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Atlanta Hawks' training camp is now officially right around the corner. The AJC's Chris Vivlamore reports that the Hawks will open camp on October 1 at the University of Georgia's Coliseum Training Facility in Athens. Those sessions will run from October 1-3 before heading back to Atlanta.
Following media day Sept. 30, the Hawks will travel by bus to Athens. They will return to Philips Arena on Oct. 4 to continue preparations for the exhibition-season opener at the Heat on Oct. 7. The Hawks will play six exhibition games, with the finale Oct. 23 at the Mavericks. The team will return to Dallas a week later for the regular-season opener Oct. 30.
The Hawks will use the three-day trip to get a head start on installing Mike Budenholzer's offensive and defensive systems. It can also be a valuable tool in terms of team building and is not an uncommon practice in the NBA.
Update - The Hawks have confirmed the AJC's report and have issued a statement from Coach Budenholzer on training camp:
"I'm excited to have our first training camp at the University of Georgia and to make use of their first-class facilities," said Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. "Being in Athens to start camp will provide us a great opportunity to focus on building team chemistry and developing the unselfish and hard-working mentality that will be central to how we compete every night."
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