Barrera would be in the huddles usually near the coach. I dont think understanding English is a problem for him, he knew the plays. He just wasnt a talker on the court. I dont think I heard him speak at all really. I think he does have trouble speaking english usually during warmups or when players were chilling before/after their game he was usually by himself. OH Yeah i think the guys called him Paunche as a nick name whenever he did something good they called him that. Not sure what it means or how he got that nickname. Thanks for the comments everyone i had a blast I wish more clutchfans came out there so we could all then hang in vegas afterwards
Great experience, YoYo. Thanks for sharing. One question: There was a story yesterday about the great summer league attendance, but in your photos, nearly every seat is empty. What are the crowds really like?
well attendance this year was better than last years but still not saying too much. Its in Vegas there are so many more things to do than to attend a basketball game or games all day. I would probably estimate like 300-400 people total (not including media, coaching staffs etc) but the problem is that you have the games in Cox Pavillion which is like a high school sized gym so that looks full but the Thomas and Mack Center (where the ASG was played 2 seasons ago) is a full arena so seeing 300 or so people in there will make it look really empty. But I dont mind at all its one of the charms of the Vegas SL since there arent too many people there it makes it a whole lot easier to talk to and approach various players and coaches. Also a lot of the players make themselves to be a bit more approachable since there arent too many people around. The only thing is that you cant really just lay back and listen to the security guards so much there they will try to shield the players but most of the times the guys are more than happy to sign or take a quick picture. Usually if the player there is willing the security will back off but you cant just go in the middle of the game, usually before/after the game is fine since the players sit in an area of the stadium that is "taped off" from the rest of the stadium. Players like luther/rafer who show up usually sit on the bench during the warmups so I approach them then since they are usually just chillin down there. I was more aggressive this year in trying to go up and start talking to the guys and felt more comfortable just talking about whatever instead of the fan stuff. Totally recommend anyone who was thinking about going to go next year. My only worry is that more and more people will start showing up as the years go on as this is the biggest summer league and had the most "star" rookies playing in it.
