Author: David Shama

Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi dismissed speculation yesterday that there is a major issue involving basketball coach Tubby Smith’s contract.  Smith has been working for the University since March but his formal multi-year contract hasn’t been signed, leading to talk that there might be a problem.  Maturi told Sports Headliners that details are being finalized by lawyers and he expects the contract to be signed in less than 30 days.  It’s believed that the contract may be for five to seven years, and with incentives compensation could exceed $2 million annually.

It’s been known for awhile that Smith wants a new practice facility, similar to schools that he must recruit against.  Maturi said earlier this fall that such a facility (it might include basketball courts, offices and training areas) won’t move ahead until fund-raising is completed for the new football stadium.  Maturi said the proposed new practice facility isn’t being used as leverage by Smith in contract negotiations.

Smith’s first Gopher team is predicted to finish in the lower half of the Big Ten Conference standings.  If his team exceeds expectations, and maybe even if it doesn’t, other schools are expected to show interest in hiring Smith, the former Kentucky coach who won a national championship and regularly had his teams in the NCAA tournament.

A source told Sports Headliners earlier this week that a major basketball school from the south is already targeting Smith.  He has a national reputation not only for winning, but being highly respected as both a coach and person by his peers.

So far, Smith has probably been all that athletic department officials expected prior to his coming here.  He has impressed with his personality, people skills and willingness to help others.  With his players, he’s demanding and knowledgeable.  After three games, the Gophers look dramatically improved offensively, defensively and in attitude.  Although no-name opponents usually look feistier against Big Ten teams, the Gophers have out- hustled Minnesota State, Southwest Minnesota State and Army in their first three games.

With some promising junior college and high school recruits expected to accept scholarships with the Gophers this week, Smith and his staff are showing they can recruit and coach.

Like a supportive counselor, Vikings coach Brad Childress is committed to 24-year-old Tarvaris Jackson.  Through injuries, interceptions and other misjudgments, Childress is standing behind his second year quarterback.  Jackson, who has only started five of nine games because of injuries this season, is expected to start Sunday’s home game against Oakland.

Childress and other team decision makers are invested in Jackson. The team moved up in the 2006 draft to select Jackson, considering him a promising talent with his strong arm and athleticism.  He started the final two games of the 2006 season. In total he played in four games, throwing four interceptions and two touchdown passes.  He completed 47 of 81 passes and had a 62.5 percent rating. This season his rating is down to 50.6.  He has thrown two touchdown passes and five interceptions while completing 51 of 110 passes.

Childress wants to “evaluate him (Jackson) through a course of a string of games.”  He will watch for “indicators” about Jackson the rest of this season but will do so with the perspective that this is his quarterback’s first full season.  “I would just like to have a feel for a standard of performance,” Childress said.  “What I am going to get, week in and week out. …”

Despite a knee injury last season, and 2007 troubles including groin and finger injuries, Childress wants to believe that Jackson is not as he said earlier this week a “China doll,” a fragile player susceptible to one hurt after another. He hopes Jackson can stay on the field, gain confidence and reach a maturity where he’s not thinking so much about the Vikings’ system but instead is focused on the other team’s defense.

A former NFL personnel evaluator told Sports Headliners earlier this fall he thought the Vikings could have developed Jackson more slowly.  “They had Brad Johnson, a perfect quarterback to develop Tarvaris Jackson underneath, and (they) released him,” he said.  The source also said Johnson, who became a Dallas Cowboy during the off-season, has such a high football intelligence he can offer valuable suggestions for the weekly game plan and is superior at changing plays on the line of scrimmage.

A better Jackson performance Sunday will boost a Vikings offense that ranks            second to last in passing yards per game among NFL teams.  With a 3-6 record, playing without injured running back Adrian Peterson and coming off a no-momentum 34-0 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, Childress is hoping for better results in the Vikings’ last seven games.

“There are seven weeks to go in this football season, five of which are NFC games, four of which are at home,” Childress said. “I just expect this football team to rebound and that will be a large part of our message as we head to the Oakland Raiders this week.”

Childress was enthusiastic about wide receiver Troy Williamson earlier this year but so far Williamson has nine receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown.  “I was high on him,” Childress said. “You haven’t seen the production, but if you’re being honest, you haven’t seen the production out of the (entire) pass game.  So he’s a hard guy to single out.”

The Gopher basketball program is second in all-time total NBA players among Big Ten Conference schools. Only Indiana with 51 tops Minnesota at 41 for producing NBA players. The Gophers are eighth in the country, trailing UCLA (70), North Carolina (69), Kentucky (65), Indiana, Duke (48), St. John’s (46) and Kansas (46).

Gophers’ coach Tubby Smith and public address announcer Dick Jonckowski have started a ritual.  Prior to tip-off at each home game, Jonckowski, known for his funny stories, tells Smith a quick anecdote.

The 0-5 Timberwolves, back in Minneapolis after a two-game road trip, try for their first win of the season tonight against Sacramento, 2-5. Guard-forward Ron Artest will make his season debut. He has completed his season opening seven game suspension as a result of legal issues during the 2006-07 season.

The Minnesota Wild has the longest continuous sellout streak of home games in the NHL, 285.  They are playing to 102 percent of capacity.

An NHL source said center Eric Belanger, defenseman Brent Burns and center Mikko Koivu have exceeded expectations so far for the Wild.  Their contributions have been important to the team’s success and the Wild is currently three points behind first place Colorado in the Northwest Division.

If the Chicago White Sox sign Torii Hunter they help themselves and weaken a Central Division rival, the Twins.  It wouldn’t be a mega surprise if Hunter ends up in Chicago, either with the White Sox or Cubs.

With a loss late last week to Whitworth University, the men’s soccer team from Gustavus was unable for the first time since 1993 to reach the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. Gustavus has qualified for five consecutive NCAA tournaments. The Gusties finished at 16-4-1 and over the years have won four of five MIAC post-season tournaments including this fall. Senior forward Mike Butterworth was named MIAC Player of the Year after leading the Gusties to a share of the regular season title.