Author: David Shama

With a victory on Sunday against the Broncos in Denver possibly sending the Vikings into the playoffs for the first time since 2004, the Purple will take a final exam in not only execution on the field but in leadership.  A loss by Washington to Dallas and a win by the Vikings on the final Sunday of the 16 game season means an NFC wild card entry in the playoffs.

Last week, before Washington stopped a Vikings’ five game winning streak and Minnesota lost control of its playoff fate, there was conversation about the team’s leadership.  Place kicker Ryan Longwell, a 10 year NFL veteran, said every locker room is different year to year.

“We have a good mix of veteran leadership and young guys,” Longwell said.  “A group that likes to work and that’s what you need.”

It’s been documented that the Vikings, coaches and players, made improvements after the 34-0 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, then went on to win five straight before being dominated in the 32-21 loss to the Redskins on Sunday night.  Longwell was asked last week if the locker room atmosphere was different before and after the Green Bay milestone.

“I would say yes and no,” he said.  “Yes, we’ve put together a streak so our record looks better but I think even at 2-5…this was a different locker room than last year’s group.  Just more resilient, a closer knit group of guys. …I don’t think we get too high after the win streak.  I don’t think we were giving up on the season after the Green Bay game by any stretch.”

Reserve defensive tackle Otis Grigsby said last week a team that’s winning and has something to play for late in the season has an advantage in mental approach over a team with no playoff prospects. “If a team believes in what they’re doing, why would you go out there and be tight?” he asked.  “If you’re winning, you’re going to go out there and play ball. …”

In the Tubby Smith system the emphasis is on team play.  The coach’s use of 10 players seeing more than 10 minutes per game has become routine. Play team defense, share the ball on offense, place the emphasis on the group, not the individual.

There’s no denying, though, that particularly in recent games senior forward Dan Coleman is playing like a star in a system that doesn’t strive to create one.  The 6-foot-9 former Hopkins High School player scored 20 points to lead the Gophers on Saturday night as they defeated Santa Clara 68-50.  He has now scored 20 points or more in his last three games, a career first.  He leads the Gophers in scoring at 14.3 points per game (shooting .505 percent from the field) and rebounding 6.0 a game.

Coleman also had six of the Gophers’ 18 steals in the Santa Clara game and three blocks.  Whether it’s stealing the ball, blocking shots or energizing the crowd with breakaway dunks, Coleman has been playing in non-conference like someone who intends to have his name nominated for all-conference honors after the Big Ten season ends in March.  He was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week for his performance against Santa Clara (along with Shaun Pruitt of Illinois).

Smith said it’s taken Coleman awhile, just like the other Gophers, to adjust to the coaching change but he didn’t hesitate to praise him. “Dan is probably as versatile a forward as there is in this league because he can shoot with range, score and defend,” Smith said on Saturday night.  “That gives the team a lot of confidence. …Dan is about as hard a worker as we have.”

Earlier this season Coleman became the 34^th Gopher to score more than 1,000 points in his career.  With 30 more rebounds he will have 500 career rebounds.  Then he will be the 17^th player in school career history to have at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

Coleman is second on the team in average minutes per game at almost 26.  He and his teammates know that playing effective defense is a requirement for being in the game and defense is the Gophers’ identity.  Minnesota is holding opponents to a field goal percentage of .405 and 59.5 points per game while compiling a record of 8-1 in non-conference games.  The Gophers’ numbers are: .462 percent and 76.7 points per game.

After Saturday’s game Coleman was asked about the role defense plays for the Gophers.  “I think it’s huge,” he said. “That’s our niche.  Scoring one-on-one in the half court goes up and down but if we get a lot of points out of our defense that helps steady the tide a little bit, ups and downs.”

The Gophers finish non-conference play with three games in a Las Vegas tournament this week, the Duel in the Desert.  Minnesota plays Nicholls State Friday night, then Kennesaw State on Saturday evening, and a final game against UNLV on Sunday night.

“Vegas can be a fun place if you’re playing well,” Smith said. “It’s not much fun if you’re not playing well. …We want to enjoy ourselves but we know it’s a business trip.”

As of last Saturday, Coleman and the Gophers have been taking care of business.

NBC color man John Madden commented multiple times how the Redskins were crowding the line of scrimmage to stop the Vikings from running effectively during Sunday night’s game.  “They’re just daring the Vikings to throw the ball,” Madden said in the third quarter before Minnesota, trailing 25-0, rallied for three touchdowns behind the passing of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in a 32-21 loss.

Some observers might say safety Dwight Smith weakly reaching out at Washington’s Clinton Portis as he ran for a fourth quarter touchdown seemed like a lump of coal in the collective Christmas stockings of Vikings fans.

With the limited use of fullbacks in the modern era of the NFL, does it make sense for fullbacks to be included on the Pro Bowl rosters?

The Wild’s Marian Gaborik was honored as the NHL’s “First Star” player for his accomplishments last week.  Gaborik led all NHL scorers with eight points (six goals, two assists) as the Wild won two of three games for the week. He recorded points in all three games, including a five-goal, six-point performance in a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Gaborik scored one goal in the opening period and two in each of the second and third, becoming the first player to score five times in one game since Detroit’s Sergei Fedorov in a 5-4 overtime victory over Washington in December of 1996 and the first to do so in regulation since Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux in an 8-4 win over St. Louis in March of 1996.  Gaborik also had a goal in a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators and had an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Former Minnesota North Stars executive Lou Nanne said the comments by New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow last week were “way off base.”  Snow defended the mid-season departure of Gopher star Kyle Okposo to the Islanders because he wasn’t becoming a better player under coach Don Lucia.  Snow was direct and specific in criticizing Lucia for lack of development and progress.

Nanne said Lucia has “one of the top programs in college hockey,” best records during the last 20 years and he didn’t understand the basis of Garth’s comments. Asked if Lucia isn’t a coach who seldom draws criticism from the local media, Nanne said, “What are you going to criticize him for?”

For a player like Okposo to leave his team in the middle of the season bothers a lot of people.  “It’s terrible,” Nanne said. “It should never happen.”

The annual Schwan Cup Hockey Tournament starts today (Wednesday).  Among the games is Minnetonka against Centennial, 6:30 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center.  Minnetonka defenseman Jake Gardiner is one of the state’s best players, according to Glen Sonmor who scouts the preps for the Minnesota Wild.  The best player in Minnesota? Sonmor likes Roseau defenseman Aaron Ness who will bring much needed scoring to the Gophers next season.  Gardiner will attend Wisconsin.

There’s a new Web site devoted to Section 8A hockey with coverage of the 11 schools including schedules, standings, scores, rosters, game recaps, players-of-the-week, and links to Minnesota’s various other hockey sites. https://section8ahockeyblog.blogspot.com/

The Gophers need to upgrade their non-conference basketball home schedule.  There wasn’t one exciting opponent on the schedule.  A mix of three to four schools from major conferences will make patrons a lot more content with the two months of non-conference mediocrity they sit through. And can you imagine the demand for tickets if the Gophers played a classic powerhouse like Kentucky in Minneapolis?

With an enrollment of about 50,000 students, it’s eye-opening to see several hundred students attending Gopher basketball games.  Three thousand students or more seems like a reasonable turnout. If the Gophers eventually become a program of national prominence watch the students be the last ones to attend games in big numbers with others complaining there aren’t enough seats for students.