Gophers Basketball – Page 109 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Izzo, Dutcher Positive on U in Big Ten

Posted on December 30, 2016December 30, 2016 by David Shama

Michigan State coaching legend Tom Izzo and former Minnesota Big Ten championship coach Jim Dutcher are impressed with the Gophers.

Izzo, an eight-time national coach of the year, talked to Sports Headliners about the Gophers after his Spartans defeated Minnesota 75-74 in overtime on Tuesday night in Williams Arena. “They’re a good team,” Izzo said. “They’ve got (big) bodies and they’ve got good guard play. (They) don’t always shoot it great, (but teams have) gotta have some weakness—we got about five.

“We just happened to find a way to win. They were the better team most of tonight. I think Rich (Pitino) has done a hell of a job with them now. I think he’s got them headed in the right direction. They’ve won a lot of games. They didn’t play all (nonconference) cupcakes either. This was a tough physical game and I am sure they will learn from it, just like we will.”

The Gophers are 12-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten under fourth-year coach Richard Pitino who was 2-16 in league games last season. The Gophers added new players during the offseason and key returnees have also helped improve a team that lost its first 13 conference games during 2015-2016. “I just think they’ve got a good blend of talent,” said Dutcher, who coached the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title.

Dutcher likes the quality of Minnesota’s eight-man rotation and sees not only a more talented team than last season but one with better size. There’s something else of importance he mentioned, too. “I think they’re a better defensive team than they were,” he said.

Dutcher predicts the Gophers will have a 9-9 conference record and could make the NCAA Tournament. In Minnesota’s favor in being able to earn a tournament invite for the first time since 2013 is that the Big Ten doesn’t look all that imposing. “Top to bottom it’s not a great league,” Dutcher said about the Big Ten, a conference without a top 10 ranked team.

The Gophers will finish seventh in the Big Ten after Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State, Dutcher predicted. Behind the Gophers will be Michigan, Maryland, Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Rutgers and Penn State.

Minnesota missed a big opportunity by not winning Tuesday after the Gophers couldn’t hold a 39-26 halftime lead. The Spartans came into the game without their best player in freshman guard-forward Miles Bridges. Michigan State, which has won one national title and made seven Final Four appearances in 21 previous seasons under Izzo, arrived in Minneapolis with an uncharacteristic 8-5 record, although the schedule included nonconference games with national toughies Duke, Kentucky, Arizona.

Now the Gophers must play four of their next five league games on the road, starting with Sunday at nationally-ranked Purdue, 12-2 and 1-0. The Gophers certainly can’t start the conference schedule 0-6 and still have solid NCAA Tournament ambitions. Dutcher doesn’t think they will, with early opportunities for wins probably coming at Northwestern January 5 and at Penn State January 14. Minnesota’s next home game, January 8 with Ohio State, is already a circle it date too. “My view is there are a lot of wins to be had in this league,” Dutcher said.

The Gophers were out worked and gave up too many scores near the basket in the second half of the MSU game but Dutcher said it wasn’t like Pitino’s team “laid an egg” in the game. Dutcher isn’t discouraged by the loss. “It’s not so much about what Minnesota did wrong, as what Michigan State did right,” he said.

Last season the Gophers had issues on and off the court. Pitino said after the nonconference schedule ended that his team had made progress but acknowledged more progress awaits. “Our guys have worked really, really hard to climb out of the gutter off the court, on the court, all those things to get everybody’s respect back. …We trusted that we’d be better. We’re better but we still got a long way to go.”

Izzo Storytelling on Flip Saunders

Flip Saunders (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves)

Izzo confirmed what other friends of the late Flip Saunders have said about Saunders coming close to accepting the Gophers job in the spring of 2013. The former Gophers guard in the 1970s was between coaching opportunities in the NBA back then and Saunders ultimately decided he didn’t want to work for athletics director Norwood Teague, according to a top source.

“Flip loved the Gophers,” Izzo told Sports Headliners. “His passion for Minnesota in general was off the charts, and the University was just even more off the charts.”

Izzo and Saunders forged a friendship over the years including when Saunders coached the NBA Pistons in Detroit. At Saunders’ funeral in 2015 Izzo read from the Bible during the service for his friend who died at age 60 from cancer.

“I miss him,” Izzo said about the former Timberwolves executive and coach. “I miss the late night calls. He always had some good plays for me.

“I can honestly say I loved the guy. I still feel for Debbie (Saunders’ wife) and I stay in touch with Ryan (his son and Timberwolves assistant). I am proud of what he is doing.

“But to have had Flip in the league (the Big Ten) would have been an honor. It really would have been.”

Izzo recalled working to recruit Apple Valley High School point guard Tyus Jones for a couple of years. Izzo laughed about how Saunders evolved from helping the Spartans, to becoming more interested in the prep All-American choosing Minnesota as Saunders started to seriously consider the Gophers job. “Are you helping me, or are you helping yourself?” he asked his buddy.

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Family, U Win Highlight Sioux Falls Trip

Posted on December 5, 2016December 5, 2016 by David Shama

Road trip.

Family and basketball brought my wife and me to Sioux Falls last weekend. Jeanne’s brother, Steve Gilbertson, has Down Syndrome and is a life-long South Dakota resident. With the Gophers playing Vanderbilt at the Sanford Pentagon arena Saturday night, the past weekend was an opportune time to visit Steve and see Minnesota against an SEC opponent.

Steve’s mental and physical skills have slowed the last couple of years. He has always been a sports fan and I used to tease him about his loyalties, but I don’t any more. The Vikings have long been No. 1 on his list of sports favorites. For years I kidded him about how “I love the Packers.”

“Oh, come on, Dave,” Steve answered back. “Why would you want to say that?”

Sometimes he would be so disgusted he could hardly spit the words “Packers” out of his mouth. It was at moments like that I realized it was time to back off.

Whenever we met up with Steve over the years—whether it was in Sioux Falls or Minneapolis—bowling was always on the agenda. During the car ride to the bowling alley Steve was likely to talk about his prowess in knocking down the pins. He might recall a recent outing and remember his score this way: “I bowled a 300.”

I am not going to doubt my brother-in-law, but my recollection is that no one in our little group broke 150. And by the way, God bless Steve for introducing me to alleys with guard rails. Those things will help pump up your score and ego!

For years Steve bagged groceries at a Sioux Falls Hy-Vee. He made a lot of friends at the grocery store and also wherever else he went. There were weekly Kiwanis luncheons and Sundays ushering at a large Lutheran church. None of Steve’s sibs were surprised years ago when he earned his Eagle Scout badge. A few years ago the Argus Leader even published a feature story about Steve and his life at age 60. It has been a remarkable journey for this good-natured man who used to do public speaking about people with disabilities.

Steve is something of a celebrity in his hometown. I realized this years ago after the three of us had a dinner in downtown Sioux Falls. As we walked the streets and browsed in shops, lots of people greeted us and said, “Hi, Steve, how are you?” Often Steve knew the person’s name and replied back. Almost always he knew the face. Perhaps it was someone he had helped at Hy-Vee, assisted at church, or inspired with a talk about his life.

We didn’t get Steve to the basketball game on Saturday night. He has mobility and attention issues now, but I told him about the game on Sunday morning. He’s not a big Gophers guy and said, “Oh, they’re all right.”

Well, I was more impressed than Steve and the rest of today’s column is my basketball report from Sioux Falls:

Minnesota finished up an important week by defeating Vanderbilt, 56-52. The Gophers’ 7-1 nonconference record is a surprise to most everyone—probably even players and coaches. Although the Gophers have a reshuffled starting lineup and roster from last season (2-16 Big Ten record), I didn’t expect this much improvement.

After Saturday night’s game, point guard Nate Mason said he’s excited about the team but is trying to keep emotions under control, and comments brief. “Hopefully have a big year,” he said.

This Minnesota team is without a star right now and has different standouts from game to game, but there’s a bond with these guys after eight games. They play together and for one another. “We really enjoy each other’s company,” said power forward Jordan Murphy. “We’re really good people.”

Murphy had 14 rebounds and 16 points in the win Saturday night. Both totals led the Gophers. He and teammates made up for a struggling night on Monday at Florida State when the Gophers got pushed around and lost to one of the most physically imposing teams in America. Minnesota is a young group but at the end of the Florida State game the Gophers didn’t play like they were intimated as they rallied late and lost 75-67.

Poise was evident Saturday night, too. The Gophers didn’t want to let a one-game losing streak become two. They didn’t and earned their seventh victory with a schedule that already includes three wins over major college teams—Arkansas, St. John’s and Vandy. And guess what? The sum of their work over eight games has landed the Gophers at No. 10 in one of the national RPI rankings, ahead of the Big Ten’s other 13 teams. (See RPI at Teamrankings.com).

The conference schedule starts December 27 and coach Richard Pitino said the way his team closed the game against Vandy will be needed in the Big Ten. The Gophers trailed 45-44 with about seven minutes remaining and continued to stay close, tying the score at 50-50 before going on to win.

Minnesota did miss eight free throws in the game and the coach also didn’t like the team’s turnovers, but said his club made winning plays. “That’s something we talk about a lot. We did that.”

The Gophers impressed with their defense, holding Vandy to only seven points in the last seven minutes. Pitino described Vanderbilt as “very gifted offensively” and liked seeing his team limit the Commodores to 30.2 percent on field goal attempts and 32 percent on three point shots.

Pitino wouldn’t bite on whether he would have been surprised before the season at a predicted 7-1 start. But there was no doubt he was pleased after the win on Saturday night.

“It’s a lesson to our guys,” he said. “You defend and you rebound, you’ll be in any game.”

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Pitino and Gophers Trending Up

Posted on November 28, 2016November 28, 2016 by David Shama

Hey, wake up Gophers basketball fans. Coach Richard Pitino’s 6-0 team is the surprise of the Big Ten in this just getting started season and tonight has its biggest challenge so far, playing on the road against 5-1 Florida State, an opponent ranked No. 25 last week in the Associated Press poll.

Last season’s 2-16 Big Ten record drove fans into hibernation and the Gophers have yet to attract a crowd of more than 10,000 in six home games at 14,625 seat Williams Arena. As reported in Sports Headliners earlier this month, nonstudent public season tickets were at 6,246 compared with 7,221 for the 2015-2016 season. The student season tickets total was 1,181, after a 2015-2016 total of 1,748.

But as Pitino likes to say, “That was last year’s team.” With a core of new and improved talent, the Gophers have been impressive with victories over well-known basketball schools Arkansas and St. John’s. Minnesota won those games by scores of 92-86 and 85-71, but the Gophers led both opponents by margins bigger than the final totals.

After last week’s win against Arkansas, Pitino was asked how his players feel about themselves. “They should be confident,” he said. “They’ve worked hard. They stayed humble throughout the tough offseason and they’ve just been eager to get back to proving themselves on and off the court. Very proud of these guys. They deserve success right now. They’re getting it.”

Tonight comes a prove-it game at Florida State. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge game (6 p.m. ESPNU) is the only time Pitino’s young team (one scholarship senior) plays away from Williams Arena during the nonconference schedule. The Seminoles represent a sizeable challenge both because FSU is a potential NCAA Tournament team and has a roster with big guards like 6-foot-7 Dwayne Bacon and four front court players who are 6-9 or taller including 7-1, 304-pound center Michael Ojo and 7-4 (not a typo) center Christ Koumadje. Forward Jonathan Isaac is 6-10 and a potential NBA lottery pick. He is averaging 15.3 points, second on the team to Bacon’s 18.2.

Minnesota might not be able to win if 6-10, 260-pound center Reggie Lynch can’t play because of the injured ankle that forced him to miss last Friday night’s game against Southern Illinois. Lynch leads the Big Ten in blocked shots at 3.6 per game and his interior defense has changed the Gophers’ ability to stop opponents from last season. Minnesota’s roster has length, too, but Lynch is the player who best combines height and muscle.

With or without Lynch, tonight’s game will provide a learning experience for the Gophers. If Minnesota is to become a postseason tournament team, the Gophers will have to win on the road. The poise of young players including freshmen forwards Amir Coffey and Eric Curry will face a test tonight against a quality opponent and noisy crowd. Both players have been impressive, with Coffey leading the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game, while Curry is fifth at 8.2 and third in rebounding average at 7.2. Junior guard Nate Mason, who is tied for first in Big Ten assists at 5.5 per game, will need to exert leadership tonight.

This is a “how good are we?” week for the Gophers with not only the Seminoles, but also a neutral court game coming up on Saturday in Sioux Falls against 3-3 Vanderbilt. The Commodores have been mediocre so far, losing to Butler, Bucknell and Marquette, but Vandy has a respected basketball brand and could pull off upsets in the SEC. Vandy’s notable players include Jeff Roberson (multiple positions) and 7-1 center Luke Kornet who ranked near the top nationally in shot blocking last season.

This should be the most meaningful week for the Gophers until they open the Big Ten season against Michigan State, a favorite to win the conference title. That game on December 27 is at Williams Arena and figures to bring some missing Gophers fans out of hibernation.

Worth Noting

With the Big Ten football regular season completed, it’s time for observations and conclusions. Big Ten boosters can argue their league is the best in the country with four teams ranked in the A.P. national top 10—Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. That’s rare territory for the Big Ten and it’s not often the conference has more teams top-10 ranked than the mighty SEC (only No. 1 ranked Alabama).

Among the four Big Ten powers, Ohio State is likely to receive an invitation to the College Football Playoffs. Nine other conference teams are expected to play in bowl games, with only Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers not participating.

There is so much parity in college football, I doubt there is a great Big Ten team and maybe not anywhere in the nation. Alabama is the best team I have seen, but certainly could be upset in the playoffs.

The Gophers finished 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten. It’s the second time in three years Minnesota has won eight games and also been over .500 in the Big Ten. Media and fans believe Minnesota’s records this season met minimum expectations because the team played its easiest schedule in years.

The Gophers have been competitive in just about every game the last couple years because of the team’s defensive improvement. Minnesota, though, isn’t going to take that next step toward a West Division championship without developing quality quarterback, pass catching and offensive line play.

Best guess is Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle will extend head coach Tracy Claeys’ contract, adding two or three years, with a small compensation increase and minimal buyout provision. Claeys has two years remaining on his present contract and is in an awkward place, assuring high school and community college recruits that he will be around for awhile.

Here are Sports Headliners’ final Big Ten power rankings: 1) Ohio State; 2) Michigan; 3) Penn State; 4) Wisconsin; 5) Iowa; 6) Nebraska; 7) Minnesota; 8) Northwestern; 9) Indiana; 10) Maryland; 11) Michigan State; 12) Illinois; 13) Purdue; 14) Rutgers.

Gophers junior defensive end Gaelin Elmore was featured this fall in Ski-U-Mah, the official magazine of Gophers athletics. Elmore had a traumatic childhood including moving at least 19 times in his first year of foster care. Elmore said in the magazine he had a five-year experience in a foster home where he was “slapped, kicked, punched, slammed down, thrown, and beaten with cable, extension cords, chains and tree branches.”

Elmore has flourished with the Gophers, becoming a starter and impressing teammates including senior defensive end Hendrick Ekpe who praised his friend’s character. “He comes from a humble beginning and a humble background,” Ekpe said. “He understands and loves the game, and shows passion on the field. At first he wasn’t…a big talker or anything. Now he’s a leader. He definitely helps you out on the plays.”

Among reasons to be optimistic about the Gophers’ defense next season is the return of high potential linebackers. Sophomore Blake Cashman and freshmen Thomas Barber, Carter Coughlin and Kamal Martin are all Minnesota natives and have impressed with their play off the bench.

Starting senior linebacker Nick Rallis has noticed. “I am excited. I think physically they’re all very gifted, (and) explosive. They’ve got size.

“I think about when I first got here, I am like, man, these guys are ahead of where I was. I hope they keep working hard. If they do, they could be one of the best linebacker corps around here of all-time.”

Former Vikings tight end Joe Senser’s rehabilitation from a stroke earlier this year is featured on WCCO TV news tonight.

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