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.

Pitino Plans to Finish Career Here

Posted on April 5, 2013April 5, 2013 by David Shama

Although he is only 30 years old, new Gophers’ coach Rich Pitino said this morning at his introductory press conference he doesn’t see the Minnesota job as a stepping stone to another position.

“This is absolutely the place I want to be,” Pitino said. “Me and my wife talked about it last night, just how excited we were that we can finally be at a place we hope to be for the rest of our lives, and build something special. I believe this is one of the top basketball jobs in the country, and I believe the University of Minnesota is one of the best universities in the country. So I am really looking forward to building at a program that competes at a very high level.”

Pitino praised the fan base, historic Williams Arena and the Big Ten as America’s best conference during his remarks. “I truly believe the sky is the limit (at Minnesota),” he said.

His teams will play full court pressure defense, trying to create turnovers and turn those mistakes by opponents into Minnesota baskets. It’s a fast style of play that can be entertaining. “I think you guys will really enjoy it,” he said.

Pitino will almost certainly pursue Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn and Reid Travis. The three Minnesota high school juniors are among the most coveted prep players in the country, and Jones in particular has been targeted by glamour coaches John Calipari, Mike Krzyewski and Tom Izzo.

Former Gophers’ coach Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners the young coach has much to prove as a recruiter and coach. “I don’t think they (the top coaches) will be frightened to recruit against Minnesota,” said Dutcher who coached the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten championship.

Pitino, who the Minnesota athletic department acknowledged earlier this week as the choice to replace Tubby Smith, has only one year of head coaching experience — an impressive 18-14 season this year at Florida International, a losing program that had gone nowhere under its previous failed coach, Isiah Thomas. But Dutcher’s reaction and that of many Gophers followers to the hire was, “Who?”

The response is indicative that, short-term, Pitino won’t make much impact on fan interest in the Gophers. “They won’t have to keep the ticket office open this weekend,” Dutcher said about Pitino.

Pitino is the son of 60-year-old Louisville coaching legend Rick Pitino. Already the worry-warts are speculating if young Pitino is successful here, he will then be his father’s successor at Louisville. The speculation is even frantic enough to suggest Pitino’s contract with the Gophers (perhaps not finalized yet) will include an opt-out clause to leave for Louisville. “I don’t think he can command that,” Dutcher said.

Among Pitino’s assistants at Florida International was Mark Lieberman who won five state titles as a prep coach in Florida before working at Louisville. Another assistant at Florida International, Kimani Young, has recruiting ties to New York City and New Jersey, areas Pitino is likely to emphasize at Minnesota.

Pitino’s background as an assistant to his dad and also to former national championship coach Billy Donovan at Florida is impressive. So, too, is Pitino’s reputation as a strong recruiter and his performance coaching Florida International to the school’s first winning season in 13 seasons. Regarding how he will do at Minnesota, Dutcher said, “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

But at 30 years old it’s virtually certain Pitino will bring extraordinary energy to the Gophers’ job. The program and the results had grown stale under Smith. Credit athletic director Norwood Teague with making a change the public wanted by dumping Smith and even if he didn’t hire a highly recognizable name in Pitino, his track record in hiring Shaka Smart at VCU gives the Gophers’ fan base encouragement about the future.

Pitino’s salary at Minnesota is expected to be about $3.7 million less than his father who earns close to $5 million at Louisville, according to a story in yesterday’s USA Today.

Dutcher Likes Syracuse, Louisville Tomorrow

Dutcher sees “three very good teams and kind of an unknown” in tomorrow’s Final Four lineup in Atlanta. He predicts a Syracuse win over Michigan, and perhaps a double-digit victory by Louisville against Wichita State, a team that might be the lightweight among the four schools.

Dutcher, once an assistant coach at Michigan and perhaps the sharpest TV college basketball analyst ever in this town, said Wolverines’ sophomore point guard Trey Burke isn’t just the best player in the tourney, nobody in the country is as good. “He’s got the ball more than anybody in the tournament,” Dutcher said. “He decides what to run.”

It was mostly the clutch shooting of Burke that led Michigan to an improbable late game come from behind Sweet 16 win against Kansas. The Wolverines trailed by double-digits in the closing minutes and Dutcher called it a game Michigan shouldn’t have won, but now the victory could help carry Burke and teammates to an NCAA title. “A lot of times if you win one game you shouldn’t, you go all the way,” Dutcher said. “It takes the pressure off.”

Michigan’s fate against Syracuse could well be decided by the Wolverines’ effectiveness against the Orange’s two-three zone defense. Few college teams commit to a zone as their primary defense, and maybe no one executes the two-three better than Syracuse which has been using the defense for years.

Dutcher said Michigan could do well against the zone because of outstanding perimeter shooters including Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Stauskas. It takes outside shooting and good rebounding to beat the zone, and the Wolverines have an emerging star in center Mitch McGary whose rebounding and scoring are commanding attention.

The Wolverines have three freshmen, a sophomore and junior in the starting lineup. Syracuse has more experience and Dutcher likes the way the Orange make adjustments — plus that zone defense— so he’s predicting a Michigan loss.

Wichita State will wish it was back in Kansas if the Shockers can’t handle Louisville’s full court pressure defense. That’s a relentless style most teams don’t play and if the Cardinals consistently force the Shockers into turnovers and convert steals and interceptions into baskets the game could be over early.

Louisville, the highest seeded team in the Final Four, is about a 10 point favorite to win the game. Oddsmakers like Michigan by a couple of points against Syracuse.

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NFF to Honor Legendary ’63 Johnnies

Posted on April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 by David Shama

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will honor the 1963 St. John’s football team with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team award on Sunday, April 28 at the University of St. Thomas. As part of its annual awards event, the chapter will recognize the John Gagliardi coached team that defeated Prairie View A&M to win the NAIA national championship.

Although A&M had 11 players who later generated professional football interest, the homegrown Johnnies won the game, 33-27. Of the 34 players on the Johnnies’ roster, 12 were from a 14-mile radius of Collegeville, Minnesota and 26 were from an 80-mile radius of campus.

The Johnnies, who were 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the MIAC, were a highly productive team that outscored opponents 298-45. The Johnnies’ defense limited other teams to 12.8 yards rushing per game. The offense averaged 37.3 points a game.

Among the other awards at the April 28 event will be recognition of Brainerd High School football coach Ron Stolski who will be given the John Gagliardi Minnesota Football Legacy Award. Stolski is the winningest Class 5A coach in state prep history. He has been coaching in Minnesota high schools since 1962 and took over as Brainerd head coach in 1974.

The awards event is open to the public. For more information visit nffmn.org.

Logan Connors is listed as a sophomore quarterback on the Gophers’ spring football roster but as of Monday had not participated in the team’s first three practices. He is a walk-on from Corvallis, Montana who is on a track scholarship at Minnesota, and awhile ago he asked football coach Jerry Kill to be part of his program.

Connors, who throws the javelin, placed fourth in a meet last month. He was the top junior college javelin prospect in the country last year at Diablo Valley College in California. He was the Montana state high school javelin champion in 2011 and passed for 2,000 yards during his senior year as a quarterback.

Connors’ tweets last month included this: “Man, I hate the Badgers.”

The Gophers have a practice scheduled tomorrow starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Saturday’s practice at TCF Bank Stadium is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Both sessions are open to the public.

Kill was impressed with the physical progress of his team before spring practice started last week. Off-season training has been successful and Kill talked about the work of head strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein. “I think coach Klein said 95 percent of our young people improved in the strength, speed, quickness, vertical jump,” Kill said.

Ra’Shede Hageman, the 6-6, 311-pound defensive lineman who might be an early round NFL draft choice next year following his senior season at Minnesota, was the first player Kill mentioned when he gave examples of weight lifting. “…He benched 465 pounds which is awfully strong. Squatted over 500 pounds…36, 37-inch vertical jump. So he made some great strides in the off-season.”

The Gophers’ baseball team plays its first game ever at the new Siebert Field on Friday starting at 3 p.m. against Ohio State. Coach John Anderson, who hosted dignitaries and the public at a grand opening yesterday, said season tickets are available to watch the Gophers outside in their new ballpark.

Twins’ rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks struck out three times in five at bats in his major league debut Monday against the Tigers. Hicks totaled 112, 110 and 116 strikeouts the last three seasons in the minor leagues. He struck out almost 25 percent of the time during plate appearances last season at Double-A New Britain.

Twins’ reliever Casey Fien, who struck out the three Tigers he faced in the seventh inning on Monday, was originally signed to a contract with Detroit in 2006. Fien, who had a 2.06 ERA in 35 games last season with the Twins, might be one of the team’s more effective bullpen pitchers in his second season with Minnesota.

The Twins play their second game of the season today starting at 3:10 p.m. at Target Field against the Tigers. The high temperature for the day is predicted to be about 50 degrees in Minneapolis, while the forecasted high in Detroit is several degrees cooler.

When is there too much basketball? When a player like Tyus Jones finishes his high school season with a state championship at Target Center on a Saturday night, and reports for AAU tryouts the next day.

It will be interesting to see if the Apple Valley point guard can play during coming months without back problems. Jones is among the most coveted recruits in the country in the class of 2014.

A college athletics administrator who asked to remain anonymous told Sports Headliners the Gophers’ basketball coaching job has multiple pluses including the high school talent in the state. “I think you can win with Minnesota kids,” he said.

Although a new practice facility is needed and will happen, 85-year-old Williams Arena is unique in college basketball. “I really believe Williams Arena is as good at it gets,” the administrator said.

He also described the fan base as “real strong” including the 400,000 University of Minnesota alumni, many who live in the state.

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Flip’s Silence Doesn’t Help Gophers

Posted on April 1, 2013April 1, 2013 by David Shama

Flip Saunders doesn’t want to be the Gophers’ basketball coach but he could still make a major contribution to his alma mater by clearing up the mystery as to why he said no to the University of Minnesota on Saturday.

So far Saunders is saying nothing about walking away from the offer and the result has been a lot of Gopher bashing, starting with athletic director Norwood Teague who is being blamed. But what are the facts?

I know more than I can write today but let’s start with this: Saunders and Teague began negotiating on Friday, and by Saturday afternoon ESPN.com was reporting Saunders had turned down the job. Don’t you think if Saunders really wanted to be the Gophers’ coach he and his agent could have worked on the deal longer than 24 hours?

Come on.

This is the third time Saunders, the former Gophers’ point guard and assistant coach, has been approached by his old school. Athletic director Mark Dienhart was interested in Saunders, then the Timberwolves coach, when Clem Haskins had to be replaced in 1999. Athletic director Joel Maturi had Saunders, then the Pistons coach, on his list in 2007 to possibly replace Dan Monson.

Saunders has many attributes that made him perhaps the best candidate for the Gophers’ job. Enormously popular with the public, Saunders could create a financial jackpot for the Gophers, with impact on season tickets, single game tickets, donations, corporate support and a lot more. After a career as both a college assistant coach and NBA head coach, Saunders has a high basketball IQ and would have improved the Gophers in both practices and games.

But Saunders, 58, may have decided over the weekend that he doesn’t want all of the work involved in rebuilding the Gophers. While the program was a national power when he played in the 1970s, Gophers’ basketball has been in decline for years. Haskins, Monson and Tubby Smith, who was fired last Monday, all have under .500 records in Big Ten games.

Maybe Saunders decided that unlike his close friend Tom Izzo, the Michigan State coach, he doesn’t want to be chasing 17-year-old recruits all over the country. Some guys don’t want to go into every mama’s kitchen and exclaim in front of the family: “This is the best chili I’ve ever eaten!”

After three “courtships” with Saunders, it’s time for Gophers fans to understand this: Dinkytown doesn’t need someone — even a golden boy — to head the program if he doesn’t want the job.

Move on, and have faith in Teague.

Worth Noting

The search now might focus on Marquette coach Buzz Williams whose team ended its NCAA tournament run on Saturday. Included in the Williams resume are recruiting relationships in Chicago.

Teague is under pressure to not only hire the right coach but accomplish it soon, leaving time for recruiting and also not encouraging players on the Gophers’ roster to think about transferring. Although assistant coaches may not be considered, here’s a vote for interviewing former NBA coach and now Arizona State assistant Eric Musselman.

The April 1 issue of Sports Illustrated predicts the Twins will have a record of 60-102 and finish last in the American League Central Division. “I don’t know how they can avoid finishing last,” an anonymous rival scout says in the publication. “The good news is they got some good kids in their trades this off-season.”

The magazine questions the wisdom of asking rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks to make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues so soon. S.I. said most of Hicks’ hits in spring training came off “fringe major leaguers or minor leaguers.” A better strategy, the publication suggested, would be to start Hicks off in the minor leagues, delaying his free agent eligibility while allowing him to gain more experience before being called up later this season.

The Tigers, the Twins’ opening day opponent today at Target Field, are S.I’s choice to win the division. Detroit’s pitcher today, Justin Verlander, will win the Cy Young award, according to the publication.

The Twins’ opening day lineup a year ago was: Denard Span, center field; Jamey Carroll, shortstop; Joe Mauer, catcher; Justin Morneau, DH; Josh Willingham, left field; Ryan Doumit, right field; Danny Valencia, third base; Chris Parmelee, first base; Alexi Casilla, second base; and Carl Pavano, pitcher.

Span, Casilla, Valencia and Pavano are no longer on the roster. Today Carroll is a reserve while Morneau is at first base, Doumit is the DH and Parmelee is in right field.

Canterbury Park, with a live racing season opening May 17, is reporting a record number of applications for stalls. Also, the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association recently announced the number of registered broodmares has increased by 77 percent this year. All broodmares foaling in Minnesota are required to be registered by March 15 of the year they foal.

The cooperative marketing agreement between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Canterbury Park announced last year is being credited with creating bigger race track purses and more interest in breeding thoroughbreds.

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