P.J. FLECK – Page 77 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gopher AD Makes Impact on Staff

Posted on April 15, 2018April 15, 2018 by David Shama

It will be two years ago next month that University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler hired Mark Coyle away from Syracuse to be the Golden Gophers Athletic Director. During his time at Minnesota Coyle has hired several new coaches including in the high profile sports of football, men’s hockey and women’s basketball.

The latest appointment is that of Lindsay Whalen to head the women’s basketball program, even though she has no previous coaching experience. Earlier this spring Coyle hired Bob Motzko as men’s hockey coach and in January of 2017 selected P.J. Fleck to lead the football team.

Mark Coyle (photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications)

It’s evident that when Coyle considers staff hires he places an emphasis on coaches with high potential to recruit skilled student-athletes. Coyle does so with good reason because there’s no doubt football and men’s hockey are significant businesses at the U, and women’s basketball could some day become the first women’s program in the Athletic Department to be profitable.

Coyle knows without talented recruits the Gophers can’t dream of and chase championships in the high profile and revenue producing sports that also includes his men’s basketball program. “No mule ever won the Kentucky Derby,” former Gopher national championship football coach Murray Warmath used to say about the importance of talent.

Whalen, 35, is young enough to relate to high school players and has the platform of still playing for the WNBA champion Lynx. As a recruiter, the competitive Whalen should be able to get into living rooms and make recruiting pitches to outstanding prospects that her U coaching predecessors could only fantasize about.

“Want to some day play women’s pro basketball?” Whalen can ask. “Well, I can show you how to get there.”

The Whalen resume sparkles with accomplishments including leading the Gophers as a player to the 2004 women’s Final Four and becoming one of the WNBA’s best point guards and consistent winners. It’s this kind of background that has Minnesotans enthralled and intrigued by what awaits the Gopher women’s program.

Among those watching is Jerry Noyce, the former Big Ten championship Gopher tennis coach and Minneapolis area business leader, and a man whose name was pushed at least twice to become Minnesota’s athletic director including as successor to the infamous Norwood Teague who resigned in 2015.

“I would not be surprised if Minnesota women’s basketball is able to compete on a very high level—with UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford and all of those teams,” Noyce said. “I would think that she (Whalen) will be able to up the recruiting even more (than it has been). Get more really top players…and I just think she’s going to build a culture of accomplishment that’s going to play well against anybody in the nation.”

Recruiting successfully starts in the state of Minnesota where Marlene Stollings, Whalen’s predecessor, drew criticism. “The next coach needs to make home state relationships and recruiting the first priority!,” a Minneapolis area educator wrote via
email to Sports Headliners after Stollings left for Texas Tech. In his view Stollings didn’t follow that advice and he believes any Gopher women’s basketball coach who effectively recruits even just the metro area will “build a real nice team.”

With the 37-year-old Fleck—the second youngest head coach in college football—Coyle has a skilled recruiter at using social media and TV to build awareness of himself and his program. Fleck understands the culture and speaks the language of teenagers. Coyle knew that when he hired the energetic coach away from Western Michigan where his success prompted reviews from the New York Times and Sports Illustrated.

In late December Fleck announced his 2018 recruiting class, the first group he and his staff had almost a full year to target. The Gophers publicists called the 2018 class the highest ranked ever for Minnesota in the Internet era.

At 57, Motzko is old enough to be Fleck’s, or Whalen’s dad. That doesn’t mean he isn’t expected to recruit with passion and bring blue chip players to Dinkytown. Motzko spent 13 seasons building St. Cloud State into a nationally prominent program and along the way developed recruiting savvy and relationships including with state of Minnesota prep coaches.

Gopher hockey is tradition-rich and the state is loaded with talented high schoolers, but Minnesota hasn’t won a national title since 2003. This year the Gophers didn’t even qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Coyle and everyone else knows Minnesota can do much better.

“This should be a top four program nationally,” said a college hockey authority who asked that his name not be used. “It’s the best job in the country to recruit to.”

If Coyle is spot-on in his coaching hires of Motzko, Whalen and Fleck, the Gophers are on their way to better days on the ice, court and field because of upgrades in their athletes.

Worth Noting

Just speculation but it might be the only way five-star basketball recruit Matthew Hurt from Rochester John Marshall will end up as a Gopher in 2019 is if Minnesota coach Richard Pitino could convince Hurt’s father, Richard, to join his staff as an assistant coach. Richard has been active in high school and AAU coaching for years, and also groomed his son Michael, a Gopher junior next season. Pitino has a staff opening with the departure of another Minnesota native, Ben Johnson to Xavier.

Look for the Timberwolves to alternate Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins and perhaps others in guarding James Harden tonight. The Wolves, in the postseason for the first time since 2004, open the playoffs in Houston against a Rockets team with the NBA’s best regular season record, and led by Harden who averages over 30 points per game and is a favorite for the MVP Award.

The Wolves’ final regular season game last week on Fox Sports North Plus was the highest-rated ever for the NBA team on the regional sports network, generating a 7.5 household rating in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. In this market, 17,300 households represent one rating point. The peak rating during Wednesday night’s game at Target Center was 13.1—meaning over 226,000 households watched the dramatic finish of the Wolves’ win that earned the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. (The previous record rating was 6.5 on April 14, 2004.)

For the season, the Wolves had a 2.6 average household rating on Fox Sports, a 78 percent increase in viewership over 2016-2017, and the highest since 2011-12.

Glen Mason on the Big Ten Network replay of the Gopher spring football game talking about Tyler Johnson who had two touchdown catches: “He’s as good as any wide receiver in the Big Ten.”

Quoting an email from former Gopher football player Jim Brunzell about his impressions of the game: “This team, barring injuries, should be much improved from last year’s squad!”

The Gophers, 5-7 last year, open their season August 30 at home against New Mexico State. The U won’t have the Vikings playing their final preseason game a couple of miles away at U.S. Bank Stadium, as happened in 2017 for the Gophers’ first game. The Vikings will be at Tennessee on August 30 as they close their exhibition season.

Maybe a planner in the Twins’ promotional department was clairvoyant about this spring’s wintry start. Yesterday’s snowstorm cancelled Minnesota’s home game with the White Sox where the first 10,000 fans in attendance were to receive a free Plaid Flap Cap.

The Gopher Big Ten champion baseball teams of 1968-69-70 will have a reunion on May 11-12 with social gatherings planned. Players from those teams will be introduced before the May 12 home game against Michigan State at Siebert Field. Gregg Wong, who was the public address announcer and official scorer for the teams, and Stew Thornley, the bat boy years ago, have also been invited to participate in the celebration.

Minnesota hockey legend Neal Broten will sign memorabilia including hockey cards and sticks (for various fees) on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. as part of the Triple Crown Sports Collectibles show at Southtown Center in Bloomington. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are available for the August 2 Camden’s Concert at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Jimmy Fortune, the former tenor of the Statler Brothers, is the guest artist for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation benefit named after Dave and Linda Mona’s grandson. The previous eight concerts raised almost $500,000, according to the Facebook page for Camden’s Concert.

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Football Coaches Make a Hit on Cancer

Posted on April 8, 2018April 9, 2018 by David Shama

A Sunday notes column leading off with news from the weekend Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic.

Randy Shaver thanked Minnesota football coaches on Friday night for raising $1.3 million since the Tackle Cancer initiative began in 2012. “You’re changing people’s lives,” the KARE 11 newscaster told coaches at the clinic.

Minnetonka football coach Dave Nelson contacted Shaver six years ago with the idea of having the state’s prep coaches raise money for the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund. Since then not only high school coaches but also the Vikings and college programs including the Gophers have raised monies for the Tackle Cancer effort. In 2017 a record $311,475 dollars was generated.

Shaver told the audience that in June it will be 20 years since he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. As a cancer survivor he has helped fund a range of issues related to the disease including prevention, research and treatment.

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck told clinic attendees about research on college and NFL games between 1950 and 2017 that supports the old adage “most games are lost, not won.” The research showed 78 percent of the time teams with the fewest turnovers and those with fewer than six missed tackles won their games. “The margin for error is so small,” Fleck said.

Talking about how the game of football is under attack, former Vikings center Matt Birk said the sport ranks fourth in causing concussions, and that it is not an activity for everybody. “I think we need to stop apologizing for football,” Birk said at the clinic.

Birk, who played at Harvard and also in the NFL, said the most fun he experienced in football was in high school competing for Cretin-Derham Hall.

Former Gopher assistant coach Dan O’Brien is leaving his position at Sun Country Airlines and starts full time April 30 at St. Thomas Academy where he will work in administration and be the new head football coach.

A recent visitor to Fleck’s new football complex needed directions from a Gopher player who not only was helpful but wished the outsider an “elite day.”

There are no remaining spring practices open to the public so the last opportunity to see Fleck’s Gophers will be Saturday’s annual Spring Game starting at noon in TCF Bank Stadium. Admission is free.

Illinois and Michigan State held their Spring Games yesterday. The other 12 Big Ten teams will stage their games by end of day next Saturday.

The Gophers open their schedule at home against New Mexico State on Thursday, August 30 but that game won’t command the attention of most Big Ten fans. Instead of playing nonconference opponents, Big Ten teams Northwestern and Purdue will meet in West Lafayette that same night Minnesota opens its season.

The Gophers will play a rare Friday night game October 26 at home against Indiana.

Fleck will speak at the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Minneapolis Gala May 4 at the Hilton Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) inducted five individuals into the high school division of its Hall of Fame Saturday night: Mike Belseth, Breckenridge; Steve Fedie, Orono; Doug Torgerson, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City; Ray Tri, Eden Valley-Watkins; and Terry Turek, LeSeuer-Henderson. Inducted into the citation division was Mike Bialka from Brainerd.

Leo Pohlkamp of Pierz is the 2017 MFCA Coach of the Year. Pohlkamp, who was presented with the award Saturday night, coached Pierz to the Class 3A state title last November. His 2015 Pierz team also won the 3A championship.

Jamal James of Minneapolis headlines a boxing card at the Minneapolis Armory on Friday night in a welterweight match against Abel Ramos from Casa Grande, Arizona. James, 22-1, is ranked No. 4 in the world by the World Boxing Association.

The fight will be televised by FS-1 and is the first pro boxing at the renovated Armory in 45 years.

Ryan Larson, the competitive point guard from Cretin-Derham Hall who Gopher fans have been hoping makes his way to Dinkytown, has received a scholarship offer from Northern Iowa.

Transfer watch: Will freshman guard Jamir Harris, who the Gophers announced is transferring, end up at Connecticut? With the Huskies he could rejoin assistant coach Kimani Young, the ex-Minnesota staffer who recruited Harris to the Gophers.

It is good news for Apple Valley’s Tre Jones that Duke freshman point guard Trevon Duval declared for the NBA Draft last week—despite some unimpressive numbers. The departure makes more certain Jones, the acclaimed local point guard and 2018 Minnesota Mr. Basketball, will start for the Blue Devils next season.

Duval started 34 of 37 games for last season, averaging 10.3 points per game while making 43 percent of his field goals (29 percent of threes) and converting 60 percent of his free throws. Duval, who averaged almost six assists per game, is projected to be a late first round draft choice by Nbadraftt.net.

The website projects former Apple Valley star Gary Trent Jr. will be drafted No. 16 in the first round. Trent announced yesterday he also will be leaving Duke after one season. He was third on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. The shooting guard made an impressive .402 percent of his three point attempts.

Best score reported from last Thursday’s Sports Headliners Twins Trivia Quiz was 20 of 25 correct.

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Upbeat Outlook for Twins 2018 Season

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column leading off with the Twins.

Optimism characterizes the outlook for the Twins’ 2018 regular season. Minnesota opens the season in Baltimore Thursday afternoon against the Orioles and Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners earlier this month he is “bullish” about the team.

After last season’s club unexpectedly made the playoffs, the early offseason outlook for 2018 was hopeful for more success, but a series of promising personnel acquisitions, including during spring training, has left observers even more upbeat.

“I think we feel very good about our team,” St. Peter said. “We believe we have closed the gap to some extent with the Cleveland Indians at the top of our division. We certainly look to our club to be not just in the hunt for the division (title) but certainly the Wild Card going deep into the 2018 season.”

St. Peter spoke before Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco was suspended by Major League Baseball for the first 80 games because of a drug violation, but that shouldn’t reduce the optimism by much about the team. Veteran Eduardo Escobar, 29, provides experience at the position and playing a utility role last season produced career highs in home runs with 29 and RBI, 71.

Sports Illustrated’s preview issue has the Twins finishing 86-76 after last season’s 85-77 record. The magazine likes the club but reminds readers the pitching staff needs an ace in the starting rotation. S.I.’s candidate is Jose Berrios and his emergence could mean the Twins “will flirt with 90 wins,” according to the magazine.

For now, though, the publication believes the Twins will fall just short of taking the last wildcard spot in the playoffs. That position will go to the improved Angels with a predicted 89-73 record.

Berrios, 23, was impressive last season, with a 14-8 record and 3.89 ERA. He is scheduled to start Sunday in Baltimore in the finale of the three-game series against the Orioles.

Vegasinsider.com reported last Friday odds are 25/1 Berrios will win the 2018 American League Cy Young award, per the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook. No other Twins and only nine other pitchers had better odds.

Newly signed Jake Odorizzi will be the Twins’ starting pitcher Thursday. The No. 2 starter for the Rays last season, Odorizzi is making his first MLB Opening Day start. Kyle Gibson starts for Minnesota Saturday in Baltimore, after Friday’s off day.

The Twins are opening on the road for the seventh time in nine seasons dating back to the first season at outdoor Target Field in 2010.

The weather forecast in Baltimore for Thursday is for 70 degrees and cloudy around game time, according to Accuweather.com.

Members of the U.S. gold-medal winning curling team will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Target Field for the Twins’ home opener April 5. Minneapolis rapper Dessa will perform the National Anthem.

The IDS Building, Nicollet Mall, and the Target Corporate Building will be lit in Twins colors the week of April 2. The Lowry Avenue Bridge will be lit April 4 and 5, and the 35W Bridge April 5.

Minnesota’s home opener was announced as sold out on Monday. In eight home openers at Target Field the Twins have averaged 39,096.

Creativity in candidates is likely to be a priority when Gopher athletic director Mark Coyle searches to replace Don Lucia as hockey coach. Just look back at Coyle’s hiring of football coach P.J. Fleck who is skilled at promoting his program externally and internally including through social media, television and community volunteerism.

Gopher hockey fan Kirk Detlefsen bought 14 new season tickets for 2018-2019 last Tuesday after it was announced Minnesota will have a new coach. “I am optimistic ‘Pride on Ice’ will be back,” said the Lakeville resident who purchased four lower bowl season tickets and four club seats in 2017-2018.

Detlefsen, who has bought season tickets for more than 20 years, is renewing his tickets from last year along with buying the 14 new ones. He will gather with friends before next season and do a “ticket draft” to divide up the tickets. He had been doing that in the past too but found interest lacking. “Nobody wanted to go to games anymore,” he said.

Fleck will speak at the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association’s Clinic April 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. There will also be a panel discussion that evening with former Gopher coach Glen Mason, Vikings executive Kevin Warren, and former Vikings and Ravens center Matt Birk. More at Mnfootballcoaches.com.

It will be interesting to follow the Washington State football program the next couple of seasons. Head coach Mike Leach is known as an offensive master but for years the Cougars have often struggled defensively. Now with former Gopher head football coach Tracy Claeys in Pullman, Leach has one of the best defensive minds in college football as his coordinator.

Eric Musselman, who nearly coached Nevada to the Final Four this year, might have been the Gopher coach had Richard Pitino turned the job down in the spring of 2013. It’s believed that Musselman was athletic director Norwood Teague’s next choice before hiring Pitino. At that time Musselman, who had never been a college head coach, was an assistant at Arizona State.

The Timberwolves (42-33) looked panicky in the closing minutes of last night’s 101-93 loss to the Grizzlies (20-54). The Wolves scored only 11 fourth quarter points in a loss that could contribute to not qualifying for the playoffs.

Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has double-doubles in 62 games this season—the most in the NBA. Last night Towns had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Becky Cantellano, who was the Executive Director for St. Paul Urban Tennis, left that organization this month to become ED at the United States Tennis Association Northern Section which promotes the sport in this region. She had been Director of Tennis Programs and Services at USTA Northern prior to joining St. Paul Urban in 2012.

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