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.

“Breaking News:” At Last Minute Writing This Week

Posted on July 1, 2025July 1, 2025 by David Shama

So, here’s the deal, boys and girls. I wasn’t going to write this week but just couldn’t help offering up a Fourth of July Week special to add merriment to your celebration.

Yes, this column is written mostly tongue-in-cheek. For younger readers not familiar with the term, I am writing in a playful, hopefully humorous manner. BTW I don’t mind exchanging old and new vocabulary with teens who these days say “body count” refers to how many people you have slept with.

(For those responding with their “body count,” be assured your total is kept secret here).

Usually, I write a sports trivia questions column around Fourth of July time. Not so this year but I can’t help typing just one of my favorites from the past:

Who is the only person ever to play for the Twins and Vikings? (Mull it over, and after you have an answer or give up, scroll to the bottom of the column for the answer. Hint: the answer is a real “groaner.”)

America will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year. I am not that old, but my golf game feels like it.

In the spirit of self-defense, I report a nearly three-month struggle with back issues, sometimes rising to excruciating pain. My journey includes numerous physical therapy and chiro sessions and sit-downs with back surgeons. And I can’t leave out an epidural shot with a needle so close to a nerve that it just about shot me off the table.

The misery has at times been so bad some might want me to suggest this attitude: “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”

Hmm! (Not so sure about that).

Now I relate this saga not expecting pity or even sympathy. Because I am among the skeptics who believe most people aren’t that interested you are hurting. And the rest are glad you’re suffering! Ha!

But cut my golf game a little slack because it feels like I never played before. Just remember: “There’s always the 19^th hole.”

Don’t know if you’re planning to watch fireworks this year or staying at home. One crazy thing I’ve noted over the years from asking people about fireworks watching is it seems like everyone claims a great view from the roof at their house! Use the ladder at your own peril!

While my ark remains in the garage, I see the weather forecast indicates sunny days for a change. This could prompt my first trip to the car wash in 2025. I am debating whether to visit the most expensive and complicated of locations. Last year the directions for a wash selection could only be understood by geeks and AI entities.

So, that could be me driving around town this week in a clean car and reminiscing about all kinds of things you couldn’t even imagine. Example: maybe I will drive by a workplace from long ago that once prompted this remark from my young son Joel who was out for a ride with dad, mom and brother: “Look dad, there’s the place that gives you nightmares!”

That workplace never gave me an award but later a Bloomington-based company did honor me, David John Shama. The nameplate on the award recognized David S. Shama.

This is an anniversary week celebration for my wife and me. It’s also my wife’s birthday. We enjoyed dinner at a nice restaurant, and I am grateful to have escaped with a total bill of under (barely) $200!

We also celebrated with a Lake Minnetonka dinner cruise. The boat captain was a man of good humor, announcing at the end of the cruise to check on eBay in an hour for any personal items lost on the boat. He encouraged “bidding” for retrieval.

Enjoy your Fourth of July Week. Remember, though, charcoal grills and processed foods are bad; alcohol is poison and sugar is the devil. Otherwise, enjoy your water and vegetables.

Remember these heartfelt words: Love America and appreciate this great Republic that so many sacrificed for to make it the envy of the world. Stand up for the U.S.A.!

Trivia answer: The only person ever to play for the Twins and Vikings was the stadium organist. (Groan!)

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Supporters Talk ‘Recipe’ for Coach Medved Success at U

Posted on June 25, 2025July 8, 2025 by David Shama

There is an old cliché about impressive coaches “winning” their introductory press conferences. An initial honeymoon can extend longer and that appears to be the reality for new University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach Niko Medved.

The Minnesota born and raised Medved has been a hit since the announcement came on March 24 that he was leaving his successful program at Colorado State to take the head coaching job at his alma mater. He’s been embraced literally and figuratively because of his ties to the state, successful coaching record at multiple stops and a personality that resonates as authentic, humble and determined to restore the Gopher basketball brand.

Sports Headliners checked in with sources tied to the program and asked their thoughts about the 52-year-old Medved who was a student manager in the 1990s under head coach Clem Haskins. That era was the last time the program had a glorious run—with Williams Arena turned into a mad house and the best ticket value in town for sports entertainment.

…”It’s probably the best fit this place has had in quite some time,” said former Gopher radio analyst Spencer Tollackson about the Medved hire.

Tollackson played at Minnesota in 2006-2007 when Medved was an assistant on the staff. So, too, did Jamal Abu-Shamala who believes the new coach will do a “fantastic job running the program.”

One of the requirements for success with the Gophers, Abu-Shamala reminded Sports Headliners, is connecting with the community and fans. “He’s the perfect guy for this day and age. He’s really good in front of a crowd. He’s good in front of people and that’s only going to build that connectivity to the program which people feel they need…here in Minnesota. I think that’s more critical than ever.”

In the new millennium, losing seasons have become commonplace at the U. Minnesota finished last in the Big Ten standings in both 2022 and 2023. The last time the Gophers finished with a winning record in Big Ten games was 10-8 in 2017. Prior to that the only winning season in conference games was 2005 at 10-6.

Medved’s coaching chops with teaching and strategizing will be important for a turnaround, but talent always figures in prominently. And in the new world of college basketball, players can earn not just six-figures but become millionaires because of revenue sharing by athletic departments and compensation for name, image and likeness.

Tollackson refers to the “differentiating factor” of money in today’s landscape. And he recalled someone said this to him: “The answer is money. Now what’s your question?”

Gopher booster Bob Klas has given significant amounts of money to Minnesota’s official collective for NIL, Dinkytown Athletes. He was asked the following:

Can Medved be more successful as Gopher coach than his four predecessors in this millennium? And what will it take?

“A key to Niko being successful, as I imagine will be true for most other coaches, will be the amount of revenue sharing and NIL money he’ll have available for his program,” Klas said via email. “From what I’ve heard and read so far, the (Gopher) athletics department seems committed to providing him with a competitive budget. If that happens, I think Niko’s program can be in the upper half of the Big Ten, which hasn’t been the case for a while.”

Jim Petersen, a member of Minnesota’s 1982 Big Ten championship team, said previous coach Ben Johnson “was kind of hamstrung a little bit” regarding NIL money but he anticipates Medved having more resources. Word is men’s basketball will have more money than in the past from Dinkytown Athletes, and revenue sharing by the athletic department is expected to begin this summer for multiple sports at Minnesota including Medved’s program.

“I think he’s going to be successful,” Petersen said in response to a question about what the future will hold for Medved.

Those who know Medved believe his success will partially come from his ability to identify talent when others don’t. At Colorado State he recruited Minneapolis native David Roddy when many programs didn’t show that much interest, and he helped develop him into a NBA first round pick. In this week’s draft former Rams star Nique Clifford, who transferred to Fort Collins after a mediocre run at Colorado, is likely to go in the first round.

Abu-Shamala sees Medved as a coach who burns to win and will discover under the radar talent. “I think he’s super competitive. He’s a worker. He’s out and about all the time connecting with coaches…but he’s also going around and he’s looking at players’ intangibles that I think are often overlooked.

“Nowadays, there’s all these analytics. This guy shoots this percentage from three and this is how he fits in. But I think often overlooked is the element of who they are as people and how they fit into a culture. And I think he will do a really nice job of finding those players that have the pieces that you can’t measure with analytics.

“David Roddy had that. He’s just a worker. He didn’t fit a position, so people didn’t know where to slot him. And you get guys like that, that can find a role on a team, and they’ll be successful.”

If Abu-Shamala sounds pumped about Medved, he’s not alone. “I want to go play (for him) right now,” said the 63-year-old Petersen, once a prep All-American at St. Louis Park High School and also an NBA veteran.

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Voss, State’s No.1 Ranked Football Recruit, Commits to U

Posted on June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 by David Shama

Roman Voss, the multi-positions player from Jackson, Minnesota and considered the state’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026, verbally committed to the Golden Gophers today. He told Hayes Fawcett @on3recruits this afternoon of his news making decision.

About 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Voss is considered one of the dozen or so most athletic prep football players in the country for the class of 2026. Although he has played both offense and defense in high school, he projects as a tight end with Minnesota. It’s believed he has the pass catching and run breaking skills to not only excel in college but perhaps become a play-on-Sundays tight end.

The four-star recruit’s final college choices were Minnesota and Alabama. The Gophers have one other tight end among their 2026 verbal commits, Gabe Weaver from St. Louis. Alabama doesn’t have a tight end in its class so far, per 247Sports.

Voss is now considered the most highly coveted member of the Gophers’ 2026 class that has more than 20 verbal commits. He was recruited by Minnesota tight ends coach Eric Koehler and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr., according to 247Sports. Head coach P.J. Fleck was heavily involved, too.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, have roots in the Upper Midwest. DeBoer, as head coach at the University of Sioux Falls and Grubb, as an assistant there, recruited this area and now are doing the same from Tuscaloosa. Among the Tide’s verbal commits for 2026 is quarterback Jett Thomalla from Omaha, considered the state of Nebraska’s No. 1 recruit, per 247Sports.

The decision to commit to the Gophers means family and friends will have less than a three-hour drive to watch Voss play at Huntington Bank Stadium. The driving distance to the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa is over 1,000 miles and non-stop takes almost 16 hours.

In the new world of college football, recruits are well aware of being paid for their talents. Revenue sharing is expected to start this summer in major college football with the guess here that perhaps 50-plus football Gophers will receive money from the athletic department which is expected to pay athletes not only in football, but men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey and volleyball.

Next school year Minnesota’s official collective, Dinkytown Athletes, is likely to have a record amount of money for name, image and likeness compensation. NIL has played a key role in the Gopher football program’s success in retaining core players on the roster including pre-season All-American safety Koi Perich and star running back Darius Taylor.

The Gophers’ 2026 recruiting class is also led by two other 247 four-star recruits, defensive lineman Howie Johnson from Forest Lake and offensive tackle Andrew Trout from Cold Spring. They are the state of Minnesota’s No. 2 and No. 3 ranked players by 247Sports.

Fleck and the Gophers have landed the top high school recruit in Minnesota in three of the four previous years: Eden Prairie defensive lineman Trey Bixby (2022), Esko athlete Koi Perich (2024), and Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo (2025).

When Voss officially signs on make it four of the last five.

Worth Noting

Five Gophers have been chosen by Phil Steele Publications as either members of the preseason All-American team or preseason Big Ten all-conference teams. Koi Perich is a second team All-American safety. He is also a second team All-Big Ten safety and third team All-Big Ten punt returner.

Steele also recognizes defensive tackle Deven Eastern on the All-Big Ten third team, while running back Darius Taylor, defensive end Anthony Smith, and long snapper Alan Soukup are fourth team All-Big Ten.

Monday is a historic day for the University of St. Thomas after a vote by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors makes the Tommies a full member of the NCAA. The Tommies become the only NCAA member to reclassify directly from Division III to Division I. The Tommies are now fully eligible to compete in postseason play, including NCAA tournaments and championships.

Glen Taylor agreed to sell the Timberwolves about four years ago for $1.5 billion to Alex Rodriquez and Marc Lore. Now the NBA’s most glamorous franchise, the Lakers, is reportedly selling for $10 billion!

The Lakers, who originated in Minneapolis, moved to Los Angeles after the 1959-1960 NBA season. That was owner Bob Short’s decision, and he retained control of the franchise until 1965 when he sold it for about $5 million, per multiple reports.

Wild ownership and management is disappointed in the state’s decision not to help fund major renovations for Xcel Energy Center during the last legislative session. The Wolves, with the second oldest arena in the NBA, have ambitions to replace Target Center and perhaps build a privately financed facility. Financial heavyweight Michael Bloomberg is part of the new ownership group.

Wild fans look forward to this week’s NHL Draft and at the same time might recall the blunder of 2018 when Minnesota selected defenseman Filip Johannsson in the first round. At No. 24, GM Paul Fenton’s selection went before others thought he should go and Johansson never played for the Wild.

The Wild has hired 62-year-old Greg Cronin as head coach of the Iowa Wild, the franchise’s primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He has 38 years of coaching and player development experience including at the NHL, AHL and NCAA levels.

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