Author: David Shama

MarQueis Gray will be a quarterback for the Gophers next season and will not be moved to wide receiver.

Coach Tim Brewster made that clear during an interview when he discussed Gray and Adam Weber.  Weber won the No. 1 quarterback assignment during an open competition this spring, prompting speculation that Gray, an athletic sophomore with some experience last season at wide receiver, might move into a receiver’s role for the Gophers.

“It will be very situational with MarQueis,” Brewster said.  “He pushed Adam extremely hard.  He’s one play away from being our starting quarterback.  The lion’s share of his work is going to be at the quarterback position.  We think he’s got a chance to be an outstanding quarterback, but that doesn’t preclude us from also using him in some situational things, possibly throwing a ball to him.  Letting him do some things, but he’s going to be a quarterback.”

Brewster said Gray, who saw limited time at quarterback last season but never started, must devote a “tremendous” amount of time to his preparation as a backup.  His “mindset” must be that of a starter.

Fans saw Gray frequently come in for one play in a series last year, replacing Weber, and often running the football.  That sort of rotation won’t be the policy next fall, Brewster said.

Weber, a senior who has 38 consecutive starts, is definitely the No. 1 quarterback.  “We go into the season with the utmost confidence that Adam Weber is going to have his best season as a Minnesota Golden Gopher,” Brewster said. “He’s 1,700 yards from being in the top five in passing in (the) history of the Big Ten.  I find it really unfortunate that he’s not looked upon in a more favorable light.”

Weber was frequently criticized for his performance last season but Brewster doesn’t expect him to carry the team’s offense, simply do his job including leadership.  Brewster believes Weber will be comfortable in the Gophers’ pro-style offense next season.

“Adam Weber was recruited to run this style of offense,” Brewster said. “Adam was not recruited to be a spread quarterback.  He was recruited to be a pro-style quarterback.  …He’s doing an outstanding job of leading, which is most important.”

Still, there are no guarantees about Weber’s performance next season and if he falters then Gray will have an opportunity.  “Adam knows he needs to perform and we need to win,” Brewster said.

And if Weber comes through all season, then Gray might be seen a few times catching a pass, or even throwing one as a second quarterback in the lineup.  “His talents are considerable and so we want to take advantage of his talents,” Brewster said.

Brewster said team members will elect the 2010 captains at a meeting on June 12.

The Twins begin a three-game interleague home series against the Brewers tonight.  Twins president Dave St. Peter said the demand for tickets has been intense with the interest from Minnesota fans and those from Wisconsin.

St. Peter said it’s possible to some day add seats to Target Field but there are no plans to do so.

The names of the 50 greatest Twins ever, in recognition of the franchise’s 50^th season, will be announced on Fox Sports North tonight starting at 6 p.m.  Video essays of each player will be seen on Twins telecasts from now through September 3.  The Twins will honor the 50 players during the anniversary weekend of September 3-5.  The 50 names were determined by a panel of journalists and Twins officials.

Gordon Hayward, who led a surprise Butler team to the national championship game as a sophomore, is a smart choice for the Wolves to use at No. 16 in the first round of the June 24 NBA draft if the 6-8 forward is still available.

Jon Cudo, a graduate of Burnsville High, was the Timberwolves first mascot and is now the Cavs’ mascot.

The Wild, criticized in the past for not having more Minnesotans in the organization, has signed three state natives in two months.  This week Eden Prairie’s Chad Rau signed a two-year, entry level contract after he was the fourth-leading scorer with Houston in his first year in the AHL last season.  The Wild signed Fridley native Nate Palmer last month and Elk River’s Nate Prosser in March.  Rau and Prosser played college hockey at Colorado College and plan to train together this summer.

St. Olaf senior catcher Tyler Jones is the MIAC Max Molock Most Valuable Player and St. Thomas senior pitcher Matt Schuld is the Mike Augustin Pitcher of the Year.  The conference softball Player of the Year is Alison Wright of St. Thomas, while Pitcher of the Year is Marta Radcliffe, also from St. Thomas.

Sports Headliners learned this week that the Gophers football program has earned a 968 Academic Progress Rate (APR) from the NCAA.

The APR is the best during the coaching era of Tim Brewster that began in January of 2007.  It’s also thought to be the highest ever for Gophers football.

The most recent rating is for the school year of 2008-2009 that ended a year ago. The APR is a metric used by the NCAA to measure progress of student-athletes in moving toward academic degrees.

The failure of a program to graduate less than 50 percent of its athletes can result in the loss of scholarships.  A perfect score is 1000 and 925 rating is the cutoff for loss of scholarships by the NCAA.

The Gophers lost three scholarships last year for 2009 recruiting but those scholarships will now accrue back to the program.  Classroom progress by the program has been evident during the Brewster era as he and his staff placed more attention on grades and graduation.

Two years ago the Gophers graduated 100 percent of their senior players and last year over 90 percent.  This spring the percent is expected to be 100.

The most recent APR news will be positively received by University of Minnesota officials who have been emphasizing academics in the athletic department.  Minnesota’s football graduation success and climbing APR’s compare favorably with the more successful academic records of other football programs in the Big Ten Conference.

Brewster’s contract, available on the public record, includes a bonus that pays him $25,000.00 for an APR of 965 or better.