Coach Krzyzewski takes team to visit troops

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.

The U.S. still must cut one of its players. The roster was reduced to 13 when Gilbert Arenas strained his groin during practice and was unable to compete for a spot on the 12-player roster.

“Tony Barbee was hired to be the new men’s coach at Texas-El Paso.

The 35-year-old Barbee spent the past six years as an assistant at Memphis. He will take over for Doc Sadler, who left last week to coach Nebraska.

“Tyler Hughes, a reserve player at Kansas State, was dismissed from the team because his name appears in a registered sex offender database.

Hockey

Ortmeyer sidelined

New York Rangers forward Jed Ortmeyer has been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and will be sidelined indefinitely.

A pulmonary embolism is the sudden blockage of an artery in the lung, usually caused by one or more blood clots. Ortmeyer is scheduled to undergo more tests later this week, the Rangers said.

“They believe it can be treated with medication,” Mark Witkin, Ortmeyer’s agent said. “There has been no statement that his career is in jeopardy.”

“Season-ticket sales for the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are up about 60 percent over last year, general manager Jim Rutherford said.

Miscellany

Hostak dies at 90

Al Hostak, who won a middleweight boxing title in 1938 in a bout refereed by Jack Dempsey, died of complications from a stroke at the age of 90.

Hostak died Sunday at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Wash., son Phil Hostak said.

Hostak had a record of 63 wins, nine losses and 12 draws. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.

“Payao Poontarat, a champion boxer who in 1976 won Thailand’s first Olympic medal, has died. He was 49.

He had Lou Gehrig’s disease and had been hospitalized since December. He died Sunday at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok.

■Former high jump world-record holder Patrik Sjoberg said he used cocaine at a party in connection with the European Championships.

Sjoberg and four others, including former 400-meter hurdler Sven Nylander and sprinter Patrik Lovgren, were apprehended by police early Sunday in Stockholm, Sweden, on suspicion of narcotics use. They were tested and released pending a further investigation.