Gophers Basketball – Page 103 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Lucia Anticipates New Contract Talks

Posted on March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by David Shama

Veteran Gopher hockey coach Don Lucia told Sports Headliners yesterday he wants to talk with athletic director Mark Coyle about a contract extension after the season. “We’ll have a conversation this spring and see where things are at,” Lucia said.

Coyle became athletic director last spring when Lucia had only a year left on his contract. A two-year extension was signed last fall taking Lucia through the 2018-2019 season. Lucia said the two men agreed last year further contract discussions will happen after this season.

Lucia doesn’t want a situation where he will be coaching next season with just one year to go on his deal—prompting speculation about job security and being a deterrent to recruiting. “Mark, I think, will be very fair,” Lucia said. “We’ll just wait until the year ends and sit down and see where we’re all at.”

New athletic directors are sometimes known for wanting to hire their own coaches, and Tracy Claeys received that message when the first-year Gophers football coach was dismissed last January despite a 9-4 record. Lucia referred to any similarity between him and Claeys as “apples and oranges.”

“I think I have a pretty long track record that speaks for itself,” Lucia said.

Lucia, 58, is the longest-tenured Gophers hockey coach ever. He has coached Minnesota teams for 18 seasons, including consecutive national championships in 2002 and 2003. He wants to continue indefinitely coaching the Gophers.

“I still have energy,” he said. “I don’t look at (it as) is it three (more) years? Five years? One year? I don’t know. I don’t look at it that way as much as you just try to do everything you can to have the best year you possibly can. As long as you love what you do, you want to continue to do it.”

After not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time in five years, Minnesota is playing like a national power again. The Gophers are 21-9-2 overall and ranked No. 5 nationally in the latest USCHO.com poll. Lucia’s team is 12-4 in Big Ten games and alone in first place. The Gophers could be headed to their fourth consecutive conference championship.

Lucia likes this season’s team including senior forward Justin Kloos who isn’t big physically at 5-9 but has come up with six game winning goals. Kloos is one of the team’s three candidates for the Hobey Baker Award honoring college hockey’s best player. The others are senior defenseman Jake Bischoff and sophomore forward Tyler Sheehy.

“He’s an example of a player that because he is a little bit smaller, he didn’t get drafted, but yet he is an elite college player,” Lucia said. “Sometimes guys like Justin Kloos are far more valuable than a guy who gets drafted because he is bigger, but may go (on to) have a bigger impact at the pro level than the college level.”

Although the Gophers have shown the ability to come from behind in games, Lucia has a “magic number” in mind when he talks about the importance goalie Eric Schierhorn will play in determining how deep Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament run may go. “When he gives up two (goals), we’ve yet to lose a game, so that’s kind of the magic number for us,” Lucia said. “We gotta be able to count on him at the end.”

The Gophers have two weekends ahead of regular season conference games. The Big Ten Tournament will then be the weekend of March 16-18 in Detroit. Lucia doesn’t want to focus on NCAA Tournament hopes for multiple reasons including the fact parity in college hockey can interrupt plans.

“If the season ended today, three of the four teams that were in the Frozen Four wouldn’t be in the NCAA Tournament this year that played last year including the two teams that played for a national title,” Lucia said. “That’s how difficult it is in college hockey today versus 10 or 15 years ago.”

Lucia is referring to Notre Dame, Qunnipiac and Yale missing out, but defending national champ North Dakota qualifying.

For all the success Lucia has experienced coaching, he also likes to talk about the academic work of his players. All the players on his roster either have their degrees or are making progress toward graduation. Lucia believes that in the last 10 years only one player who was with the Gophers for four years didn’t earn a degree.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Lucia said. “We’re all judged on wins and losses. We get that, but I think as a coach you want to make sure that when the kids come to your program and play for you they leave with their degree. When it’s all said and done that’s gonna be the most important thing that they can do in their four years.”

Worth Noting

Richard Pitino’s Gophers, winners of seven consecutive Big Ten games, play their final home game tomorrow night and tickets are available. The Gophers have two sellouts this season, January 21 against Wisconsin and last Saturday versus Penn State.

For probably the first time ever, the Gopher men’s basketball postseason banquet will be held on the Williams Arena floor. Coaches, players, fans and others associated with the program will sit at tables on the floor of the historic arena Monday night March 27. The public is welcome, with more information available at the program’s booster club website, Goldendunkers.com.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association is offering a Youth Coaches Clinic March 31 and April 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. The clinic will offer various sessions including ideas for building a youth football program, practice planning, defensive drills and developing young quarterbacks. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to hear from new Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck. More information is available by clicking on the MFCA advertisement on this page and visiting the organization’s website.

Mike Condo, a starting defensive back on the Gophers 1967 Big Ten championship football team, passed away a few months ago. A Pennsylvania native, Condo was an aggressive player and three year letter winner from 1965-1967. “Pound for pound as tough as they were,” said former teammate Jim Carter.

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U RPI Keeps Tourney Target Alive

Posted on February 9, 2017February 9, 2017 by David Shama

It’s been a productive several days for the Gophers basketball team including last night’s double overtime win over Iowa at Williams Arena.

Minnesota had lost five consecutive Big Ten games and had an overall record of 15-7 and league record of 3-6 going into last Saturday’s game at Illinois. It was near panic time for the Gophers to change their momentum in the next three games.

Done—almost. The Gophers defeated Illinois by nine points, won a thriller over Iowa, 101-89, and now pack their gym gear for Saturday’s game at Rutgers, 13-12 overall and 2-10 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota went into last night’s game ranked No. 25 nationally in the NCAA.com Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)—rankings that have much to do with determining who moves on to postseason tournaments. The Gophers have some quality wins, and the opportunity to earn more with seven Big Ten games remaining on the schedule, plus a chance to maintain or even improve a top 25 RPI ranking that for awhile now has had NCAA Tournament predictors keeping Minnesota in the mix. Hard to say what the final results will be but a possibility could be wins over Rutgers, Indiana, Penn State and Nebraska, and losses to Michigan, Maryland and Wisconsin. Such a path would result in a 9-9 Big Ten record, 21-10 overall.

Results as referenced above will keep the team’s RPI in good shape and should deliver an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. If so, it will be a first for Minnesota coach Richard Pitino who is in his fourth season with the Gophers and was 2-16 in the Big Ten last year.

After the season ends the Gophers may look back on the Iowa win as a key to their success–close call that it was. Minnesota was ahead 56-43 with 11:52 remaining in the second half. About three minutes later three consecutive turnovers against Iowa’s half-court trapping defense had triggered a 57-56 Hawkeyes’ lead.

Fatigue, though, hit the Hawkeyes as they tried to finish off the Gophers. Iowa freshman Jordan Bohannon couldn’t keep up with Gophers junior guard Nate Mason in the second overtime. Mason got key baskets as Minnesota outscored the Hawkeyes 17-5.

It was an emotional night for the Gophers and their fans. Pitino doesn’t like to do it, but he was waving his arms late in the game to engage the crowd. The student section saved its infamous “We Hate Iowa!” yell for second half dramatics, and at times Williams Arena rocked like its famous days a decade or two ago.

After the game Mason was asked if this win—important even if the Gophers were playing Rutgers—was at least a little more satisfying coming against border rival Iowa. “Yeah, for sure,” he answered.

Worth Noting

Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey has two sons, Connor and Patrick, playing for Iowa City West High School. That team plays at Cretin Derham-Hall and against Gophers recruit Daniel Orturu Saturday, February 18.

There is talk of an appreciation roast for Dick Jonckowski in the spring to be sponsored by the Minute Men. Jonckowski, the Shakopee-based speaker and emcee, is in his final season as public address announcer for Gophers basketball but will continue with U baseball games. He will be recognized by the Gophers at halftime of the Michigan basketball game February 19.

Ray Christensen, who died a couple of days ago at age 92, was known to sports fans as the radio voice of Gophers football and basketball for decades but he had varied interests including classical music. He preferred to work without a partner on basketball broadcasts and announced those games alone. He was a humble gentleman in an industry known for egos.

Better than Ground Hog Day to prompt optimism about spring arriving soon is that the Twins first exhibition game is two weeks from tomorrow in Fort Myers against the Rays. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training February 14, with the full squad coming in February 18.

Tallest player on the 40-man roster is 6-7 Michael Tonkin and the heaviest is 6-5, 290-pound Kennys Vargas. The oldest Twin is 35-year-old Ervin Santana, born December 12, 1982, while the youngest is 21-year-old Fernando Romero who was born December 24, 1995.

The Twins have announced another Hall of Fame class without Halsey Hall being included. His storytelling and baseball knowledge delighted Twins radio and TV audiences in the early years of the franchise. An obstacle is many Twins Hall of Fame voters aren’t familiar with Hall who died almost 40 years ago but is deserving of enshrinement. Fans who want to see Hall honored can send an email to Twins@twinsbaseball.com

Timberwolves second-year center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has the potential to be the best player in franchise history, has double-doubles in 31 of his last 34 games. Andrew Wiggins, the Wolves third-year forward and another potential superstar, has scored 20-plus points in 11 consecutive games.

The Minnesota Wild, with the best record in the Western Conference, has become a popular mid-season pick to win the 2017 Stanley Cup but that is a lot different outlook than before the season. For example, a June 18 article on Bleacherreport.com had the Wild’s odds of winning the cup at 30/1.

Coach John Anderson’s Minnesota baseball team begins its season February 17-19 at UC Irvine, then opens the home schedule February 24-26 against Seattle in the first- ever Gopher games in U.S. Bank Stadium. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster and at the stadium for 13 Gopher games to be played in the new facility through March 12.

Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School in southern Minnesota soon breaks ground on a major upgrade to its football and softball facilities, and will be adding a new track. The project will include synthetic field turf for the football and softball fields, plus lights, scoreboard and concession upgrades. JWP has an enrollment of 199 in grades 9-12 and might be the smallest school in the state to install field turf.

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Dad Wants Amir Coffey to ‘Step on Toes’

Posted on February 5, 2017February 5, 2017 by David Shama

Amir Coffey has impressed in his first season of college basketball. The Gophers 6-8 freshman forward from Hopkins High School is second on the team in scoring and minutes played. Twice he has been selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

“He is one of the better freshmen in the country,” former Gophers head coach Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “I’ve really enjoyed watching him play.”

Coffey is averaging 12.2 points and 31.9 minutes per game, ranking second in both categories behind junior point guard Nate Mason. Coffey is a versatile player who helps the Gophers in multiple ways including rebounding and passing. He is fifth on the team in rebounding average and only Mason has more assists.

That versatility and willingness to help teammates earns the praise of many obervers including Coffey’s dad, Richard Coffey who played four seasons for the Gophers in the late 1980s.

“Amir is a team guy,” Richard said. “He’s not selfish. He’s going to try and make the right basketball play. He sees the ball really well. He has a high basketball I.Q.”

During an interview with Sports Headliners, Richard expressed approval of his son’s first-year performance. “I think he’s doing extremely well. I didn’t come in with a lot of expectations, because I didn’t want to put that pressure on him. I just wanted him to come in and learn his teammates, learn the coaching staff, learn the offense and try to use his skill-set as much as possible in the game. He’s done that. …”

The older Coffey was a warrior playing for the Gophers. His on-court demeanor as a rugged 6-6 rebounder and defender fit his background as a former Army airborne paratrooper. He led Minnesota in rebounding all four seasons from 1986-1990. It’s not surprising Richard believes a mental adjustment is what his son needs to be more consistent and elevate his play.

“(When) Amir steps on the court right now, sometimes he might be thinking that I am a freshman and I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” Richard said. “He needs to learn that he needs to step on some people’s toes to get to that next level. When you’re not aggressive, you’re not only not helping but in some cases you maybe hindering because of your skill-set. This team needs Amir to be aggressive to win.

“When I say aggressive, I don’t mean shoot. I mean having the ball, make a play with the ball and create something for yourself or your teammates.”

There are times, though, when the Gophers do need Coffey to score, and that was evident in a loss at home to Maryland late last month. Minnesota led the nationally ranked Terrapins 33-26 at halftime and Coffey had 11 points. But the Gophers lost the game 85-78 and Coffey didn’t score a point in the second half.

Yesterday against Illinois Coffey played a team high 38 minutes in a 68-59 road win that stopped Minnesota’s five game losing streak. Coffey took only six shots but scored 13 points while holding the Illini’s leading scorer, Malcolm Hill, to 13 points on five of 18 shooting. It was a steady performance for Coffey who was a team leader including with his solid position defense against Hill.

Ups and downs are to be expected, even with a freshman as talented as Coffey who was the state’s 2016 Mr. Basketball. In a 2015 interview Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. told Sports Headliners Coffey was the most versatile player he has had in more than 30 years of coaching and he predicted that eventually Amir could become a dominant Big Ten player. That’s high praise coming from someone who has coached high school superstars Kris Humphries and Royce White—two players who became first round NBA draft choices.

Part of that process will involve becoming physically stronger. At less than 200 pounds, Coffey needs more weight and muscle. “That comes with maturity,” Dutcher said.

Certainly a more physical body will be needed if Amir is to play in the NBA, but neither in the past or right now has there been family strategizing on reaching that destination. “Is that Amir’s dream? Of course it is, but we haven’t had those conversations for a couple different reasons,” Richard said. “

“I don’t want to put that pressure on him. I think that (NBA focus) will happen when the time is right—whether it’s two years, three years, four years. When the time is right, I think he will know, the coaching staff would know and I would know it. Then we’ll start having those conversations.

“But if a kid is going out there thinking I need to play to get to the NBA, that’s just a set up for disaster. Enjoy this experience. College was one of the most pleasurable experiences in my life. …Let’s do well where we are right now and then other things will happen.”

Richard spent a lot of time coaching Amir when his son was young. Among the development goals was to have Amir become similar to European professionals who often are versatile enough to play multiple positions and have varied responsibilities on the floor. Amir’s versatility will continue to help the Gophers and enhance his pro possibilities. He is a player who makes those around him better, even if his dad and others want to see more consistency in his total game.

Richard is optimistic about his son’s future including a possible NBA career. “I think he has a great chance if he continues to grow physically and grow mentally, and stay healthy.”

Amir has already shown his dad and others a willingness to work. That quality has much to do with achieving the success already in place including helping Hopkins to a state championship last year. His dad said more work must be done by the freshman including “stepping on toes.”

“He is a 6-8 kid right now that shoots the ball average—that can see the ball, make plays,” Richard said. “He has good ball skills for a kid that age. Now all of those things need to tighten up. His ball handling needs to tighten up. His shooting needs to tighten up. His free throws. Everything needs to get better, but…he’s working. …”

And impressing.

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