LOS ANGELES -- Arizona State hasn’t held its annual training camp at Camp Tontozona in four years. Previous coaches hated the remote location in Arizona’s White Mountains because there is no cell or internet service so the coaches couldn’t keep up with recruiting and the players couldn’t go online to complete summer courses.
The camp’s cabins are also notoriously rough – or as new coach Todd Graham put it Tuesday at Pac-12 Media Day, “rustic.” And rain regularly forces the team to practice in nearby Payson, washing out some valuable practice time.
But Graham understands the importance of reaching out to a fractured and somewhat alienated Sun Devil community following four straight non-winning seasons and a pair of previous coaches (Dennis Erickson and Dirk Koetter) who were less enthused about hob-nobbing with boosters, fans and alumni. ASU backers have a romantic, and some would say inaccurate notion of Camp T, so Graham has elected to return for a five-day stretch from Aug. 14-18, concluding the trip with a scrimmage.
None of ASU’s current players have practiced there, but they will soon.
“I’ve heard a lot about it – some good, some bad,” running back Cameron Marshall said, smiling. “I’m looking forward to forming my own opinions.”
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