Posted July 25, 2008    

• Saul Smith

• John J. Arlotta

• Brett Favre

• Scott Baker

• Kevin Garnett

U to Compete for Basketball Titles

Assistant coach Saul Smith told Sports Headliners last week that the Gopher staff plans to attract a “great” recruiting class next year and that’s part of the plan to have Minnesota competing for national championships.  Head coach Tubby Smith and his assistants recruited a group of incoming freshmen and junior college players this year that has drawn national attention and is regarded among the best in the Big Ten Conference. 

Asked about recruiting success for next year, Saul said, “We expect a great class of recruits that are going to fit in our system and fit in our ways of winning basketball games. …” 

When asked about competing for Big Ten Championships, he talked about NCAA titles, too.  “We do,” he said.  “We feel like that’s our goal is to compete nationally and win national titles and to compete (for) Big Ten titles.  We’re going to be all right. …” 

Three of the Gophers five incoming recruits are in Minneapolis already, 6-10 forward/center Colton Iverson, 6-11 forward/center Ralph Sampson III, and 6-5 guard Devron Bostick.  Forward Paul Carter, a 6-8 junior college transfer, and guard Devoe Joseph, 6-3 from Toronto, haven't come to town yet.   

Iverson, Sampson and Bostick are playing in the summer time Howard Pulley League in St. Paul.  NCAA regulations prevent college coaches from watching the players but Saul Smith has impressions of all three from anecdotal reports and previous observations.  

Iverson has a reputation for aggressive play, including offensive and defensive rebounding.  “I am excited about him," Smith said.  “I knew he could do that because I had watched him as a high schooler.  I think that’s going to help us, too. …” 

Listening to Smith talk about Sampson, he makes it clear the youngster isn’t his dad, a 7-4 phenom who some once thought could become basketball’s greatest center ever.  Smith described the elder Sampson as “kind of an aberration” and “just amazing.” 

But young Ralph is impressive, too.  “He kind of does everything really well,” Smith said.  “He passes well. Defends well.  He can score with either hand. These are the things that we like.  His versatility.  He (even) does ball handling drills pretty well. …” 

The summer reports on Bostick are he’s living up to his reputation as a scorer.  He averaged 19.3 and 18.2 points per game during two seasons at Southwestern Illinois where earlier this year he was named Division I National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year as selected by association coaches.  Because of Bostick’s experience and maturity, Smith is expecting the 20-year-old to help immediately next season. “He’s going to be ready,” Smith said.  “We expect him to be ready.”

 

Saul Smith


 

Tubby Smith
 

Swarm Owner Talks Finances, Team, Fans 

John J. Arlotta, the new owner of the National Lacrosse League’s Minnesota Swarm, told Sports Headliners that the local franchise has never been profitable and won’t be for a few seasons.  He regards the Swarm, who start a fifth season next January, as a start-up business requiring time to become profitable.

Arlotta praised Minnesota Sports and Entertainment (the former ownership group that operates the Minnesota Wild) for building a “foundation.”  His goal is to find more customers and field a better team.   

He will employ a full time ticket sales staff, instead of part time as in the past.  The Swarm averaged 11,000 fans per game last season and will target new customers including college students who will have an upper level seating area in Xcel Energy Center.  Another idea is to target small business owners with affordable suite options. 

“I feel pretty good about where we’re at,” Arlotta said.  “I anticipate making money within a few years, or at least breaking even.” 

The Swarm has never gone beyond the first round of the playoffs, although they have had front office personnel and others recognized recognized including team captain Ryan Cousins who scored nine goals and 14 points in 16 games last season on his way to a second straight NLL Defensive Player of the Year award.  Two of his nine goals were game-winners in overtime. Arlotta wants to “enhance” scouting, evaluate more players and add additional Americans to the roster (league personnel is heavy with Canadians).

Arlotta wouldn’t say how much he paid for the team but media reports valued the recently purchased Rochester, New York club at $5.5 million.  Without being specific, he projected losses for next season to be in the “six figure range.” 

His view is that the Minneapolis-St. Paul lacrosse market is “ready to explode.”  He quoted research that ranks Minnesota as the seventh fastest growth state for youth soccer.  High school programs, for example, are growing in popularity.  He also said college students, who haven’t been marketed to here, love the game.  He said except for Boston, this metro area has more college students than any other.   

The local love affair with hockey is a plus, too, Arlotta said.  Lacrosse and hockey are cross-over sports that draw people interested in playing and watching both.  Opinion and data aside, Arlotta will know from observation when and if lacrosse is booming here.  “The ultimate gauge is watching lots of kids walking with sticks and flipping the ball,” he said. 

New Wild owner Craig Leipold is a friend who knew of Arlotta’s interest in lacrosse and suggested he buy the Swarm franchise.  Although he’s never formally played the sport, Arlotta, 59, was asked to play club lacrosse as a student at Notre Dame.  He regrets declining the invitation.  Several years ago while living in Baltimore he became a lacrosse fan watching national power Johns Hopkins University.  More recently he and wife Bobbie, who played high school lacrosse, provided the lead gift of $5 million for a new men’s and women’s lacrosse stadium at Notre Dame. 

Arlotta is the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Coram Inc., a privately held provider of home infusion and specialty pharmacy services.   Told that while his business accomplishments hadn’t earned him a bio on Wikipedia but that success with the Swam might, Arlotta replied, “Man, maybe that’s what I should be striving for.”

 

John J. Arlotta

"The ultimate gauge (in lacrosse interest) is watching lots of kids walking with sticks and flipping the ball."
John J. Arlotta

Worth Noting

A couple of opinions on the Brett Favre fiasco.  One, he will never play for Green Bay again.  Too many egos involved.  Two, the only way he ever shows up in a Vikings’ uniform is if within a year or two a team other than the Packers trades him here.  

Subhub.com lists a ticket range of $1 to $319 for the Vikings’ home preseason opener against Seattle on August 8.  The site shows a range of $28 to $6,000 for Green Bay’s preseason opener against Cincinnati on August 11. 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship event on August 9 at Target Center has already generated over $3 million in ticket sales revenue, according to a source.  That’s a record amount for a Target Center event and although the event isn’t sold out yet it’s expected to do so.

At 25 years old and in his third season with the Twins, Scott Baker is being characterized more and more as the franchise’s best starting pitcher.  Last Sunday against Texas he lost for the first time since June 15 at Milwaukee.  It was the third time this season Baker has started a game that ended with the Twins losing 1-0.  His season record is 6-3 with a 3.26 ERA.  He has an ERA of 2.66 during his last 10 starts with a record of 4-3 in those games, and the Twins have scored a total of only 27 runs to support him. 

Well traveled Sidney “Suitcase” Ponson, 31, was the starting and winning pitcher for the Yankees on Monday when they defeated the Twins 12-4.  Ponson, who is 4-1 on the season, has pitched for six major league teams.  Going back to 1998 he’s pitched for Baltimore, San Francisco, the Yankees (two different stops), St. Louis, the Twins and Texas.  

Robert McChesney, writing for nbadraft.net, came up with a system to rank the 80 greatest NBA players since 1956.  The top five (in order) are Tim Duncan, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Former Timberwolf Kevin Garnett earned a No. 19 ranking. More at http://www.nbadraft.net/mcchesney005.html 

Former Mounds View basketball player and assistant coach Mark Sembrowich has been added to head coach Johnny Dawkins’ staff at Stanford, according to http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/061608aab.html 

Minnesota Thunder interim coach Donny Gramenz won his first game last night as his team defeated Seattle, 2-1, at the National Sports Center stadium in Blaine.  The Thunder had been 0-6-4 in its previous 10 USL games.     

Thunder general manager Djorn Buchholz told Sports Headliners that the team’s record and play on the field prompted a coaching change when Gramenz succeeded Amos Magee earlier this week.  “At the Thunder now, losing is not accepted,” Buchholz said.  The Thunder, in the first season of new ownership, will be looking for a permanent head coach who is a “proven winner,” Buchholz said.  He hopes that a new coach will be hired by late September or early October.  Gramenz will be considered for the position if he’s interested, Buchholz said.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) will induct its 2008 Hall of Fame honorees tonight at the Best Western Kelly Inn in St. Paul.  Inductees are Irv St. John, Bemidji State University; Nancy Trebbensee, Southwest Minnesota State University; Randy Sullivan, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Brian Paulson, Winona State University and the 1993-94 Northern State University women’s basketball team.

Canterbury Park will host a dedication ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday to celebrate the opening of the Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel, located in the stable area of the Shakopee racing facility. The 3,000 square foot facility includes a large multi-purpose area, meeting room, office and kitchen.  The chapel will be used for worship services, events, and group meetings.  The facility is named for Kutz, the deceased jockey who twice led the track’s jockey standings and was the first rider inducted into Canterbury’s Hall of Fame.

  

Scott Baker
 

Kevin Garnett

 Djorn Buchholz