Gophers Basketball – Page 127 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Rooting Hard for Bucky in Final Four

Posted on April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 by David Shama

Warning: Read this column with scrutiny. Pay close attention to what I am saying.

I understand the DNA about the Gophers-Badgers Border Rivalry. I am a card-carrying Golden Gophers guy and it’s sweet when Minnesota beats Wisconsin in any sport. The wins can make for a scrapbook weekend–and the losses destroy Saturday and Sunday.

I hate the Gophers football record against the Badgers, losing 11 consecutive games. I am jealous that Wisconsin has one of the Big Ten’s greatest basketball coaches ever, while the Gophers struggle. “Pride on Ice” is an appropriate slogan at Mariucci Arena but Bucky Badger has won one more NCAA men’s hockey national championship than Goldy Gopher. I don’t like that, but I do like Minnesota winning the Big Ten hockey title this past winter while the Badgers finished last in the conference standings.

I got pumped up when the Gophers women’s hockey team defeated the Badgers in the semifinals of the NCAA championship last month at Ridder Arena. And if Bucky is counting, in the last 18 games between the two programs the Gophers are 16-0-2.

I know Badgers fans can be really obnoxious about their successes in football and basketball. The targets of their juvenile behaviors are often Gophers fans. I have driven down the streets of Madison and been taunted because some idiots spotted the Minnesota license plates on my car.

But guess what? I have been cheering hard for the Badgers basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. Tomorrow night against Kentucky I will be yelling support for coach Bo Ryan and his players as if they were family.

Maybe some Gophers fans will be wearing “Better Dead than Red” sweatshirts and screaming their heads off for the Wildcats, but not me. First off, I am a Big Ten loyalist and that point should weigh in on any Gopher fan when he or she sits down to watch the Final Four. The Badgers and Michigan State are both Big Ten teams and their successes reflect on the conference’s image.

The Big Ten football brand was subpar for years but got a big lift when Ohio State won the national championship earlier this year. It was the first time a Big Ten team had won a national football title since 2002 and only the third championship in the last 25 years. The Buckeyes’ win over Oregon brought glory to the Big Ten and eased some pain associated with the conference’s awful postseason record for the last 15 years.

Having Bucky and Sparty in the Final Four says the Big Ten is a premier college basketball league. That’s a benefit for every program in the conference including the Gophers. Recruits know when they come play for a Big Ten school they’re going to compete against some of the best players in the country.

Success by the conference on the biggest stages in football and basketball is important for reasons beyond recruiting. Winning generates ticket sales, sponsorships, advertising, merchandising, suite purchases, TV and radio ratings, and more benefits including attracting top coaches.

But here’s the other reason why I am all on board about the Badgers tomorrow: they play basketball the way I want to see the game played—five players sacrificing for the team, executing assignments and minimizing mistakes.

Anyone who understands basketball can delight in Wisconsin’s unselfishness. The team’s ball movement probes the defense for an open shot. Players move without the ball and set screens for one another, creating high percentage opportunities to drive or shoot. Ryan’s players aren’t about who scores baskets but whether the Badgers put points on the scoreboard.

Yes, other teams move the ball and sets screens, but few clubs execute like the Badgers at both ends of the floor. Watch the precision with which they run their offense. Turn your eyes away from the ball sometimes and see how good the Badgers are at blocking out other players in rebounding situations on offense and defense.

Watch how the Badgers switch on defense and help defend potential open shots and drives to the basket. Yeah, the Badgers flop to draw charging fouls but they hardly have a patent on that. They just execute (there’s that word again) the “Hollywood” stuff better than most teams.

Ryan is a phenomenal teacher and coach. His mantra is this: Don’t beat ourselves. Mistakes, including turnovers and foul trouble, are kept to a minimum. A team might defeat the Badgers but it’s not usually going to be because Wisconsin gave the opponent easy baskets or sent them to the free-throw line time and time again.

Ryan’s record in 14 seasons at Wisconsin is 356 wins, 124 losses—a .742 winning percentage. His teams have won six Big Ten titles, played in three Elite Eight games and two Final Fours. Not bad for a place like Wisconsin that historically has known decades of mediocre college basketball.

This year’s team is built like Ryan’s past clubs with a roster of mostly Midwest talent and an emphasis on Wisconsin players. Three of the starters are from Wisconsin, with one each from Illinois and Ohio. Among the top nine players, four are from Wisconsin, three from Ohio and two from Illinois.

College Player of the Year candidate Frank Kaminsky is from Illinois and in his first two years at Wisconsin the 7-foot center had minimal production including his sophomore season averaging 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. But Ryan saw a player with potential and developed Kaminsky into a mobile offensive beast who as a senior can drill three point shots and dribble past opponents perhaps better than any 7-footer in Big Ten basketball history.

Badgers starters from the state of Wisconsin are forward Sam Dekker and guards Josh Gasser and Bronson Koenig. Dekker and Koenig were highly recruited players who showed loyalty to their home state Badgers. While one prize prep after another skips town on the Gophers year after year, U fans can only watch in envy as Ryan bats a high percentage with the guys he wants from Dairyland.

Minnesota and Wisconsin are similar states in culture, history, population and demographics. Both have built higher education systems around their land-grant universities. If the state of Minnesota has a twin, it surely is our border neighbor to the east.

So If the Badgers can compete on the highest levels in football and basketball, then why can’t the Gophers?

You know why. It takes the right leadership to win at schools like Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Gophers have found their Barry Alvarez in football coach Jerry Kill but Minnesota is searching for a turnaround in basketball.

Just for tomorrow night (and hopefully Monday evening) I say: Go Bucky!

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2010 Final Four Inspired Tyus Jones

Posted on March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 by David Shama

Tyus Jones and his Duke teammates will try to win the South Region of the NCAA Tournament this weekend and advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis. It will be fitting if the Blue Devils freshman point guard from Apple Valley High School returns to Indy where several years ago as an eighth grader he was inspired by the Final Four.

Al Nuness, the former Gophers basketball captain, took Tyus and his grade school age brother Tre to Indianapolis in 2010 when Duke won the national championship in a field that included Butler, Michigan State and West Virginia. As a Jostens executive, Nuness had to be in Indianapolis for the Final Four, so he drove his young cousins, the Jones boys, to see college basketball played on its biggest stage.

The weekend had a lasting impact. “I think that (experience) solidified what he (Tyus) wanted to do,” Nuness told Sports Headliners. “He sat there as a student of the game. They both did (Tyus and Tre). We went to practices and they wouldn’t leave.”

At the time it was Tre—this winter a freshman starting point guard for Apple Valley—who was a big Duke fan. Tyus? He was all in for Michigan State. Ironically, the Spartans could be part of the Final Four field when the teams start playing on April 4 in Indianapolis.

Nuness won’t travel to Houston for this Friday night’s South Region Sweet 16 game between Duke and Utah, but if the Blue Devils win that game and the regional title on Sunday, he will head for Indy to see Tyus play. Nuness, though, knows March Madness is unpredictable and is concerned about Duke’s lack of depth behind star freshman center Jahlil Okafor. “He goes down, they got nothing,” Nuness said.

The NCAA Tournament’s one-and-done format seems like the best of places for Tyus who in both high school and college has shown exceptional poise and ability to make clutch plays when needed. “That’s a gift and there are few that have that kind of gift,” Nuness said. “His gift is the game slows down for him. He sees the game at a different pace than the normal person sees the game. He’s not exceptionally quick. He’s not exceptionally fast, but he’s on point with decisions and passes.”

Nuness’ memories of the trip to Indianapolis in 2010 included his surprise about the many college coaches that knew of Tyus. He and the boys were at a shopping mall when a Michigan State assistant coach told Tyus the Spartans wouldn’t worry about winning if they had a guard like him.

“I said, ‘These guys all know you’?” Nuness recalled.

Back then Tyus was attracting attention as an outstanding AAU player and eventually became a McDonald’s prep All-American at Apple Valley High School. And in Indy that year he and Tre got noticed for their shooting skills. At a convention where Nuness had business there was a shooting contest that attracted participants including college-age kids. Tyus won the contest and Tre finished second.

For first place Tyus won uniforms for his Apple Valley team. “It was an unbelievable trip for those guys (Tyus and Tre),” Nuness said.

It was pretty memorable for Nuness, too, who ended up securing the national championship ring order from Duke for Jostens. Nuness and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski knew each other as high school players in the Chicago area. When Krzyzewski learned Jostens wanted him to buy rings from the Minnesota-based company, he had a message for Nuness: come see him at Duke.

Nuness did exactly that and it didn’t take long for the legendary Blue Devils coach to good-naturedly go after him. The two men had played together on an all-star team in the 1960s. “You never passed the ball at all,” Krzyzewski said.

Nuness laughed in recalling the accusation and, of course, denied it. But there’s no denying he would love to join Tyus, Coach K and the rest of the Blue Devils in Indianapolis next week.

Worth Noting

Kevin Garnett played his first game this season for the Timberwolves on February 25 in a Target Center win over the Wizards. Since then Garnett has been in and out of the lineup to rest his 38-year-old body and bothersome knee. His last game was March 7. The Wolves record since February 27 is 3-11 and it’s evident Garnett’s presence on the roster hasn’t changed the losing ways of the Wolves who are 16-54 for the season which ends on April 15.

The Vikings have the No. 11 first round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to be held in Chicago April 30-May 2. Fans can hope the Vikings are fortunate enough to find a player who develops like a couple of the more famous all-time No. 11 selections. That list includes NFL Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The Gophers football team, off from spring practices since March 12, resumed workouts yesterday. The Gophers practice tomorrow starting at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 9:50 a.m. Both sessions are at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex and open to the public.

Last weekend’s WCHA Final Five attendance at the Xcel Energy Center was up 34.8 percent from the previous year when the two-day tournament was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Total attendance was 15,048 compared with 11,162 in 2014. Minnesota State won the WCHA Final Five and is in the NCAA Tournament’s 16-team field with fellow league member Michigan Tech.

Brad Frost, who Sunday coached the Gophers women’s hockey team to a third national championship in four years, has made a career of coaching women. The Bethel graduate and native of Ontario started his career as an assistant girls hockey coach at Eagan High School from 1996-1999. Then he was a men’s assistant coach at his alma mater from 1999-2000 before becoming a Gophers women’s assistant in 2001 and taking over as interim head coach in 2007.

When athletic director Joel Maturi was looking to permanently fill the head hockey coaching position he worked diligently at searching for candidates of both genders. At the search’s end in 2008 he decided the best candidate was a person already on staff, Frost. “His success speaks for itself,” Maturi told Sports Headliners this week.

Maturi said Frost relates effectively to his players and can “push the envelope” when needed. He has the respect of the young women who are on the team. Frost is likeable too and relates well with others including media and boosters. “His humility comes through,” Maturi said. “He’s not a big ego guy.”

Women’s teams in town have achieved championship success including Frost’s Gophers and the two-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx. The Gophers swimming and diving team recently won a fourth straight Big Ten championship. Former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak offered this Facebook post earlier in the week:

Be it hockey or basketball/
Or even swimmin/
When Minnesotans want a title/
We turn to the women

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No Bonuses for Gophers Coach Pitino

Posted on March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 by David Shama

This season Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino won’t earn any incentive bonuses tied to his team’s on-court performances. The coach’s contract with the University of Minnesota includes many potential bonuses including $25,000 for winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament, but the Gophers were eliminated from the tourney in Chicago last night. Minnesota defeated Rutgers on Wednesday but lost to Ohio State last evening.

The Gophers had a disappointing season after winning last year’s NIT championship and returning four starters. Expectations in 2015 were for an NCAA Tournament invitation and winning record in the Big Ten. Instead the Gophers finished 6-12 in regular season league games and won’t be considered for an NCAA invite with their 18-15 overall record. Pitino’s contract guarantees him a $50,000 bonus for a winning record in the Big Ten and the same amount if the Gophers are regular season conference champs.

There are no bonuses for postseason tournaments other than the NCAA tourney. Pitino can earn $50,000 for getting his team into the NCAA tourney, $50,000 for making the Sweet 16, $50,000 for the Final Four, and $100,000 for winning the national championship.

Contract incentives also include $25,000 for being honored as Big Ten Coach of the Year and $50,000 for National Coach of the Year.

Pitino didn’t earn any of the above mentioned bonuses this year or last. Pitino’s 2013-2014 team, his first at Minnesota, finished with an 8-10 record in the Big Ten. That group was considered an overachieving team that won seven of its last eight games including five straight to win the NIT title.

This season’s team, led by five seniors, has lost six of the last eight games. Among gloomy experiences were road and away losses to Penn State, and a home loss to Northwestern—two of the Big Ten’s historically worst programs.

The Gophers lost eight conference games by six points or less. Pitino has said the team hasn’t been lucky at times and he is correct, but the Gophers’ defensive failures have been a cause of misfortune. Minnesota hasn’t been able to correct its season long weakness in defending three point shooting, has been in ineffective at making key defensive stops, and sometimes been overmatched in defensive rebounding.

With the seniors leaving the program, the Gophers’ starting lineup, and certainly the roster, is somewhat of a mystery for next season. Pitino has scholarships to work with this spring and one source close to the program predicted at least two new players will be added, perhaps a small and power forward.

Pitino, 32, was hired by athletic director Norwood Teague in the spring of 2013. The contract he and University representatives signed in May of that year stated a base salary of $500,000 per year and supplemental compensation (for media, fundraising, community involvement and more) of $700,000. Annual salary increases are subject to evaluation by the University.

Worth Noting

Gophers leading scorer Andre Hollins made five of nine field goal attempts in the first half of last Sunday’s final regular season game against Penn State, then went 0-5 for in the second half. In Wednesday night’s opening Big Ten Tournament win over Rutgers he was 0-5 from the floor, and then last evening made four of 14 field goal attempts. That’s a four of 24 shooting slump for the senior guard who has been one of Minnesota’s best players for four years.

Despite a career low batting average of .277 last season, Joe Mauer still compares favorably with other hitters past and present. Among active players, Mauer’s .319 lifetime average is second only to Albert Pujols at .320. For career batting averages since 1950 among major leaguers, Mauer ranks seventh. His on-base percentage of .402 is third among today’s players, trailing Joey Votto at .427 and Miguel Cabrera, .411.

Ervin Santana, the right-handed veteran pitcher who the Twins signed as a free agent last December, could be the staff ace and is capable of being dominant. Twelve times during his 10 season MLB career he has produced double-digit strikeouts in a game. In seven starts for the Braves last season from July 18-August 18 he had a six-game win streak, going 6-0 with a 2.98 ERA.

Coach Don Lucia’s Gophers hockey team plays its last two regular season games tonight and Saturday evening at Mariucci Arena with second place Minnesota one point behind first place Michigan State in the Big Ten standings. The Gophers are defending conference champions, and in 2012 and 2013 Minnesota won WCHA regular season titles.

This weekend’s series will be the final two games at Mariucci Arena for six seniors. Seth Ambroz, Travis Boyd, Christian Isackson, Ben Marshall, Kyle Rau and Sam Warning comprise one of the most successful classes in program history with three straight regular season conference titles (a Gophers men’s record) and two trips to the NCAA Frozen Four. A second consecutive Big Ten title would make the senior class the only group at Minnesota to win regular season titles in each of four years together. Their record is 101-42-15 (.687), including 60-13-7 (.812) at Mariucci Arena.

Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan are teams participating in this weekend’s opening round of the WCHA men’s hockey playoffs. Rosters include many Minnesotans such as Bemidji State freshman Michael Bitzer (Moorhead High School) who leads WCHA goalies in save percentage (.932) and is tied for second in goals against average (1.76). Bitzer was honored yesterday as the WCHA Rookie of the Year. Bowling Green junior goalie Tommy Burke (Academy of Holy Angels) is seventh in both save percentage (.919) and goals against average (2.19).

Minnesota State forward C.J. Franklin (Forest Lake) is second among freshmen scorers with 24 points. Senior teammate Zach Palmquist (South St. Paul) is second in scoring among WCHA defensemen with 26 points.

Former Gophers basketball assistant coach Dan Kosmoski has his St. Olaf men’s team (23-5) in the Division III Sweet 16 with a game tonight against Marietta in Rock Island, Illinois. The Oles have won a school record number of games for one season and can play Saturday against either Augustana or Mount Union if they win tonight. A Saturday win sends the Oles to the Division III Final Four.

Automated telephone calls were made to the public this week urging recipients to contact state legislators regarding a bill to reverse Minnesota State High School League transgender policy. League officials voted in December for transgender athletes to play on the school teams best aligned with their gender identity.

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