The preseason speech wasn't all that unusual: all about trusting your teammates and not making mistakes.

However, for FIU players, getting pointers from someone whose team once stopped Michael Jordan made this a unique learning opportunity.

And when new coach Isiah Thomas spoke about defending Jordan during the Golden Panthers' first practice Friday night, the players were all ears.

``Coach Thomas said, `When we were playing the Bulls you had to trust your teammates,' '' senior forward Marlon Bright recalled. ``Trust that they were going to be there if Jordan went this way and I cut him off. If Jordan spun back, then trust that there was going to be somebody to stop him that way. And if he split both of us, then trust that there would be somebody waiting at the rim to challenge his shot.

``There are very few guys that can give that example with some reasonable success. It's very humbling, very exciting, because having one of the all-time greatest basketball players out there on the court directing you is kind of a surreal experience, especially if you grow up and you have posters of him, Jordan and Magic on your wall.''

Most of this season will be unique for FIU basketball.

A new era began Saturday afternoon on a new court at a renovated U.S. Century Bank Arena.

The Golden Panthers took to the hardwood wearing new practice uniforms and oh, yeah, there was Thomas, an NBA Hall of Famer, conducting his first practice as FIU coach.

``I'm very excited,'' Thomas said. ``I just want to make sure that we dot all the Is and cross all the Ts and get fundamentally sound today and start building our defense from Day One. My job right now is to teach and then observe. As I observe then try to piece it all together and put together a team that can go out and compete.''

With four TV stations, several other media outlets and more than 20 recruits in attendance, Thomas put the team through a two-hour practice.

Along with six returning players from former coach Sergio Rouco's team, Thomas got his first glimpse at some of the key players from his first signing class.

Among the newest players on display was Marvin Roberts, a 6-5 forward from Redlands (Okla.) Community College, who led the nation in scoring last season with an average of 29.6 points per game.

Antoine Watson, a teammate of Roberts' at Redlands, also practiced. Watson was the fifth-leading scorer in the nation last season (24.8 points per game).

Also practicing were Stephon Weaver, a 6-3 guard who led Connor State College to the NJCAA Final Four, and point guard Phil Gary, who averaged 19 points and nine assists for Malcolm X Community College last season.

``It's wonderful playing for a Hall of Fame player,'' Roberts said. ``Practice was everything I expected.

``We got a good team, and we're hoping for big things this year.''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@