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Montgomery Nice Fit for Gopher Job
While Flip Saunders is the best candidate for the University of
Minnesota basketball coaching position, Mike Montgomery might be
a superb second choice. He built a powerful program at
Stanford before taking an NBA job with the Golden State Warriors.
Although his record with the Warriors was mediocre and he was let go last year, he had
sub-par players to coach with a franchise that historically is among the
NBA’s worst.
Montgomery was at Stanford for 18 seasons and is the school’s most
successful coach ever. His teams enjoyed top 10 rankings, won four
Pacific 10 Conference championships and participated in the NCAA
tournament 12 times. His winning percentage of .702 is based on 393
wins, 167 losses.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Mark Madsen
played for Montgomery at Stanford. Madsen’s enthusiasm was evident
immediately when he talked to Sports Headliners about his former coach.
“I think Mike Montgomery would be an excellent candidate for the
University of Minnesota job,” Madsen said. “He’s a great recruiter. He
knows the X’s and O’s like the back of his hand, and he can communicate
with people. …I think the U would be very smart to contact Mike
Montgomery and see if they can open a dialogue.”
Bring
up Montgomery’s name and there is an assumption that he’s a “west coast
guy” who wouldn’t be interested in Minneapolis. Madsen, however,
quickly disputes the suggestion that Montgomery, who grew up in southern
California, wouldn’t want to move here. “This is a great place to be,
too,” Madsen said. “He knows that. He likes Minnesota, he likes
Minneapolis.” Madsen also said Montgomery is a “family man” whose
values are a good fit with the Midwest, and the coach’s wife, Sarah,
has relatives in Minnesota.
Montgomery’s ability to recruit and his contacts in both northern and
southern California would be a major asset to the Gophers. Madsen is
confident that despite the difference in weather, his former coach could
bring outstanding California prep players here. At Stanford eight of
his players became NBA first round draft choices and others had tryouts,
an indication of the talent he recruited.
Madsen said Montgomery sees all the elements that go into being an
extraordinary coach and having a winning program. Recruiting, teaching
in practice, coaching in games, mentoring players as people (not just
athletes) and working with the media are all Montgomery strengths.
With
his values and the wisdom that comes with being 59 years old, Montgomery
isn’t going to be a win at all costs coach who breaks NCAA rules. Madsen
said “coach Montgomery is not someone who is going to try to do things
in a quick fix type of way. …”
Both
Minnesota and Stanford are schools emphasizing academics and integrity
in athletics. Minnesota basketball is down with two 10th
place finishes in the last three years in the Big Ten Conference. Madsen
said Stanford basketball was low level, too, when Montgomery arrived.
“You
know the biggest thing about Mike that comes to my mind is Mike is a
winner,” Madsen said. “He went to Stanford when people were saying no
one can win at Stanford. And he took that program to the national
level. He took that program to the (NCAA) Final Four.” |
“I think Mike Montgomery would be an
excellent candidate for the University of Minnesota job.”
Mark Madsen on his college coach
At Stanford eight of his players became
NBA first round draft choices and others had tryouts, an indication of
the talent he recruited.
“You know the biggest thing about Mike
that comes to my mind is Mike is a winner.”
Mark Madsen |
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Gaborik, Fernandez Difference Makers
Without goal scorer Marian Gaborik and
goalie Manny Fernandez the Minnesota Wild are
a struggling road team. The performances of Gaborik and Fernandez
helped the Wild break an 11 game road losing streak last week with wins
against Vancouver, Edmonton and Chicago.
Gaborik, who missed 34 games because of a groin injury, returned to the
lineup against Vancouver, scored two goals and put the NHL on notice the
Wild is a different team when he plays. Former Minnesota North Stars
president Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners that Gaborik has
“tremendous talent and skills.” He also said Gaborik probably is a “top
20” goal scorer among NHL players based on a full season. At 24,
Gaborik’s “best years” should be coming up, according to Nanne. Gaborik
has already had three 30 goal or better seasons for the Wild.
Fernandez was superb in the road wins including 38 saves against
Chicago. That stretch was the kind of consistency Nanne said Fernandez
must have for the Wild to cause a stir in the playoffs. Last season
Fernandez had career and club highs for appearances and wins. He was
sixth in the NHL in saves and goals against average.
Nanne
believes the Wild can be a top five team in the Western Conference. He
said the team is now “in position to move up in the standings.”
Minnesota is only two points behind Vancouver in the Northwest
Division.
The
Wild are back in Chicago this Friday night, hoping to win their seventh
straight game over the Blackhawks. All three of the wins this season
have been in overtime. |
Marian Gaborik
Manny Fernandez
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Boxing
Comeback Continues in State
A source told Sports Headliners professional
boxing is expected to continue its revival in Minnesota with a card on
April 6 at Target Center headlined by Jason Litzau, light
heavyweight from St. Paul who has fought on HBO. The latest boxing
success was last Friday night when a card with a main event between
Shakopee’s Anthony Bonsante and St. Paul’s
Matt Vanda helped draw a crowd of more than 7,000 at Target
Center. Walk up ticket sales were approximately 4,000 and the paid
ticket receipts about $226,000, according to the source.
Bonsante, defending his International Boxing
Association Americas and Minnesota middleweight championships, defeated
Vanda by unanimous decision in a long awaited grudge match. There’s talk
now that Bonsante will fight John Duddy for the IBA world middleweight title in New
York on March 16.
Prior to the fight at Target Center Bonsante
said, “I’m 36 and have a lot more to fight for than he does – pride!
Like they said in (the movie) ‘The Cinderella Man,’ I know what I’m
fighting for, my two children and new fiancé. You know, Vanda isn’t that
bright, or he wouldn’t need his name tattooed on him to know how to
spell it.”
Also on last week’s card Minneapolis
heavyweight Joey Abell, now 10-1, defeated Larry White
from Alabama. Abell has won all of his fights by knockout or technical
knockouts.
Until recently boxing wasn’t sanctioned by the
state of Minnesota. Last year the state re-established a Minnesota
Boxing Commission. Friday night’s event at Target Center followed up on
a card in the building late last year. |
The next Target Center card could be on April 6
headlined by Jason Litzau, light heavyweight from St. Paul who
has fought on HBO.
"I know what I’m fighting for, my two
children and new fiancé."
Anthony Bonsante |
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Worth Noting & Quoting
Twins players and front office personnel will
be among about 250 people attending a retirement party for
Brad Radke on Saturday at a Tampa hotel.
USA Today on Monday had the Timberwolves
ranked 7th among the top 10 NBA teams. All the teams ranked
ahead of the Wolves are Western Conference teams except Cleveland at No.
6. The Wolves were the highest ranked team from their division
(Northwest) with Utah ranked No. 10. Dallas and Phoenix were No. 1 and
No. 2.
The No. 1 ranked Gopher hockey team will try
to continue its 21 game home winning streak Friday and Saturday against
Denver. The Pioneers have the second best goals per game defense in the
WCHA, 2.08. Denver, in a three way tie for second place in the WCHA
with St. Cloud State and Colorado College, has four players who have
scored over 20 points, Brock Trotter (28), Ryan Dingle
(27), Rhett Rakhshani (25) and Tyler Ruegsegger (24).
The timing of the search for the new Gopher
football coach was unusual. Most schools were searching for coaches in
November and December. Schools like Arizona State (Dennis Erickson)
and North Carolina (Butch Davis) hired big name coaches before
year end. Erickson and Davis both had great teams at the University of
Miami and were also head coaches in the NFL.
Whitney Taney,
who finished her high school career at Edina undefeated, is ranked No.
29 by the United States Tennis Association in girls 18 and under. She
will play this weekend as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Winter
Championships in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Taney, who will enroll at
Michigan later this year, will play in the local Boston Scientific
Women’s Pro Tennis Classic on Sunday, February 11 at Fort Snelling
Tennis Learning Center.
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The
No. 1 ranked Gopher hockey team will try to continue its 21 game home
winning streak Friday and Saturday against Denver.
Whitney Taney
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