COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Shekinna Stricklen and Alyssia Brewer are racking up the miles in Marco Polo-like fashion this summer.

The Tennessee women's basketball incoming freshmen have gone from Colorado to Argentina with a stop in Washington, D.C., in between.

More important is the experience they're accruing as members of USA Basketball's Under-18 national team. The squad opens play in the FIBA Americas Championship against Venezuela today in Buenos Aires.

"I think anytime our players have played on USA teams, they have come back better,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said, "whether it's mentally tougher or being a better teammate.

"It's not like they're going to get a whole lot better as a basketball player. It's the experience . . . it toughens them up."

Summitt and several other collegiate coaches watched last week as the process unfolded during a morning practice at the U.S. Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. In the course of the workout, Summitt saw the 6-foot-2 Stricklen take a pair of defensive charges. But as Stricklen observed later, "She might have seen me let down a bit, too."

"It's something totally different for me but I'm learning a lot,'' Stricklen said. "It's very different than high school basketball. In high school, you're the top player. You don't have to go so hard. Here, everyone is good."

Brewer, a 6-3 forward, noticed the same Pikes Peak-sized difference after a few workouts. She'd been banging bodies with 6-4 Lynetta Kizer, a Maryland signee, 6-2 Nneka Ogwumike, who's headed for Stanford, and 6-5 Kelsey Bone, a top high school prospect from Stafford, Texas.

"The competition level is completely different,'' Brewer said. "Everyone is amazing."

Brewer, who's from Sapulpa, Okla., will gain a lot from this sort of competition. The physical battles that take place during the tournament will be beneficial, too.

In the Colorado Springs practice, she showed her passing ability, which might be her top asset. Brewer is adept at grabbing a rebound and initiating the fast break with an outlet pass. But to score for the U.S., not to mention Tennessee next season, she will need a strong presence around the foul lane and basket.

"I think it will help me physically and mentally to get past the point of where you're tired, having to battle with them,'' Brewer said. "You're going to have to have both of them if you want to compete at the college level. You might be the strongest person out there, but if you don't have it mentally, really you're nobody."

For Stricklen, being away from home is helpful - regardless of location or distance. Summitt conceded that one of her biggest questions when recruiting the Morrilton (Ark.) High star was: "Is she going to leave Arkansas and come to Knoxville?"

"This is really good,'' Stricklen said. "You're going to be away from home in college. I can get used to it."

Stricklen hit several 3-pointers during the Colorado Springs practice, including one with a defender in her face. The charges notwithstanding, her defensive presence was a work in progress. The U.S. coaches were encouraging her by emphasizing her physical potential.

"I'm one of the tallest guards with the longest arms,'' Stricklen said.

The same distinction will be true at Tennessee.

"I want her to take on a big role for us when she comes in,'' Summitt said. "She knows she has to be ready."

After all the miles and all the basketball, Stricklen and Brewer figure to be more ready than before.

Said Summitt: "You can't help but see a difference in their maturity."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.