Washington Wizards to hold training camp at Patriot Center

John Wall attacks the basket in a game against the Bobcats last season. Wall will miss eight weeks with a stress injury to his patella. (Photo Courtesy of IsoSports/Flickr)

The Washington Wizards will be hosting their annual training camp at the Patriot Center on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University starting Tuesday, Oct. 2.

The team will have two-a-day practices in the mornings and evenings from Oct. 2 to the following Tuesday, Oct. 9. After a week of practice, the Wizards travel to Charlotte, N.C. Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1 pm to face the Bobcats in a pre-season game at Time Warner Cable Arena before returning to Fairfax for the final two days of camp.

The practices will be closed off to fans and students but will conclude with Wizards Madness, a fan event held at the Patriot Center on Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The festivities will feature performances from the Wizards Girls, G-Man, the Secret Service Dunk Team and D.C.-based rapper Wale, who will perform three songs. On top of that lineup, the first 500 fans will receive a free Chick-fil-A sandwich, Dunkin Donuts will be providing 1000 iced coffees and the first 1500 fans will receive a Wizards t-shirt. Before the doors open, fans will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the Wizards Girls and G-Man outside of the Patriot Center.

"The event allows us to reach a younger end of the demographic in college students and broaden our fan base," said Wizards Executive Vice President of Business Operations Greg Bibb. "Northern Virginia is a growing market for us, and we would like to have our footprint in the area as well as being aggressive in grassroots in the area through face-to-face marketing."

The Wizards have held their training camp at the Patriot Center before, most recently in fall 2010. Due to last year's NBA lockout, the team was unable to hold training camp or practices. The overall successes of the 2010 training camp and Wizards Midnight Tip-Off opened the door to continue to hold camp at the Patriot Center facility.

"Anytime you can do something to give fans access to your product, and by that I mean the players, you are able to drive interest of your product and provide them with a unique experience in their own backyards," said Bibb.

As of now, there are no plans for future training camps at the Patriot Center, however, based on the turnout of this year's Wizards Tip-Off and the Wizards' long-standing relationship with George Mason, the prospects are good to continue the tradition.