Chadron, Nebraska native Elliott Eliason will have his own cheering section when the Gophers play the Cornhuskers in Lincoln tonight. Minnesota’s redshirt sophomore center told Sports Headliners he expects at least 24 friends and family at the game.
Chadron is a small town located in northwest Nebraska, about a six hour drive from Lincoln. Despite the distance, Eliason said students from his old high school may attend the game tonight where his rooting section will include mother Lorna and younger brother Spencer.
Eliason is excited about having the hometown support. “Yeah, it’s very cool. We’re (the Gophers) kind of rolling right now. Added to that, it’s a big motivator to win down there.”
Eliason said Nebraska was the second school to offer him a scholarship but his final college choices were Stanford and Minnesota. He enjoyed his recruiting visit to Minnesota and the Gophers “were the right fit.”
Although he has yet to average 3.0 points per game in two seasons with the Gophers, the 6-foot-11 Eliason has become a valuable contributor. His shot blocking, willingness to take fouls and consistent rebounding have contributed to a sometimes successful Gophers season.
Eliason, who has started 13 games this season, is frequently the first player off the bench. It was as a substitute last week in the upset win against No. 1 Indiana that he may have played his best game as a Gopher, scoring seven points with five rebounds, one block and one steal. In 14 minutes on the floor Eliason made three of four field goals and converted his only free throw. And playing with a cold and only for nine minutes last Saturday in a win over Penn State, Eliason came up with six rebounds.
A visitor suggested to Eliason he looked more comfortable on offense and defense last week. “It just happened in that Indiana game. Everything felt so good. It felt so comfortable. Kind of what I was used to in high school. Still not scoring like I used to back then. …”
As a high school senior Eliason averaged 17.7 points per game and 10.2 rebounds. He was twice chosen the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. But at Minnesota his struggles have included foul trouble and inability to create and make shots near the basket.
How Eliason plays tonight can certainly impact a game the Gophers (8-8 in the Big Ten) want to win and use to build momentum with their two-game winning streak. Minnesota defeated Nebraska in January at Williams Arena, 84-65.
The Cornhuskers are 4-12 in league games but Eliason said the Gophers need to be ready for a challenge. “They play a lot tougher down there. They really feed off the crowd. I think they’ll be ready to play. It will be a game you definitely can’t overlook. It will be tough.”
The Gophers, who had impressive wins at home over Indiana and Penn State last week, have only one road win in the Big Ten. Their last two Big Ten regular season games are away including Purdue on Saturday.
Eliason thinks the Gophers have found a “mental focus” he hopes can help sustain them if and when moments become difficult on the road. And at least in Lincoln tonight he knows there will be emotional support.
Worth Noting
Gophers senior reserve guard Julian Welch said the team has confidence. “We’re definitely in our eyes a Final Four caliber team.”
Welch started last Saturday’s game against Penn State because it was the last at Williams Arena for him and the other seniors. He has been both a shooting guard (2-guard) and point guard (1-guard) during his career at Minnesota. His preference?
“I mean it’s just nice to be out there on the court. If I had to pick, probably the 1, just because I like creating for guys.”
Gophers freshman guard Wally Ellenson grew up playing basketball one-on-one against his brothers. “We’d all try to make each other better. We’d play hard but every once in awhile it would end up in a fistfight. Pretty aggressive but it’s good.”
Ellenson, a native of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, has yet to decide on a major but is considering careers as a high school teacher or architect.
Think the Twins are spending more than a month in spring training just developing players and establishing their roster for the regular season schedule that opens on April 1? That’s part of the mission but the Twins are believed to have turned their spring training weeks in Florida into a profit center.
“It’s a very important economic engine,” a baseball source told Sports Headliners.
There are considerable expenses for the Twins and other teams in spring training. Years ago the endeavor wasn’t profitable but the source said the Twins may now even make a “mid six-figure profit” while in Florida.
Ticket prices for Twins games at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers are priced between $13 and $43 (premium games), according to the club’s website. Obviously, prices of $5 per game are long gone. The Twins frequently draw capacity crowds of about 7,500 at Hammond Stadium.
Merchandise sales in Florida contribute to the Twins’ economic success, too, and the source said the spring training games are a “marketing platform” for the club. All the games are broadcast on radio, and a few on TV, plus the Twins are major news back in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The spring training schedule provides a “jump start on ticket sales,” the source said.
The new radio home of the team is K-TWIN 96.3 FM which will broadcast today’s Twins game against the World Baseball Classic Puerto Rico team starting at 12:05 p.m. Minneapolis time. Fox Sports North will televise the Twins-Red Sox game on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. Both the Twins and K-TWIN are owned by the Pohlad family.
Bob Stein, the former Timberwolves president and 1967 Gophers All-American defensive end, is on the 2013 ballot for election into the College Football Hall of Fame. Also among the 77 former players being considered are ex-Viking running backs Ted Brown and Darrin Nelson who played respectively at North Carolina State and Stanford. Among the five coaches being considered is former Gopher assistant Billy Jack Murphy who is the winningest coach in Memphis history. Announcement of the 2013 class will be May 7.
Starting next Monday former Vikings and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon will be joined by Bruce Murray on the SiriusXM Blitz show on Sirius radio. The program airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Minneapolis time.