Plenty of energy on this Dream Team

By Chris Sheridan, Associated Press writer

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

While Shaq and Kobe may have decided to sit this one out, other NBA stars are not so blase about the Olympics.

Quite the contrary, in fact.

"I was so anxious to get to practice that it was eating me up. I couldn't stay in my room anymore," said McDyess, who was 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.

"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."

Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks is another member of the 25-and-under set whose eagerness is genuine. While McDyess was the first to show up to catch the first team bus, Allen was a mere two minutes behind him.

Allen (25) is one of four young U.S. Olympians who were added to the team over the past year, along with 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 1992 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."

The American team went through its second day of practice Sunday in Lahaina after a rainy morning on their corner of the island of Maui.

The weather kept the early morning recreational activities to a minimum, although there was little chance any of the Olympians were planning to head to the beach. Shark sightings have caused warning signs to be posted at area beaches, and two dead sharks washed ashore Saturday just a few miles down the coast from the team hotel.

If anything, it left the players a little more time to think about basketball and the task that lies ahead of them -- fulfilling everyone's expectations by going to Sydney and winning a gold medal.

"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."

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