Coach Mike Krzyzewski knew the drill.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and the rest of the U.S. basketball team got into combat uniforms and took marching orders from former U.S. Army officer Krzyzewski on Monday during a visit to Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul.
Krzyzewski was stationed in South Korea for a while during his five years in the Army from 1969-74. He's back in Seoul preparing his U.S. squad for the world championships starting in Japan later this week.
Wade and his teammates went through some practice maneuvers, thrilling the crowd with alley-oops, slams and precision shooting from the 3-point line.
"It felt great to come here and do something for the troops," Wade said. "It definitely helps us get motivated by realizing there are a lot of people behind us and we're representing our country."
After playing South Korea in an exhibition game on Tuesday, the squad will travel to Japan and play its first game of the world championships against Puerto Rico on Saturday in Sapporo.
The U.S. still must cut one of its players before the world championships. The roster was reduced to 13 when Gilbert Arenas strained his groin during practice Monday and was unable to compete for a spot on the 12-player roster.
"We know Gilbert is really disappointed," team managing director Jerry Colangelo said. "He's done a great job. "It's an unfortunate situation, but he is not going to be able to continue on."
Coach Krzyzewski said the trip to Yongsan, home to 25,000 personnel, was well worth the effort of getting up early and practicing in the stifling heat of the base gymnasium.
GOODEN RE-UPS WITH CAVS: Free-agent forward Drew Gooden agreed to terms on a three-year, $23 million contract to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, agent Bill Duffy said Monday.
Gooden, the team's top rebounder last season, has been a solid complementary player to All-Star forward LeBron James, who committed to a three-year contract extension with the Cavaliers in July.
Duffy said fellow agent Calvin Andrews handled the bulk of the negotiations with Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry.
"We're ecstatic," Duffy said. "Drew is very happy. He likes where Cleveland is headed."
The 24-year-old Gooden averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds last season. His inside presence and energy helped Cleveland go 50-32 in the regular season and make the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
The Cavaliers eliminated Washington in the first round and pushed defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit to seven games. Gooden averaged 8.8 points and 9.3 rebounds against the Wizards.
"We have said from the beginning that we wanted to keep Drew in a Cavaliers uniform, and although I'm not going to comment on specifics of the negotiations, things have moved in a good direction," Ferry said.
MUTOMBO HELPS WITH HOSPITAL: Dikembe Mutombo will fulfill a lifelong dream soon, opening a hospital in the Congo named for his late mother.
The Houston Rockets center, who donated $15 million to the project, will open the doors to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center on Sept. 2. The 300-bed hospital will provide health care to people in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Mutombo was born.
"We were very close," Mutombo said Monday in a telephone interview. "To do something of this caliber in the name of your beloved mom, it will mean a lot not just to me but to the people of Congo."
He created the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, the year his 64-year-old mother died. She was unable to get to the hospital because streets were closed due to civil unrest. His father, Samuel, was turned back from the hospital, just 10 minutes away.
"My mom played a big role, giving us all the tools to make us great human beings," Mutombo said of his nine siblings. "She did what moms are supposed to do — raise a child with a good understanding of life."
The $29 million hospital and research center will include a pediatric wing, surgery suites and a women's center.