Storm open camp with all eyes on Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith

Aside from the rims being a little tight, the Storm gave rave reviews about their new $64 million practice facility following the first day of training camp Sunday.

“This place is special,” coach Noelle Quinn said. “It feels good. Our organization has done an amazing job, not just with this facility, but we have more help from a staff standpoint.

“This is our first day, but we’ve been here a little over a week now and already you can see and feel that investment in this team. … Like I said, it’s an amazing feeling.”

In terms of personnel, the Storm’s biggest offseason investments were free-agent acquisitions Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who will cost the franchise over $400,000 in combined salaries this year.

All eyes were on the two newcomers as they shared the court with Storm star Jewell Loyd in a makeshift lineup that included returner Mercedes Russell and training camp invitee Victoria Vivians.

Not surprisingly, there were far more turnovers than assists in the final minutes of a longer-than-expected, three-hour workout.

Still, the miscues drew the ire of Quinn, who stopped practice after consecutive turnovers to stress the importance of taking care of the ball.

“There were some good moments and some not-so-good moments that will become better as training camp goes along,” Quinn said. “But overall, I’m pleased. This was a great first day. We got up and down [the court] and I thought their energy level never ceased.”

When asked specifically about Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith, Quinn was complimentary and stressed patience.

“I thought they looked good,” she said. “Obviously, they’re not at their best right now. It’s Day 1 and I don’t expect them to look their best. We started film at 11 and finished … [three and half hours] later. It’s the first time we got up and down [the court] with this group. So, we have to be mindful of where we are as we start this season and going forward.

“I really enjoyed having their presence, their leadership and their voices out there. Their talking is consistent. It was continuous and it’s contagious. You have an amazing point guard and you have an amazing post presence. Both of them are very solid leaders. The basketball is going to come. I’m not concerned about that in any way. The chemistry is going to come with more reps. More than anything, I’m excited about where we can go.”

Although she’s starting her 10^th season, the 33-year-old Diggins-Smith admitted she felt nervous before Sunday’s practice.

“It was like the first day of school where you have a lot of anticipation for it to come,” Diggins-Smith said. “It’s kind of surreal getting reacquainted with the familiar faces in Jewell and Nneka and just seeing us all share the same jersey.

“To be on the floor with your teammates, obviously it’s a lot of emotions that you feel. Everybody’s excited. Some people may be nervous. I had a gap year last year, so yeah, it’s a lot…