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Monday, August 28, 2000

Exuberant U.S.
team hoops it up
in Lahaina

McDyess and other youthful
players itching to get first
taste of Olympics

---

By Chris Sheridan
Associated Press

LAHAINA, Maui -- Shaq and Kobe are sitting this one out, but that doesn't mean the Americans are blase about men's basketball.

"You can't judge how the attitude is based on those two people. Everyone here is extremely excited," guard Allan Houston said. "We recognize the opportunity and are going to cherish it."

An infectious excitement has taken hold among the players on the U.S. men's basketball team as they have begun training camp in preparation for the Olympics.

Take Antonio McDyess, for instance.

Some 30 minutes before the bus was to leave for the first practice, he stood alone outside the front door of the U.S. Olympic basketball team's hotel eager to get rolling.

"I was so anxious to get to practice that it was eating me up. I couldn't stay in my room anymore," said McDyess, the last player selected to the 12-man squad after Tim Duncan pulled out with a knee injury.

McDyess is one of five players on the U.S. team who are 25 or younger, but the team's exuberance knows no age limits. Eleven players are first-time Olympians, with Gary Payton the only holdover from the Atlanta Games of 1996.

Shaquille O'Neal would have been the second carryover Olympian had he chosen to play, but he repeatedly turned down overtures from USA Basketball and decided to spend time with his family rather than make a 40-day commitment to the national team.

Kobe Bryant, O'Neal's teammate on the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, also declined an opportunity to play because of his wedding plans.

The absence of the two Lakers has left the impression in some corners of the world that the best American players can't be bothered with the Olympics. The truth, however, is something quite different.

There was no sense of going through the motions yesterday as the team held its second practice, which ended with several highly competitive 5-on-5 scrimmages.

The action on the practice court in Lahaina was distinctly uptempo, in large part because of the youthfulness of Kevin Garnett (24), Ray Allen (25), McDyess (25), Vince Carter (23) and Shareef Abdur-Rahim (23).

They have added a measure of exuberance to the team that was missing in 1996 and '92 when the U.S. teams were much older.

When the original Dream Team played in Barcelona eight years ago, nine of the 12 players were 29 or older. Aside from 22-year-old Christian Laettner, the next youngest player was Scottie Pippen (26).

In Atlanta, there were eight players 30 or older, including four -- Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton -- who were at least 33.

This year, only Tim Hardaway (33), Gary Payton (32), Steve Smith (31) and Alonzo Mourning (30) come anywhere near qualifying as crusty old men.

"The youth, I think, will take over," Allen said. "You want to see Vince and how high he jumps, and Antonio and how high he jumps, and those guys excite the crowds."

The team's early rah-rah disposition was fueled by coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who made an inspirational speech to the players at the first team dinner. Tomjanovich's heartfelt oratory ended with the squad huddling for a chant of "U-S-A."

"To me, you can win a championship any year -- that's the NBA, that's American basketball," Houston said. "But a gold medal goes down into the history of the world. To be able to do that, you're an Olympian forever.

"The guy who was briefing us said if you're an Olympian, you die an Olympian. So we know what we're representing, and I'm going to soak in every minute of it."