Griffin's talents when he announced in early May that the 22-year-old would be the starting quarterback. But along with that distinction came the challenge of figuring out how the Redskins offense works and learning how to lead a team composed of veteran players.

"We got him here to be that guy. He's our guy," wide receiver Santana Moss said. "Right now, he's doing all the things he needs to do to show us that, 'Hey, day-by-day, that I learn and grasp some more, that I'm going to be all that I can be for you guys.'"

The activity started with a series of timed drills for the various position groups before moving into two sets of 11-on-11 matchups. Though Griffin is new to the team, in Monday's workout he looked anything but.

For nine-year veteran, Chris Cooley, Griffin's high comfort level is a product of a work ethic that doesn't seem to subside.

"We've been back just working as a team. He stays for an hour and throws to guys," Cooley said. "His ability to be great for us and to be great early will be to understand what we're doing offensively, and we will be able to build a trust with the guys he's around now. I think he has all the skills to do that."

Griffin said he's been entrusted with a big job, so he reviews the playbook every night so that he can be best prepared. But he also admits that being successful is as much about doing as it is about studying. And Griffin is a quick study, when you stop to consider he is just beginning to see things from his playbook finally materialize on the field.

In the May 28 workout, Griffin's agility helped him connect with his wide receivers on the rollout, and he looked to be already in sync with many of them. After each drill, Griffin received congratulatory gestures from his teammates, many with whom he's already building a strong bond.

The Redskins' veterans have not forgotten that Griffin is a newcomer. Thus, there is the threat of a little inoffensive rookie hazing.

"Nobody has done anything," Griffin said. "But I'm definitely keeping an eye out for anything anyone tries to do."

The once budding Oklahoma City Thunder has fully blossomed. The team's ascent has occurred as quickly as a Russell Westbrook drive to the basket.

Three seasons ago, the Thunder was a struggling, small market team that quite frankly, didn't draw a lot of attention. Watching them play, you got the impression that it would be several years before the franchise would attain mediocrity, let alone real success. Today, the Thunder is a top tier NBA team.

This team has been built by General manger Sam Presti, who does all he can to avoid the spotlight. This season, the Thunder swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks during the first round of the NBA playoffs. In the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals, the Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1, pushing their post-season record to 8-1.

The Thunder has achieved success by building through the draft. Over the past five years, Presti has acquired Kevin Durant, James Hardin, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka, all through the draft. The worst NBA executives get lucky from time to time in the draft. In Presti's case he has made great selections consistently, which means he has a real eye for talent.

Having won the Northwest Division title the past two years, and now in its third straight playoff appearance, the Thunder is again proving that you don't have to be a large market team to have success. Large market cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami have used their marquee names to attract talent, and ultimately build a winning team. But smart draft selections and sound decision-making can be equalizers.

That's the foundation of the Thunder's success. It's why several teams, including our own Washington Wizards, strive to emulate the Thunder model – and not only teams from less-chic zip codes. In today's NBA, it's not about keeping up with the big market teams. It's about mimicking the Thunder.

For seven years Presti worked for the San Antonio Spurs in various capacities. In 2007, at age 30, he was named general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics. The SuperSonics were in the process of moving to Oklahoma City at the time, and they had the No. 2 overall draft pick. With the draft's first pick, the Portland Trailblazers selected center Greg Oden. Then Presti chose Durant.

Oden's career has been plagued by injuries. Since he entered the NBA, Durant, who was born in the District and raised in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, has played like a future Hall of Famer. Durant has led the league in scoring for the past three seasons, and the thought of this Thunder team playing together for several years to come isn't comforting for the rest of the league. NBA experts look for the Thunder to be championship contenders for many years to come.