BC Lions open rookie training camp in Kamloops
Posted June 2, 2011 10:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
KAMLOOPS (NEWS1130) – The BC Lions 2011 season opened with rookie camp getting underway. The 40 rookies will be on the field and in meetings through Saturday. The veterans hit the field for the first time on Sunday.
The Lions first pick in the CFL draft was Marco Iannuzzi out of Harvard. Head Coach and GM Wally Buono liked what he saw from the kick returner/receiver. “I don’t think he disappointed anybody. I know from talking to him, he was quite excited with this opportunity. He’s a guy with a lot of athletic skills, and you know, our job is to get him ready to play.”
There are six import quarterbacks on the training camp roster. Three are rookies. Buono knows that first year pivots Corey Leonard, Matt Johnson and Kevin Riley won’t be perfect. He says qb’s have to be better prepared then some of the other players on offence.
” I thought all three of the young guys handled the mechanics of calling the plays, setting the formations and getting the snap counts. It was a good day and obviously for them, they’ve done a good job of preparing themselves.”
The CFL’s winningest coach said it could be five or six days before the first cuts are made, unless some of the players really have trouble grasping things.
