Instead of taking a breather from basketball this summer, Notre Dame's junior forwards Troy Murphy and David Graves decided to split up and take their game global.

After spending the first part of the summer on campus for summer school and working out with the Irish, Murphy went west to Hawaii, while Graves headed east to play in Italy.

Murphy, a 6-foot-10 All-American power forward, made two trips to the Aloha State.

The first trek was in early August to participate in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp.

On his second trip, Murphy will be going up against the best of the best — not only college players but pros as well. He was selected as one of 12 collegians to play on the USA Men's Select Team.

The Select Team will take on the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, or Dream Team, Saturday in Honolulu, in a match-up televised on NBC at 7 p.m.

It will offer one last bout of competition for the Dream Team prior to heading to Sydney, Australia, for the Olympic Games.

"The NBA players are the best in the world," Murphy said. "I've grown up watching them, and now I'm going to play against them."

Murphy highlights the squad as the only First Team All-American on the team, since the other four All-Americans now play in the NBA. The collegiate squad includes stellar players like Duke's Shane Battier, Iowa State's Jamal Tinsley and Maryland's Terence Morris.

Murphy is the only Big East player on the Select Team, but conference foe St. John's is represented by head coach Mike Jarvis, who leads the collegians into action.

However outstanding the collegiate talent may be, few expect the USA Men's Select Team to give Dream Team III a challenge.

Murphy is just looking forward to the chance to go up against the most famous guys on the hardwood these days — from young superstars like Vince Carter and Kevin Garnett to veteran athletes such as Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton.

"I'm really excited about playing the Dream Team," Murphy, a preseason candidate for the John Wooden Award, said. "I think it's good for me to go to Hawaii and work on my game."

While Murphy passed up his opportunity to jump into the NBA Draft this summer, that decision allowed him entry into this game.

None of the players drafted in June are playing for either the USA Men's Select Team or the Dream Team.

While Murphy prepared to compete against top American athletes, Graves gave his passport a workout. He played for a NIT All-Stars team that toured northern Italy for two weeks in August.

"Playing with the NIT All-Stars gave me a time to get away," Graves said. "When you get with new guys, you don't know what they're going to do on the court. No matter how good your teammates are, it's good to go up against new guys."

The squad, made up of some of the best athletes from both the Preseason and Postseason National Invitation Tour-naments, included several athletes from the Big East Conference. Graves was joined by Seton Hall back-up point guard Ty Shine and St. John's swingman Reggie Jessie.

"This is definitely a leg up for me," Graves said of the chance to take on international competition.

The rest of the Fighting Irish didn't let dust gather on their basketball shoes either. All returning players but sophomore forward Jere Macura, who played with the Croatian national team this summer, spent at least part of their summers at Notre Dame getting ready for the 2000-01 season.

"I think this team's capable of winning the national championship, honestly," Graves said of Notre Dame's potential. "We're so close as a team. We're so deep as a team. The team's just got to peak at the right time."

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