Author: David Shama

Rashad McCants tied for second with three other players in a Sports Illustrated players poll that asked this question: “Which NBA player thinks he’s a lot better than he really is?”  The February 9 issue reported that Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and Washington’s DeShawn Stevenson were first, while the Timberwolves’ McCants, Denver’s Dahntay Jones and Milwaukee’s Damon Jones tied for second.

McCants, a former No. 1 pick by the Wolves, shows a confident exterior despite never being a consistent player during his four year pro career.  He averaged career highs in games started, minutes per game and scoring average last season with these numbers: 24, 26.9 and 14.9.

Usually a player off the bench during his career, the 6-foot-4 (really?) shooting guard has done considerable spectating from the bench since the New Year began.  After a seven minute appearance on January 7, coach Kevin McHale didn’t use McCants until February 4.  Since then McCants has played in three more games coming off the bench.  For the season McCants is averaging 9.2 points per game and a career low field goal percentage of .362.

Prior to the start of a game McCants might be the last of the Wolves to run out of the locker room to the court.  During timeouts this season he’s looked disinterested in the strategy session going on inside the team huddle.  Disinterest is the right word to sometimes describe his defense, too.

McCants, who has exceptional shooting skills and sometimes the accuracy to go with it, is an impressive athlete who can drive to the basket with success and flair.  He had that profile at North Carolina, too, where coach Roy Williams criticized him for both showboating and sulking.

Now 24 years old, McCants left North Carolina after his junior year to enter the NBA draft and in his second season with the Wolves injured his right knee, resulting in a long rehab process.  After this season he will be a restricted free agent and it’s doubtful that the Wolves will be interested in retaining him long term.  The guess here is management doesn’t have the same esteem for him that he does for himself.

Before the season Rodney Carney wasn’t expected to sometimes move ahead of McCants in the rotation of players at shooting guard, but he has.  Carney, acquired during the off-season from Philadelphia in a trade, has brought energy, three point shooting and spectacular dunks to the Wolves.

Carney is a former high school sprinter whose speed sometimes allows him to reach loose balls or race down court ahead of other players.  Still trying to find himself, Carney is a third year pro averaging 5.3 points for the Wolves, and 6.0 in his career.

Carney told Sports Headliners that since Kevin McHale took over as coach in December he’s been more comfortable, not so conscious of making mistakes.  Carney describes McHale as a player’s coach, “just one of the guys” who can enjoy the team camaraderie.

“He has confidence in us,” Carney said.  “I love playing for him.”

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor enjoys spending part of the winter in southwest Florida.

Nationally ranked and undefeated Hopkins has four of the 15 leading candidates for Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball award. The 15 listed alphabetically by school are: Josh Figini, Chisago Lakes; Rodney Williams, Cooper; Mike Bruesewitz, Henry Sibley; Chris Halvorsen, Henry Sibley; Mike Broghammer, Hopkins; Raymond Cowels, Hopkins; Trent Lockett,  Hopkins; Royce White, Hopkins; Sam Dower, Osseo; Tydan Storrusten, Pelican Rapids; Mike Felt, Redwood Valley; Mike Muscala, Roseville; Jordair Jett, St. Bernard’s; Nate Wolters, St. Cloud Tech; Marc Sonnen, Tartan.

Three MIAC women’s basketball student-athletes are on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Macalester junior center Ann Baltzer (Bismarck, N.D., Psychology – 3.67 GPA), Concordia senior guard Jenna Freudenberg (Parkers Prairie, Minn., Exercise Science – 3.77 GPA), and Macalester junior forward Trina PaStarr (Minneapolis, Environmental Studies – 3.80 GPA) were  named to the Academic All-District third team.

Vikings’ center Matt Birk has closed his St. Paul restaurant, Matty B’s.

Athletic director Al Molde and school alum Don Swanson are hosting a reception for new Gustavus Adolphus football coach Peter Haugen from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park. The public is welcome and more details are available by calling Swanson at 763-533-9083.

Haugen, the successful former Washburn High School coach, is being succeeded by one of his assistants, Giavin Jenkins.

Tubby Smith has guaranteed compensation of about $1,775,000 this year but could be rewarded further. Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners that his basketball coach’s contract positions Smith to earn additional compensation for team achievements such as winning the Big Ten Conference title or qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

A regular season league title gives Smith $250,000, while winning next month’s conference tournament championship will provide $100,000, Maturi said.  If the Gophers make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005, Smith receives $100,000.  Success in the tourney provides these rewards: Sweet 16, $50,000; Elite eight, $75,000; Final Four, $250,000; NCAA title: $500,000.

Smith didn’t earn such bonuses last year in his first season as Gophers coach.  His  team finished 20-14 overall, 8-10 in the Big Ten and sixth place in the conference standings.

Much improved this season, the Gophers are 18-4 overall, 6-4 in the conference.  They are tied for third place in the standings after Wednesday night’s embarrassing 76-47 loss to first place Michigan State.  Minnesota is ranked No. 19 in the country and has eight remaining conference games before playing in the Big Ten Tournament that begins March 12 in Indianapolis.

While the Gophers are more unlikely than preseason favorites Michigan State and Purdue to win the regular season conference title, they have to be included among several contenders.  Unless Minnesota enters a long losing streak, the Gophers seem likely to be invited to the NCAA tournament where their profile already includes nearly 20 wins and victories over three top 25 teams, Louisville, Ohio State and Illinois.

Compensation incentives like Smith’s are common now in major college football and basketball.  At Kentucky, where Smith coached prior to Minnesota, his teams won five SEC titles and played in 10 NCAA tournaments.  He won one national title at Kentucky and his teams made the NCAA tourney Elite Eight three times, and Sweet 16 twice.

The Gophers play at Ohio State tomorrow night before a home game against Indiana on Tuesday at Williams Arena.  The Gophers and Buckeyes are tied for third place in the Big Ten with 6-4 records.