Basketball squad performs for military

By The Associated Press
Published: July 15, 2012 Updated: July 15, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Dancers were performing during breaks in the action. Dunks were greeted with "MVP!" chants.

Mascots, merchandise giveaways, and hot dog stands had the feel of an NBA arena, not the U.S. Olympic men's team's workout.

Of course this was no game. As Allen Iverson would say: We talkin' about practice.

The U.S. Olympic basketball team went through a most unusual workout Saturday, an open practice for military personnel and families at the D.C. Armory that felt more like Midnight Madness on a college campus than a team getting ready to defend a gold medal.

"We understand it's kind of ? actually every day with USA Basketball is a little bit different," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Not bad, but certainly different. But today was different in a very spectacular way. All of our guys were proud to be here."

The best dunks were not by LeBron James or his U.S. teammates, but by G-Man, the Washington Wizards mascot who struggled a bit early before getting better as his routine went along.

Hey, mascots are allowed to be rusty during the offseason, too.

Of course, they don't have games that count in two weeks.

And while France, the Americans' opening opponent in London, was playing an exhibition game against fellow medal contender and reigning Olympic silver medalist Spain on Saturday, the Americans were taking part in what felt like a pep rally, a workout environment loaded with distractions that called to mind Rocky's training camp before his first fight against Clubber Lang in "Rocky III."

Yet because of the people watching, and Krzyzewski's military background, the day was worth it for the Americans.

"Coach K talked about this being such a great day for USA Basketball, but for America, and understood the significance of it," said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, who played for Krzyzewski at Duke and served as the emcee of the practice.

"To be able to come here and say thank you for our men and women in uniform, they were here today but they've always been there, they've always been there for us. I think he understands it on a level that many of us can't because of the time he spent in and around the military, and how much not only knows it but feels it."

VLASIC OUT: Former world high jump champion Blanka Vlasic has withdrawn from the London Olympics after failing to recover from injuries and health issues.

The 28-year-old Croatian dominated the high jump since her silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games until ankle surgery last year.

Vlasic said on her website that her "health situation is getting better," but she won't be able to get in top shape in time for the July 27-Aug. 12 Olympics.

OFFERS APOLOGY: The boss of British security group G4S said he was sorry that his company had bungled the contract to help protect the 2012 Olympic Games, a humbling televised apology that followed days of ugly news about his firm's failures.

Nick Buckles spoke to the BBC as British newspapers were filled with accounts of chaotic recruitment, sloppy security, and even an allegation that some G4S staffers weren't fluent in English.

"We're deeply disappointed and we certainly are very sorry for what's happened over the last week or two," the chief executive said. "It's a very complex process. No one's ever undertaken to recruit 10,000 fully-trained security staff for such a lengthy period of time."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/sports/~3/e0aiVOPfgmQ/

gpa calculator menorah chanukah chanukah david archuleta david archuleta hobbit trailer