Isaac happy with first camp

can’t believe his first NBA training camp is already over.

The rookie forward from FSU felt sore after the team practiced Friday and still is trying to absorb all of the information that coaches are throwing at him.

But he otherwise felt encouraged by his first six practices with the Orlando Magic’s full roster.

“It’s just so fast, and everybody is so talented,” Isaac said.

“[If ] you miss a read, it’s a knockdown 3. It’s like nightand-day in terms of the ability of these guys. I was guarding today, and if you slip up one time, he’s going to knock down a 3 or he’s going to get to the basket or somebody’s going to be open.”

Coach has played Isaac at both forward spots, which requires Isaac to make adjustments, especially on the defensive end.

“I want to utilize his versatility,” Vogel said.

Speaking about Isaac and rookies and

Vogel said: “They’re all having good camps. They showed they belong. They’re at least holding their own, if not better. And they’re being sponges and receptive. Picking stuff up early — that’s half the battle as a rookie: absorbing all the information and trying to apply it right away. Those guys are doing a good job of that.” A person from past made an appearance Friday at Amway Center.

who coached Vucevic’s youthbasketball team in 2001 in Brussels, visited with Vucevic after practice ended.

They spoke for about 10 minutes.

much ground the Magic must make up in order to be competitive. They posted a 29-53 record last year.

But even worse than all those losses was they lost. They lost eight games by margins of 20-29 points and eight more games by margins of at least 30 points.

Vogel’s team must improve across the board.

That includes the defense, which finished last season 24th out of 30 teams in points allowed per possession.

On Friday, despite the four solid days of practice, Vogel acknowledged that he’s seen signs of defensive improvement only occasionally.

“Sometimes I have to get on them,” Vogel said. “Today was one of those days where there were several situations where I wanted to blow the whistle and try to raise the bar.”

Vogel will give his players today off, then practice again Sunday before they open their preseason Monday night in Memphis.

The Magic will hold an open practice early Tuesday evening at Amway Center.

The arena doors will open at 5 p.m., and the practice will start at 6 p.m. A Q-and-A with Magic players will follow at 6:45 p.m.

The event and parking in the Geico Garage are free to the public, but tickets are required. To print tickets, go to the team website at orlandomagic.com/openpractice.

The Magic’s open practices typically are low-intensity, informal affairs. Last year, Vogel had his players compete in a 3-point shooting contest and in a game of knockout. Also, a rookie,

sang an Usher song.

Approximately 1,500 people attended last year’s open practice, according to city public records. So far, Vogel is pleased with how much of his offensive and defensive packages have been installed. But time is short. In an effort to reduce the number of backto-backs during the regular season, the NBA has shortened the preseason. The Magic will play only six exhibitions and will open their regular season Oct. 18, which is eight days earlier than last season.

Vucevic said the team has gotten off to a solid start.

“I think we had good practices,” Vucevic said. “I think that the familiarity with the offense and the defense we already had from last year helped us. I thought if you compare this camp to last year’s camp it was much better, just much more smoother offensively.”