Author: David Shama

At the Indiana game former Gopher Trent Tucker will have his jersey retired and a banner honoring him will be placed on the west wall of Williams Arena along with four others previously recognized, Jim Brewer, Lou Hudson, Kevin McHale and Mychal Thompson.  Another former Gopher, Whitey Skoog, will be similarly honored at the Northwestern game on February 22.

Maturi said the selection criteria for honoring players has changed to go beyond basketball prowess and now includes earning a bachelor’s degree and post graduation service in the community.  Tucker was a standout on the Gophers’ 1982 Big Ten championship team, earning second team All-Big Ten honors and making an All-American team. Skoog was twice an All-American, 1950 and 1951.

Twins’ president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners there’s “no chance” that former infielder Michael Cuddyer will be asked to play third base in spring training later this month.  St. Peter said Cuddyer is the “starting right fielder” and both Cuddyer and manager Ron Gardenhire want him in that position.  Contrary to media opinion, St. Peter said the Twins don’t view third base as a problem.  He said the multiple Twins who played third base last season combined for 91 RBI and played “great defense.”

St. Peter is expecting season ticket sales of 10,000 to 11,000 in the team’s final season in the Metrodome.  A total of 17,000 to 18,000 are possible at Target Field in the future.

The Twins still have tickets available for all home spring training games but expect to sellout most or all of them.  The first home game in Fort Myers is February 25          against Boston.

The Wolves’ Kevin Love is impressing with 16.9 percent of his rebounds being offensive boards.  That’s the best in the NBA currently and the third highest for a rookie in league history.

The Wolves’ Mike Miller, who had been in a shooting slump, has made 17 of 23 shots in his last four games, 73.9 percent.

Former Vikings offensive coordinator and Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion coach Brian Billick will be among the speakers at the Minnesota Football Clinic April 2-4 at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park.  Others will include Marc Trestman, the former Gopher quarterback who won a Canadian Football League coach of the year award in 2008.  More on the clinic at www.mshsca.org/football/mfcclinic/Schedule.htm

Offensive lineman Randall McDaniel, who played 12 seasons with the Vikings, has drawn lots of praise following the announcement of his inclusion in the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.  Mike Alstott was a teammate in Tampa Bay for two seasons.  “I was lucky enough to play with Randall his last few seasons here in Tampa,” Alstott said. “I knew he was a great player in Minnesota, but didn’t realize how much so until he got here. I remember seeing him do things I’d never seen a lineman do before physically.  Just an unbelievable athlete. The thing about him is that he’s a better guy off the field.  He’s a good man and I’m proud to have been his teammate.”

Percy Harvin, the University of Florida speedster who has declared for the NFL draft as a junior, could be the Vikings’ pick at No. 20 later this year.  With the Vikings’ need for another explosive receiver to join Bernard Berrian, Harvin makes sense, if he’s still available.

The Gophers add to their football family legacy with the signing of Michael Carter to a national letter of intent, a player coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners has the “profile of a great cornerback.”  The Florida native is a nephew of former Gopher All-American safety Tyrone Carter.

The Wisconsin hockey team started 0-6-1 including a loss and tie to the Gophers.  Since then, the Badgers are 14-5-2 and come here to play Minnesota tonight and tomorrow night, featuring Jamie McBain who leads all college defensemen with 30 points.  Wisconsin leads the nation in penalty killing at 90.4 percent and is the best in WCHA power play percentage and penalty kill.

Minnesota’s Ryan Stoa ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 1.30 points per game, while teammate Jordan Schroeder is eighth at 1.27.

Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom has a new career-high in shutouts for a season, six.  He now has 11 shutouts in 75 career starts at Xcel Energy Center, tying a franchise record set by Dwayne Roloson.

When the Swarm play Colorado tomorrow night at Xcel, the first 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative fifth anniversary Swarm lacrosse ball.

In a league lacking star power, including freshmen of influence, Gopher newcomer Ralph Sampson III is a player to watch in the Big Ten Conference.  Sampson, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward-center, has been improving of late and was a major contributor in Minnesota’s rout of Illinois last week and his help will be needed tonight against first place Michigan State in East Lansing.

In the Illinois game Sampson scored 10 points and had seven rebounds.  In the previous game against Indiana he had Big Ten career highs in points with 13 and rebounds, eight.  He also had a career high in blocks with six.

Sampson is the Gophers’ fourth leading scorer in conference games at 6.3 points and is tied with Paul Carter for the best rebounding average, 4.3.  As of Monday, Sampson ranked third in rebounding and fifth in scoring among freshmen in the Big Ten including both conference and nonconference games.

With athleticism, a lanky body and a family pedigree that includes a father who was three times the Naismith national player of the year, Sampson will be intriguing to watch this season and beyond.  Illinois coach Bruce Weber said last week that during the next off-season Sampson is likely to add strength and skill, improving as young big men do with extra work.

Already Weber and others are impressed.  “He battles. He’s very competitive for a young guy,” Weber said. “He’s big, bulky, makes it tough.  You gotta fight your butt off on him.  He made his free throws (eight of 10 against Illinois), which is huge for a big guy.

“…I think he’s had a great freshman year, probably better than maybe they expected.  He’s played better than I ever anticipated and he’s got a great future for them.”