Some NBA D-League Training Camp And Preseason Updates

As my buddy Gino Pilato of D-League Digest notes, final NBADL rosters are set to be submitted on Thursday night, one day before the season's competition begins.

Even so, without much footage to be found from training camp and/or preseason action, sometimes it's difficult to get a feel for where such teams are at, or what the respective mentalities of the players around the league may be. Still, here are a few of updates we found via some video clips.

The defending NBADL champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers may have a different coach this season, but they're dedicated to maintaining that winner's mentality anyway. Following an exhibition win, see what new head coach Nevada Smith had to say about his team's strategies, their preseason play, and some of the more up and coming prospects new to the team this season (such as Troy Daniels) below.

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The Erie BayHawks are hoping to break into the postseason under head coach Gene Cross this coming year. See below for some highlights from a preseason matchup against the Texas Legends (which they won), as well as some comments from Coach Cross to go along with it.

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Next up is a short interview with returning Tulsa 66ers forward Rodney Bartholomew, who talks to Tulsa66ers.com about the upcoming season. What's most interesting about his comments is not only that he's focused on improving his game (though he is), but also that Bartholomew says he is most interested in returning to Tulsa for the community, as well as picking up where the team left off last year.

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Such factors mentioned in a player's decision to return from one year to the next are quite telling, because it shows you that these prospects do actually enjoy their time in the D-League and being part of such organizations, rather than just getting antsy while they wait for another opportunity to come along. It's admirable, and it's worth noting how good of a job the D-League does to put players in a promising position to succeed both on and off the court.