COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The base of the Rocky Mountains offers a fitting place for college basketball to begin its climb back to its apex -- the 2004 Final Four.

This weekend's USA Basketball Junior National Trails in Colorado Springs served as an unofficial audition for next winter's college basketball stars, as tomorrow's All-Americans play for three days in front of a closed audience.

In a cozy second-floor gymnasium at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, 51 of the country's best college and high school players took part in the tryouts for the United States Pan American team and the U.S. Under-19 national team. The Pan American team will play in the Dominican Republic from Aug. 2-6, and the Under-19 team travels to Greece for games from July 10-20.

As usual, about 70 NBA scouts and personnel directors, clipboards in tow, squeezed chairs behind the baselines of the two courts to watch. Oregon coach Ernie Kent patrolled the sideline of the Under-19 team, while Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo monitored the Pan American team. A host of other coaches, from Kentucky's Tubby Smith to NAIA and junior college coaches, either assisted or watched from the sidelines.

Both Izzo and Kent left the gym impressed with the talent assembled, yet scrambling a bit to fill their teams with personnel to compete against skilled foreign squads, many of which have played together for years.

Izzo broke camp with 17 players and Kent has 16. The rosters will be trimmed after each ships off to their training sites later this month. Izzo is still pining for another pure point guard to complement Seton Hall's Andre Barrett, while Kent's search for another big man could lead him to talented Texas sophomore Brad Buckman, who missed the Trials because of school obligations.

Still, the players in Colorado Springs left good impressions. Some left on a Rocky Mountain High, other wheezing in the thin mountain air, with a full summer to fill the holes in their games.

Here are some snippets from the weekend.

Rocky Mountain Highs
Tom Izzo: Put together a solid Pan American squad, but also saw two of his own players thrive in the tryouts for the Under-19 team.

Sophomore big man Paul Davis, who overcame a foot injury last season to flourish in the NCAA Tournament, will earn considerable All-American consideration after simply dominating the Under-19 group. Davis averaged 12.3 points, second best in the U-19 group, and led all campers with 8.3 rebounds per game.

Teammate Maurice Ager, who also struggled with injuries last season, showed surprising offensive spunk, scoring 10.5 ppg. Also, guard Chris Hill made Izzo's cuts, though he struggled some playing the point.

Arkansas: Wing Jonathan Modica led the U-19 team in scoring (12.5 ppg), and was the camp's biggest surprise. Modica led the Hogs in scoring last year (11.5 ppg), and could parlay his USA experience to a starring SEC role next season.

As a bonus, the Hogs got word that top five high school senior Al Jefferson will commit this week. Jefferson made the cut, scoring 10 ppg, but will need to improve on his 3.8 rebounds per game.

Kevin Pittsnogle: Not nearly a household name outside the Big East, the 6-10 West Virginia sophomore showed a deft shooting touch and interior toughness -- two critical elements for big men in international play. "He plays like a foreign player," Kent said, admiringly.

Illinois: You couldn't wipe the smile off new coach Bruce Weber's face with a Brillo pad. Three of his new Illini players -- sophomores Dee Brown, Deron Williams and James Augustine -- not only made the Under-19 cut, but played with aplomb.

Williams finished with 13 assists and one turnover in the five sessions. Brown averaged 2.0 steals a game, best among the U-19 group. Augustine (7.3) was the best rebounder not named Paul Davis.

Lawrence Roberts: The 6-9 Baylor junior forward chose the road less traveled when he chose Waco over Oklahoma and Connecticut as his college home. But he wasn't intimidated by the competition in Colorado Springs. He played hard, grabbed as many rebounds as Emeka Okafor (6.0) and was probably the least heralded player to make the Pan Am cut.

"I didn't know much about him," Izzo said, "but he grew on me."

Hakim Warrick: After sleepwalking through the first night's sessions, the Syracuse junior recovered nicely.

(Warrick may have pulled the bonehead play of the camp by giving up a fastbreak basket by attempting to toss an alleyoop of the backboard to a teammate. Not something that will impress the old school coaches and scouts.)

But Warrick's seemingly infinite wingspan and unblockable turnaround jumper left many scouts saying he's the best NBA prospect of all the players in camp.

"He's an athletic freak," beamed Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins.

Detroit-to-Columbia connection: Missouri's Arthur Johnson led the Trails in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. "He came out of here as good as anybody," Izzo said. "Maybe better."

As a bonus, the committee decided to let fellow Tiger and Detroit native Ricky Paulding, who couldn't play because of a wrist injury, compete for a Pan Am spot in Orlando later this month. Having Quin Snyder as an assistant to Izzo likely helped Paulding's chances, as did Paulding showing up for the camp and participating in the limited drills he could.

Julius Hodge: The smack-talking N.C. State guard played harder than anyone at the trials. He wowed Izzo with his 4.5 assists per game, which led all players. He could be a defensive stopper as well.

"He almost seems out of control but gets it done," Izzo said. "He played really hard defensively."

Don't be surprised to see Hodge run the point some, which he also does at N.C. State.

UConn: Emeka Okafor was his usual dominant self and Ben Gordon showcased his array of skills. Both could well end up starting for Izzo, a harbinger for a bright season in Storrs. Jim Calhoun and assistant George Blaney both followed their stars every moves and were pleased.

Greater Eugene: Gonzaga's Blake Stepp and Oregon's Luke Jackson both hail from the Eugene area. They've been playing each other since junior high, and because of their shooting skills will likely be headed to the Dominican to represent their country. Along with hitting 6-of-11 3-pointers, Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with steals and blocks and had coaches approaching Kent to compliment his intangibles.

Wheezing A Bit

Duke: J.J. Redick made the Under-19 team, which is starved for shooters. He hit 5-of-10 3-pointers, but the rest of his game was unremarkable.

Both Daniel Ewing, who was playing out of position at the point, and power forward Shelden Williams got cut from the older team. Ewing left camp with an 11-to-8 assist to turnover ratio, while Williams struggled to score (5-of-20 shooting) and disappeared for stretches.

Marcellus Sommerville: The 6-6 Iowa defector will play at Bradley this season. And while he will likely end up being a monster in the Valley, he wasn't in the same class as the rest of the Pan American team.

Sommerville finished 3-of-15 from 3-point land and had coaches grumbling that he was taking too many shots. Sommerville played last year at Southwestern Illinois Community College and has yet to shed the JUCO gunslinger mentality.

Power Forwards: A few eyeballs rolled with the selection of 6-6 Kentucky forward Chuck Hayes, who scored just 3.8 points per game. That total was third lowest in the Pan Am camp.

Hayes did rebound well (5.5), but so did Boston College's Craig Smith (4.8) and Notre Dame's Torin Francis (5.3). Both of the Big East bangers, who showed more offensive polish, failed to make the cut. Smith weighed in at 279 pounds, nearly 15 over his listed weight at BC. He led the Pan Am trails in scoring after the fist session, but he wore down and his production dipped.

Daniel Gibson: Considered one of the top high school point guards, Gibson missed two flights and never showed. The Texas commitment is playing in an overseas tournament next week. Still, he could have learned a lot going up against Dee Brown and Tennessee's C.J. Watson, both of whom made the cut.

DeAngelo Alexander: The sophomore guard from Oklahoma sprained his ankle three times in the first two sessions before finally sitting out. It was an effort that would have made his coach, Kelvin "Pain Is An Opinion" Sampson, proud. Alexander sat despondent watching the final sessions and got cut. Still, he came on strong late this year at OU and should put up big numbers next season.

MWC Big Men: Both Utah's Tim Frost and Colorado State's Matt Nelson struggled offensively, as they finished at the bottom of the scoring charts in the Pan Am division. They weren't helped by the trapezoid lane, which is used internationally and is expected to come into effect in college ball this season. The wider lane makes it more difficult for back-to-the-basket players like Frost and Nelson to establish position.

Keydren Clark: Clark, a spitfire point guard who has given life to a moribund St. Peter's program, didn't make the cut. The good news? Not only did Clark show that he can play with the top talent in college basketball, he also grew an inch from his listed height -- 5-8 to 5-9. As usual, most other players shrunk. Clark plans on playing at the Rucker this summer, and he'd be worth the trip to watch.

Pete Thamel is a freelance writer based in Dallas and a frequent contributor to ESPN.com and ESPN Magazine. He can be reached at vpthamel@yahoo.com.