Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Here’s What to Make of U Basketball

Posted on December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 by David Shama

Thud?

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball season hasn’t crashed but the last couple of weeks haven’t been much fun either. Minnesota, undefeated and ranked No. 12 in the country in late November, has lost three of its last five games and at times looked awful.

The now 9-3 Gophers weren’t even that impressive in their most recent win, a 68-67 home victory earlier this week against mediocre and undersized Drake. Oh, how things can change in a hurry.

Did college basketball authority Seth Davis really mention Minnesota as a potential Final Four team? Guess he and others got caught up in the November and even earlier optimism about the Gophers who returned all five starters from last winter’s NCAA Tournament team that had a surprising 11-7 Big Ten record and fourth place finish in the standings. An impressive season for the players and Richard Pitino who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Coffey photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications

Yup, it was easy to hype a team that last offseason had a No. 10 national ranking by Sporting News. Back in October media covering the Big Ten voted Minnesota forward Amir Coffey and guard Nate Mason first team preseason All-Big Ten. It was also easy to believe that by the end of the conference season center Reggie Lynch would be a repeat winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and that guard Isaiah Washington would be included on the All-Freshman team.

That’s the kind of stuff that made long-suffering Gopher fans rush to the box office last offseason. And when the team ran off seven consecutive season-opening wins and junior forward Jordan Murphy started reeling off one double-double after another, Minnesota fans were absolutely giddy.

When No. 10 ranked Miami came to town November 29 the Hurricanes were undefeated like the Gophers. Williams Arena was sold out and the crowd of 14,625 was raucous. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when Williams Arena hosted the best show in town and one of the top attractions in college basketball.

Minnesota played well, but the Hurricanes better in their 86-81 win. The Gophers played without injured starting guard Dupree McBrayer. His absence was telling, with teammates, particularly Washington, mishandling the ball too many times. Miami scored 17 points on turnovers, Minnesota two. The Gophers had just 12 assists in the game, only three in the first half.

McBrayer returned for the next game, a lethargic opening Big Ten win over lowly Rutgers at Williams Arena. The Gophers’ collective energy was probably even worse when two nights later they went to Nebraska and lost to the just okay Cornhuskers in a second conference game.

Then before last Saturday night’s SEC Network televised game at Arkansas a Gopher social media booster suggested U officials should be arranging a viewing party for the many fans without access to that network. The way the Gophers played it wasn’t even worth listening to on the radio.

The Razorbacks won easily, 95-79. They controlled the game from the beginning when Arkansas players were making easy baskets by hustling down the court faster than the Gophers. Lynch had two fouls in the opening minutes of the game and sat until halftime. At the beginning of the second half he committed a third foul. It was that kind of night.

Minnesota struggled to make shots in the first half against Drake and the Bulldogs led at halftime by four points. The Gophers rallied in the second half led by Coffey who had 16 points after scoring none in the opening 20 minutes. The one point win was indicative of how close the 5-5 Bulldogs—whose losses include a 93-65 beat down by South Dakota—came to pulling off a major upset.

So what has happened to the Gophers? What’s going on with a team that once looked so confident and efficient but now is left out of the top 25 national rankings and struggles with an opponent like the Missouri Valley Conference’s Drake Bulldogs?

Well, lots of things factor in. The schedule became more difficult in late November and December. While the Gophers had an impressive mid-November win at Providence and a neutral court victory over top 25 ranked Alabama, they hadn’t played a four-game stretch like Miami, Rutgers, Nebraska and Arkansas.

In those games it’s been more evident than ever how unproductive the Gophers’ bench has been scoring a total of 31 points. Add the Drake game into the total and the figure is 35 points, or an average of seven per game in the last five games.

Minnesota is 12 games into the 2017-2018 season and still trying to recover from the absences of guard Akeem Springs and power forward Eric Curry. Both subs were major contributors to last season’s success. Springs used up his eligibility and an offseason knee injury has Curry sidelined for the winter. Springs was often instant offense with his long-range shooting, while Curry provided inside scoring and made other contributions including rebounds and hustle plays.

Also, without going too much into the subtleties of basketball, let’s just say opponents have made adjustments to the Gophers. Lynch, for example, can be a ball-blocking machine near the basket but opponents will make him move away from the hoop to guard another center (perhaps positioned near the free throw line). Murphy is now facing double and triple teams. He can bull his way through gangs of lightweight defenders but when he faces the big boys on top teams he should adjust by passing more to open teammates.

In recent games the Gophers haven’t been moving the ball like they did when things were rolling. In the first half against Miami the Gophers had three assists. In the Arkansas loss Minnesota had 10 assists, the Razorbacks 23.

It’s not just ball movement either. Lynch can’t routinely be in early foul trouble. Minnesota also can’t be letting opposing players get down the floor for easy baskets. There has to be more consistent energy and focus, which can lead to steals and layups for the Gophers.

The Gophers don’t play again until December 21 against Oral Roberts. That’s the first of three winnable nonconference games at Williams Arena that takes them through the end of December. Then comes a return to Big Ten play on January 3 against Illinois at Williams Arena.

What can the Gophers, including not just the players but the coaches, do to get their stride back? First, don’t panic, don’t lose confidence and enjoy playing basketball.

Minnesota has a talented and experienced starting five. The front line of Lynch, Murphy and Coffey is one of the better units in college basketball. Mason, along with Lynch is one of two senior starters. Mason was all-Big Ten last season and will continue to make big plays for the Gophers. McBrayer, at the other guard, has to improve his shooting (10 of 33 in the last four games) but at 6-5 the junior is the only guard with length on the roster.

Coffey, a sophomore, is the most unselfish of the starters and probably should be handling the ball more. The Gophers could benefit by running their offense with him in charge. He will find open teammates and he also excels at slashing to the basket. With Coffey more as a playmaker and ball handler, it will free up point guard Mason, the team’s best long-range shooter, to come off screens.

What to do about the bench? A couple things.

If the starters (particularly Lynch and Murphy) have fewer fouls, than sometimes that will limit the need for subs. It’s a bit of a head scratcher why Pitino has used almost no zone defense to protect his foul-prone big men. With Lynch, Murphy, Coffey and McBrayer, the Gophers have a lot of length that can make a zone defense effective and minimize foul troubles.

There apparently isn’t much help to be found on the bench, and the only sub with big potential is Washington. He can become an ignitor off the bench, lending spark with his playmaking and ability to drive and score near the basket. It looks so far like he isn’t playing enough consecutive minutes to get into a rhythm. Maybe the coaches are trying to discipline him from freshman mistakes but he will be a key to whether this team earns a high finish in the conference standings and wins a couple of NCAA Tournament games.

Washington could not only help the starters but even lead four other subs playing briefly together. Make the bench guys a “go-to-unit” that plays together a couple of minutes around the TV timeouts before returning all five starters to the floor.

Right now a team that was supposed to take the next step after last season isn’t the equal of the 2016-2017 edition. But in a 30-plus game schedule teams go through highs and lows, and there’s minimal doubt the Gophers will recover and play better.

A former Gophers player who remains knowledgeable about the program sees the Big Ten as weak. He’s been raving for months that Minnesota could challenge for the championship. Even now he thinks Minnesota can finish second in the league standings to national title contender Michigan State.

He insists the Gophers need to make adjustments and improvements but he’s still on the bandwagon. His attitude provides a little pre-Christmas cheer.

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O-Line Poses Concerns for Vikings

Posted on December 12, 2017December 12, 2017 by David Shama

A Tuesday football notes column with Vikings, Gophers and prep news.

The Vikings, 10-3, have remaining games with the Bengals, Packers and Bears who have a combined 16-23 record. Two of the three games are at home. If the Vikings are to be upset before the playoffs it likely will be because of the uncertain offensive line.

Injuries to multiple starters had Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer wondering yesterday who will be available for Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Bengals. A patched up offensive line struggled at times in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers who put an end to Minnesota’s eight game winning streak.

“When you have injuries, you’re going to have backup players play in there,” Zimmer said. “We’re not going to make an excuse for this game (Panthers), or for players that come in or anything else. We’ll take ownership of what we did Sunday and we’ll move forward.”

While Zimmer could end up as NFL Coach of the Year, his former boss with the Bengals is on the hot seat. The Bengals are 5-8 under longtime coach Marvin Lewis who is 0-7 in playoff games since taking over in Cincinnati in 2003.

It will be 10 years next month that Lewis hired Zimmer as defensive coordinator. Past Bengals coordinators had struggled including Leslie Frazier who was fired after the 2004 season. Zimmer, in his fourth season as Vikings head coach, helped the Bengals earn top 10 defensive rankings in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Bovada has made the Vikings, at 8/1 odds, the NFC favorite to play in the Super Bowl, according to a story yesterday by Nbcsports.com/Philadelphia.

Stats: the Vikings defense ranks third in the NFL giving up 293.4 yards per game. That unit is second best in fewest rushing yards allowed, 88.3. The offense is seventh best in the league with 369.3 yards a game. Wide receiver Adam Thielen ranks third in total receiving yards at 1,161.

Ray Anderson, the athletic director at Arizona State since 2014 who made the surprise hire this month of Herm Edwards as Sun Devils head coach, was once the agent for former Vikings boss Dennis Green.

Antonio Montero, the Eden Prairie senior who won the 2017 state Mr. Football Award Sunday, may decide to walk-on with the Gophers. He visited the Minnesota campus last weekend and plans a trip to the University of Illinois in January where a scholarship offer could be forthcoming from the Illini, he said.

Montero, who also is considering opportunities at the Air Force Academy and with North Dakota State, projects as a linebacker in college after playing that position and running back for the 6-A state champion Eagles. Montero is about 5-11 and 215 pounds.

Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant raved about Montero. “He’s worked extremely hard,” Grant told Sports Headliners. “He’s not the tallest guy. He’s not the fastest guy. He’s just a great player.”

When Grant watches Montero, he sees an instinctive player who had 190 career tackles with the Eagles. “We like guys who make plays, and that’s what he does,” Grant said.

Major college recruiters can miss on players who are undersized. Recruiting is an inexact process for sure. Recruiters make judgment errors on many players who aren’t undersized, too. “I have given up trying to figure out how anybody recruits,” Grant said. “No one listens to me. …We like guys to make plays, that’s all I know.”

Grant has won 11 state championships. His players work during the offseason on physical development including speed and explosiveness. “We don’t worry about how big guys are,” Grant said.

The Mr. Football Award, sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Vikings, started in 2004. Grant’s had three recipients with J.D. Spielman in 2015 and Blake Sorensen in 2006 also winning the award. That’s more than any other school.

Grant might have a fourth winner next year in quarterback Cole Kramer. He has played 22 games without throwing an interception during his sophomore and junior seasons.

Grant said Benny Sapp III, the defensive back who will sign with the Gophers on December 20, is close to a full recovery after missing all but two games with the Eagles because of a knee injury. “They were able to fully repair the cartilage,” Grant said. “He’s going to be a 100 percent. He’s running. He will be ready to go in probably a month or so.”

St. Cloud Tech’s Brevyn Spann-Ford was the only finalist among the 11 Mr. Football candidates who will be a scholarship recruit in the Gophers 2018 class. Ford, a 6-6, 237-pound tight end, told Sports Headliners his college decision was difficult but he liked the Minnesota coaching staff and the idea of staying close to home. Other scholarship offers included Missouri, North Dakota State and West Virginia.

Jerry Burns, who turns 91 in January, was at Southtown Shopping Center last Saturday as part of Triple Crown’s sports memorabilia show that included a bobblehead of the former Vikings coach. What did he think of the bobblehead?

“No big deal, a bobblehead of me,” Burns said. “I am an ugly guy to start with and a bobbehead makes me ugly too, so I am happy for it.”

Grant, 60, has known Burns for a long time, including back in the days when Grant was a ball boy at Viking training camp. Burns, a former Vikings assistant and later head coach, is a Grant favorite.

“I loved being a ball boy down there and trying to interpret what he said to the players,” Grant said. “Burnsie, great guy.”

The Gophers Signing Day Social December 20 at TCF Bank Stadium will inform fans about Minnesota’s 2018 football recruiting class. Doors open at 11 a.m. and a buffet lunch will be served prior to the 1 p.m. program. The cost is $30 per person with more information at GoalLineClub.org.

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Zim Talks Division, but Goals Bigger

Posted on December 9, 2017December 9, 2017 by David Shama

A Saturday notes column kicking off with the Vikings.

Linebacker Ben Gedeon told Sports Headliners Mike Zimmer has talked to the Vikings this week about how the team can clinch the NFC North Division title and a playoff spot by winning Sunday against the Panthers, but then the coach added, “There are a lot bigger goals than just winning this week.”

Gedeon said the team reacted to Zimmer’s words by being quiet and professional. A steady approach reflects their coach. “I think that’s one thing you see with him is he is pretty consistent week to week and I think the message every week has been, ‘We haven’t done anything yet and…not looking too far ahead in the season,’ ” Gedeon said.

The Vikings have won eight consecutive games and with their 10-2 mark have the opportunity to finish the 16-game schedule with the best record in the NFC. They could have home field advantage throughout the payoffs and advance to the Minneapolis Super Bowl on February 4.

Zimmer was asked why some teams are better able to handle success than others. “I think it’s human nature. Some guys get full of themselves and go from there. Everybody is telling them how good they are and they listen.

“But it goes the other way, too. Everybody tells you how bad you are and you listen. It’s really human nature to back off of things.”

Defensive end Brian Robison, now in his 11th pro season, said he’s not surprised by the Vikings’ success. The team knew during the offseason the things that needed attention but realized the potential was present for success, he said. Included on the to-do list were how to handle “critical situations” in games.

A big year could have been derailed by the loss of starting quarterback Sam Bradford early in the season, but Case Keenum has impressed not only his teammates but NFL followers from coast-to-coast. Robison said he isn’t surprised by the performance of Keenum who came into the NFL in 2013 and has been with multiple teams before signing with Minnesota as a free agent this past offseason.

“I’ve known Case for awhile and I thought he’d been a good quarterback for a long time going back to his Houston days and even when he was in St. Louis,” Robison said. “I just think Case got caught up in a situation where he never really got that real opportunity and he was able to do it this year. He’s a smart player and he’s done some things for us this year that have helped us win ball games.”

The Vikings have used the same caterer for Friday locker-room buffets during their winning streak.

Vikings fans have been turning out in large numbers at away games this fall including in Landover, Maryland where a team spokesman estimated there were 5,000 to 10,000 cheering for Minnesota. The Skol chant prompted boos from Redskins fans in Landover. Historically, there have been large turnouts of Vikings fans for away games in Arizona and Florida.

“Get Inside the Game,” the interactive fan experience scheduled January 27-February 3 at the Minneapolis Convention Center as part of Super Bowl week activities, will charge admissions of $35 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Fans can experience NFL games via virtual reality technology, run a 40-yard dash against NFL players on a giant LED screen, obtain autographs from NFL players and learn football skills at clinics.

Twins general manager Thad Levine told Sports Headliners he doesn’t believe the franchise’s experience with Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a factor in negotiating with other Japanese players. Nishioka came to the Twins directly from Japan and failed with Minnesota before returning home. Now the Twins have interest in standout pitcher Yu Darvish, the native of Japan who is a free agent.

Levine said to his knowledge Darvish and his representatives won’t be affected by Nishioka’s experiences with Minnesota. He also said he didn’t think the history with Nishioka impacted the thinking of Shoehi Otani who eliminated the Twins and other teams before committing to the Angels.

Otani, often described as the Babe Ruth of Japanese baseball, is both a hitter and pitcher. Levine referred to him as a “significant prospect” who compares favorably with the best pitchers to come out of Japan.

Gopher junior Jordan Murphy, who has started the season with 10 consecutive double-doubles, isn’t projected to be selected in the two rounds of the 2018 NBA Draft, according to a mock listing by Nbadraft.net. Gary Trent Jr., the freshman at Duke and ex-Apple Valley star, is projected as the No. 15 selection in the first round. J.P. Macura, who played at Lakeville North and is a senior at Xavier, is predicted as a second round selection and the No. 55 pick.

Paolo Uggetti, writing December 6 for Theringer.com, said the Timberwolves starting lineup through 19 games logged more minutes than any other NBA team. Coach Tom Thibodeau used his starters 484 minutes, or 145 more than the No. 2 Pistons. Thibodeau, dating back to his first NBA head job with the Bulls, has long been known as a coach who likes to use his regulars for max minutes.

Dick Jonckowki said sportswriters LaVelle E. Neal and Charley Walters, along with ex-Gopher Jim Carter and former North Star Lou Nanne, will roast ESPN 1500 talk show host and Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse on January 26 at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul. The luncheon is sponsored by the Minnesota Minute Men and Jonckowski will emcee.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Lynx star Lindsay Whalen, 35, is thinking of retirement after next season. The Minnesota native could be considering her post-playing career options. She will serve as a Timberwolves analyst for eight games on Fox Sports North starting with Tuesday night’s telecast of the 76ers game.

Whalen’s coach, Cheryl Reeve, speaks to the CORES lunch group January 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Reeve has coached the Lynx to four WNBA championships in the last seven years. More information, including reservations, is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Dorothy McIntyre, the former executive with the Minnesota State High School League, has a new book called Two Rings: A Legacy of Hope. She co-authored the novel with Marian Bemis Johnson. McIntyre previously helped write a book about the early years of girls high school basketball in Minnesota.

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