Players clamoring to play for the red, white and blue on Team USA

By Rob Miech

Saturday, July 25, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski and Kobe Bryant and LeBron James made wearing the red, white and blue cool again, and it helped that those colors have been trimmed in gold since August.

Colangelo assembled the U.S. national basketball squad, coached by Duke boss Mike Krzyzewski, that defeated Spain for the title at the Olympics last year in Beijing.

Now, onto Phase II of the program, two days of drills at Valley High to indoctrinate new players into the system that will be capped tonight at 8 in a Blue-White Showcase scrimmage at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tickets are $13 to $78.

It took a few years, but young elite players are now clamoring to be a part of Team USA and play with Bryant, James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

“I’ll do anything they want me to, dive ... ” said Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose. “Whatever they want, I’m willing to do to be on the team.”

A team dinner Wednesday night at the Wynn was capped by a highlight show of Team USA’s glory run to gold in China, which made this young group of wannabes salivate even more.

Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo stopped short of saying he’d sweep the court before and after every practice. Or did he include that task, too?

“Whatever it takes,” he said. “I’m trying to get a job, man. I’ll dive on the floor, wipe the sweat off the floor, whatever I got to do. I have an open mind and I’m willing to learn.

“To have an opportunity to wear USA across the jersey on your chest and compete with these guys and get better with them this week has been unique for all of us.”

If tonight’s scrimmage is anything like the past two days at Valley, look for bodies to often tumble like bowling pins in the lane and under the rim.

Look for some poor perimeter shooting, questionable touches at the free-throw line, an array of electric finishes and a strong all-around performance by Kevin Durant.

When Colangelo, the chairman of USA Basketball, and Krzyzewski compare notes about this mini-camp, both will include Durant in the first line of their status reports.

The 6-foot-11 guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder started out strong Thursday afternoon at Valley High and didn’t let up.

In three 10-minute scrimmages Friday, Durant led everyone with an unofficial 15 points, on 5-for-9 shooting. He made all five of his attempts from the line.

“He has had two outstanding seasons in the NBA,” Colangelo said. “He’s determined that he’s a player to be reckoned with. He has separated himself, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s showing a lot more, overall, in his game and leadership, and I like that.”

Krzyzewski also raved about Durant.

“He’s a world-class talent with a world-class attitude,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s a very unique players, a perimeter player at 6-11. I was impressed with his defense (Thursday).

“Going forward, we want length. We may not have bulk, but if we have length that’s a good thing. He gives us good length.”

Durant is one of five invitees who haven’t yet celebrated their 21st birthdays, so this trip to Las Vegas has been all about business.

“Tonight’s scrimmage should be a lot of fun,” Durant said. “We’re going to go out and get better, put it that way, and we’ll all be able to say we wore that U-S-A jersey at least once.”

Durant can look forward to a few more occasions to represent the U.S. Who will join him is a crapshoot that will be answered in the next two to three months.

It’s likely that Colangelo and Krzyzewski think highly of Portland center Greg Oden, and Mayo and Rose, but none of them were spectacular in Friday’s three scrimmages.

Oden scored two baskets and had five points, but that production might be inconsequential for how Krzyzewski would like to use the 7-footer.

Before Friday’s practice, Krzyzewski told Oden he liked the center’s half-court presence inside, and his main areas of concern are defending and rebounds.

“He said that’s what he’ll try to provide,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s one of the guys I’m looking forward to watching.”

Rose had seven points, on 3-for-8 shooting, and Mayo went for six points, hitting two of his six attempts. Krzyzewski likes their height (Rose goes 6-3; Mayo 6-4) and stressed distribution.

“Internationally, it’s a much more physical game,” Krzyzewski said. “Especially on the ball, you can get chucked a lot. You have to be strong enough, physically, with the ball to get through that and still run.

“Both can really defend, and they’re pass-first point guards. When you have all these guys, like Dwyane and Kobe and LeBron and Carmelo, you want guys to make sure they pass the ball to those guys.”

Those who impressed Friday include Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook (13 points, 5-of-6 shooting), Memphis forward Rudy Gay (11 points, 5-of-8 shooting) and Minnesota forward Kevin Love (11 points, 4-of-6 shooting).

JaVale McGee, the UNR center now playing for the Washington Wizards, swatted a few shots – even 21 feet from the rim – and finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

At the other end? NBA Summer League sensation Anthony Randolph missed his first six shots and finished with four points on 2-for-9 shooting. He missed both of his free throws.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith went 1-for-9 from the field, and McGee launched an air ball from the free-throw line.

The sweetest play might have been Kevin Love’s give-and-go to D.J. Augustin, with a twist. When Augustin neared the rim, he flipped it behind his head to Love, who sailed in for an easy bucket.

However, there wasn’t one player who contributed to all three Friday scrimmage victories.

They didn’t give each other much breathing room, and that figures to continue tonight at the Mack.

When the senior team reconvenes next year in Las Vegas to prepare for the World Championship in Turkey, maybe only two or three of these mini-campers will get invitations.

“If there were no spots or 12 spots available, I think the group of guys brought in this week are competitors,” Mayo said. “We work out year-round to stay in shape to better our games, better our teams.

“I think if you brought us into an open gym and there was nothing to play for but the victory, I think the same thing would go on. There’s high intensity and we want to compete and win. It’s a great opportunity for us.”