Gophers Basketball – Page 136 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Bet the House: Vikings to Go 8-8 in 2014

Posted on August 8, 2014August 8, 2014 by David Shama

A summer tradition in this column is Bob Lurtsema’s annual prediction of the Vikings’ season record. This week the ex-Viking defensive lineman was prepared to talk about wins and losses including his off target forecast from last year—after nailing the Purple’s record in 2012.

Earlier this year Las Vegas odds-makers had the Vikings winning 5.5 games in 2014 and now the number has moved up slightly to 6, Lurtsema said. Even at 6 he believes the Vikings aren’t given proper respect.

“Take your mortgage, car and every nickel, and bet the over (to win more than 6 games),” Lurtsema said. “I really feel very comfortable they (the Vikings) will win 8 or 9 games.”

Lurtsema’s official forecast is for an 8-8 Vikings record in 2014.

About this time last year Lurtsema was feeling even better about the Vikings and predicted an 11-5 finish. That optimism at least partially came from the 2012 season when he forecast a 10-6 record including the playoffs. Sure enough that’s what his old team achieved two years ago while surprising most NFL authorities.

So what happened in 2013 as the Vikings stumbled to a 5-10-1 record? Well, the Purple lost five games in the closing minutes while making fans endure one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Those collapses prompted Lurtsema to offer a minimal explanation about his off target 11-5 prediction: “I was right…if the games had been 58 minutes (not 60),” he quipped.

Lurtsema is a close observer of the Vikings and it isn’t just the usual fan optimism of having a new coaching staff that has him smiling about Mike Zimmer and his assistants. Lurtsema has preached that a team’s success is “65 percent” determined by the staff. He believes Zimmer and his staff are exceptional and will lead a Purple revival.

The Vikings open their preseason schedule tonight and Lurtsema said there are several things to watch for including how defensive players pursue ball carriers. As defensive coordinator of the Bengals, Zimmer’s players ranked high among NFL teams in total assisted tackles. “That tells you players are pursuing,” Lurtsema said. “It’s a good habit to have.”

Lurtsema will watch tonight to see how the Vikings use linebacker Anthony Barr, their No. 9 first round draft choice in last spring’s NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings sometimes position the gifted athlete on the line of scrimmage as part of a five-man group. The normal set is four defensive linemen but Barr could sometimes make it five, lining up as an end and pass rushing specialist.

Lurtsema admires offensive coordinator Norv Turner. During the preseason Lurtsema expects an emphasis on long passes, with the offense using “vertical routes” to loosen defenses. “They’re really gonna make it exciting for the average fan,” Lurtsema said.

He has another message for fans regarding tonight and the preseason. Don’t get too upset when a favorite player—perhaps a star—is cut from the roster. Zimmer and staff, Lurtsema said, are creating work habits in training camp with a goal of playing up to expectations. “He wants athletes with heart and something between the ears,” Lurtsema said.

With 40 new players on the roster since last season, including 10 draft choices, there will be lots of competition to make the final 53-man roster. Watch the special teams tonight to see which unknown players are impressing.

Worth Noting

Tonight’s game at TCF Bank Stadium will be the only one on the Vikings’ home schedule played on a weekday night. Traffic and parking comments could enliven social media late this afternoon and in the early evening. Last year traffic was awful for the Gophers-UNLV game played on a Thursday night in late August at TCF Bank Stadium. On Tuesday of this week, 80 minutes before the Twins game at Target Field, traffic was moving at 10 miles per hour on east-bound I-394 between highways 169 and 100.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the game will be simulcast on KARE 11 and KFAN-FM. Commentators will be Paul Allen, Pete Bercich, Greg Coleman and Ben Leber.

The Raiders, 4-12 last season, have long been a controversial franchise, and stirring things up now are reports the team may move to San Antonio. In an Internet story yesterday from the San Antonio Express-News, former Vikings owner and San Antonio businessman Red McCombs said last month’s visit to the Texas city by Raiders owner Mark Davis was “sincere.” McCombs also said he is willing to become a local investor if the Raiders relocated.

There were 33 Minnesota high school football programs scheduled to start practice last Monday in preparation for opening games on August 22 or 23. The other prep football programs in the state begin practice next Monday.

Among the notable early games will be Minnetonka at Hudson High School (Wisconsin) on August 22. Another Wisconsin high school, Superior, plays the same night at Hopkins.

David Cobb told reporters after practice this week he expects the Gophers to emphasize short passes this season including screens and swing passes. Cobb, who led the Gophers in rushing last season with 1,202 yards, had only seven pass receptions. He is on the Doak Walker watch list for the nation’s best running back.

Former Gophers basketball players Al Nuness and Jim Brewer will be part of the Proviso East High School inaugural hall of fame class on August 30. The Maywood, Illinois school is known for its basketball alumni including Nuness who was all-Big Ten second team for the Gophers in 1969 and Brewer who was an All-American in 1973.

Next season expect the Gophers to hold a ceremony to retire the jersey of Randy Breuer. The former Lake City High School star is No. 3 in all-time scoring for the Gophers with 1,777 career points. Breuer, a 7-3 center, played four seasons with the Gophers starting in 1979-80 and averaged 16.6 points per game on the 1982 Big Ten championship team.

The Gophers athletic department and its multimedia rights holder, Learfield Sports’ Gopher Sports Properties, announced yesterday a three-year agreement with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities to broadcast Gopher men’s hockey and men’s and women’s basketball games. The agreement starts with the coming seasons and runs through 2016-17.

The Northwoods League became the first summer college baseball league to go over 1 million in attendance for one season after games played on Wednesday of this week. Madison (Wisconsin) leads the 18-team league with an average of 6,139 per game.

Dave Tentis, 52, is the only Minnesotan playing in this week’s PGA Championship in Louisville. The Woodbury resident shot an eight over 79 yesterday and tied for 144th in the field. He is the PGA head professional at Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson, Wisconsin.

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Players and Agents Endorsed Zimmer

Posted on July 25, 2014July 25, 2014 by David Shama

Rick Spielman is excited to see new head coach Mike Zimmer open his first training camp this week in Mankato. Spielman went through an extensive information gathering process before hiring Zimmer last winter and when finished was convinced he found the right coach.

“I told our owners we were fortunate he was available,” the Vikings’ general manager told Sports Headliners.

Zimmer is 58 and had been a career assistant in the NFL before Spielman gave him his first head coaching opportunity. Spielman was in the Vikings’ front office as head of player personnel, not general manager, when Leslie Frazier was promoted from interim to head coach after the 2010 season. Nor did Spielman have the hiring responsibility when Brad Childress was made head coach about eight years ago, and so Zimmer is his first hire. What was Spielman looking for in a head coach?

A teacher and demanding leader, Spielman answered. Those are characteristics Spielman heard repeated when he talked to players and their agents as they described how Zimmer’s coaching made a difference in performance.

Ex-Viking Bob Lurtsema said Vikings players know they will be held accountable for mistakes and efforts by Zimmer and his staff. “Everything going in right now (in camp) is total competition,” Lurtsema said.

Lurtsema believes fans could be surprised about who makes the team and that players are excited about the competitive environment expected in Mankato. “They’re saying (the players) these coaches love to coach. That’s a contagious attitude. The players that deserve to be a member of the Minnesota Vikings will embrace it rather than fight it.”

Spielman has not only made a commitment to Zimmer by hiring him but the Vikings have also paid for a new weight room and meeting room. There are other changes too including an emphasis on healthier food with less fat and sugar.

Worth Noting

Zimmer at 58 is as old as Bud Grant when he retired as Vikings head coach after the 1985 season. Grant decided to give up football to focus on the outdoor life of hunting and fishing including internationally. Grant was the second head coach in franchise history. Zimmer is the ninth.

Although this will be Zimmer’s first year as an NFL head coach, it certainly won’t be the most painful emotionally. Zimmer’s wife Vikki died unexpectedly during the 2009 season.

The Vikings agreement with KARE-11 to televise preseason games runs through next year, positioning the NFL club to negotiate a new deal as the team moves into the opening season of its downtown Minneapolis stadium in 2016.

Based on past interest, about 400,000 viewers are expected to watch each preseason game this summer. If so, the KARE 11 telecasts will exceed any competing programming in local viewership including Twins games.

The Vikings’ final preseason game of 2014 will be on August 28 against the Titans in Nashville. That game begins at 7 p.m. while the Gophers have their nonconference season opener the same night at home starting at 6 p.m. against Eastern Illinois. The Minnesota game will be on the Big Ten Network and may also attract approximately 400,000 viewers with many Minnesotans switching back and forth between the Gophers and Vikings.

The Gophers start football practice a week from today. Prior to their opening game, the public will be allowed to watch practices on August 3, 4 and 5. All three practices will be at the Gibson-Nagurski Complex with a start time of 10:25 a.m. on August 3, and 5:15 p.m. for the other two practices.

According to numbers as of last week, the Gophers had sold 3,331 student season football tickets, compared with 1,921 last year. The nonstudent season ticket total was 28,106 compared with 27,951 a year ago.

Look for an announcement later this summer about how the public can donate to the Gophers $190 million campaign to improve athletic facilities. Athletic Department officials have focused on larger contributors since the campaign was announced last year but names of those making pledges haven’t been made public.

Tony Dungy is sometimes written about because of the opportunity the Gophers gave him as an African-American to play quarterback for the team. What’s not so well-known is that starting with Sandy Stephens in 1959 the Gophers had at least six African-American quarterbacks on their rosters prior to Dungy’s arrival in Minneapolis in 1973. Minnesota gave opportunities to African-Americans to play quarterback when other schools didn’t and Stephens was the first ever All-American black QB.

Giovan Jenkins begins his sixth season as Washburn High School’s head football coach when the Millers officially start practice on August 11 and he’s not used to losing City Conference games. Jenkins was an assistant coach at Washburn before he became head coach, and the Millers have won or shared the last 13 city titles. His 2014 team will be without almost all of last year’s starters but Jenkins expects to contend for a championship again and is likely to have about 65 players, including freshmen, out for the team—probably the biggest turnout for football among Minneapolis high schools.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino said Elliott Eliason’s conditioning has resulted in the senior center having less than 10 percent body fat. Returning senior point guard DeAndre Mathieu has added about “13 pounds of muscle,” and junior guard Carlos “Squirrel” Morris, a transfer, has put on 17 pounds, the coach said.

Dave and Linda Mona’s Camden’s Concert next Wednesday night at the Hopkins Center for the Arts will feature The Wright Brothers, a popular singing group that has prompted record ticket sales for the fifth annual event. The concert is named for the Mona’s grandson and benefits Cystic Fibrosis. An on-line auction with more than 125 items is also drawing attention. More at Camdensconcert.com.

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U, Not Iowa, Right Choice for Nuness

Posted on June 4, 2014June 4, 2014 by David Shama

When Al Nuness gave the commencement address this spring at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa he recalled how his decision to attend the University of Minnesota changed his life.

Nuness was pursued by Illinois and Purdue while playing high school basketball in suburban Chicago but his grades kept him from being admitted to either one of those Big Ten universities. Nuness enrolled at Fort Dodge Junior College (now Iowa Central) in 1965. By the time he departed in 1967, he was a junior college All-American who averaged 28.3 points per game.

Nuness planned to attend the University of Iowa. “I had my choice of schools and I chose Iowa,” Nuness told the commencement audience at Iowa Central last month. “That choice started a learning curve that would forever change my life.”

The announcement to be a Hawkeye was to come at a Monday night dinner in Iowa. But Nuness went home the weekend before, and it was then he met Minneapolis businessman and Minnesota alum Harvey Mackay who happened to be in Chicago.

Mackay, who has become a best selling business author, talked with Nuness and his parents. Mackay had a strategy for his conversation with Nuness who is African-American.

“He asked me why I chose the University of Iowa,” Nuness said at the commencement. “I told him it was based on basketball.

“He replied, ‘So, if you don’t play pro basketball, what do you plan on doing?’

“Before I could answer that question he said, ‘Will you be able to live and raise your family in Iowa City?’

“Hey, folks, this was 1967. I don’t think Iowa City was ready for the Nuness family.

“He pulled out a copy of Life Magazine. It listed all the Fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis. He also showed me where Minneapolis was number one in the country for job opportunities for African-Americans. It was also number two in the country for quality of life for African-Americans. That got my parents’ attention.”

Mackay also talked about summer employment in Minneapolis, and said if Nuness became a student-athlete at Minnesota he would become his mentor. He now had the attention of Nuness and his parents.

“Then he wanted to know what time the ‘I’ Club dinner was on Monday night,” Nuness recalled in his commencement talk. “My mom said, ‘Al’s not going to the dinner.’

“And the rest is history!”

Nuness, an outstanding shooter, played two seasons for Minnesota, 1967-68 and 1968-69. His senior year he captained the Gophers, averaging 16.4 points per game and he made second team All-Big Ten guard.

But if the story ended there Nuness would only be in the Iowa Central athletics hall of fame. He is also a member of Iowa Central’s distinguished alumni hall of fame.

His decision to attend school in Minneapolis created opportunities after college. First he became head basketball coach at Minneapolis Central High School and then a Gophers assistant coach. The name he made at Minnesota helped him gain a position at Pillsbury and later as an executive with the Timberwolves. But in the business community his name is most closely associated with Jostens.

Nuness, now retired from full-time work, spent 18 years with the Minnesota-based school products company. He was a vice president for 15 years with assignments that included heading up Jostens’ championship rings sales for the Super Bowl, World Series and Bowl Championship Series.

Nuness’ father had been a poor farmer and his son certainly couldn’t have been sure of his future when deciding on a college. Mackay showed Nuness how important college decisions are, and started him on a pathway to a productive career and life that has also included volunteer work in the Minneapolis area.

“I am living proof that the American dream is indeed alive,” Nuness told his audience at Iowa Central. “Hard work, preparation, and perseverance all help to make it possible for even the son of a share cropper to pursue his dreams.”

Worth Noting

Vinny Del Negro, who reportedly has interviewed with the Timberwolves regarding the team’s coaching vacancy, was featured in Mackay’s 2010 book Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You. The two are friends and although Del Negro had no NBA, college or high school coaching experience he became head coach of the Bulls in 2010. He later became head coach of the Clippers before being let go after the 2012-2013 season despite having a 56-26 and winning the Pacific Division championship.

Henry Ellenson, the power forward from Rice Lake, Wisconsin who will be a senior next winter, is now rated the No. 5 player in the national class of 2015 by Espn.com. Ellenson’s brother Wally left the Gophers program during the past season.

Grand Rapids power forward Alex Illikainen is ranked No. 90. A good guess is Illikainen will become a Gopher while Ellenson will be a Badger.

Kevin Love turns 26 in September and the next few years of his NBA career are potentially his best. The Timberwolves have a massive sales challenge trying to convince Love to remain with a franchise that has missed the playoffs each of his six seasons in Minneapolis. Don’t look, though, for Love to be dazzled by the Lakers and Hollywood or the Knicks and Broadway. His next move is likely to be a lot more about winning games than geography.

New WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson is relocating the league offices from Denver and Madison to Minnesota. He is temporarily working in Bloomington but soon plans to have permanent offices in Saint Paul or the Minneapolis suburbs. Robertson said WCHA representatives will have business meetings in Saint Paul next week for future planning.

It seems likely Adam Weber has suggested to Mitch Leidner that the Gophers sophomore quarterback try for an invite to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy held each summer in Louisiana. Weber, who has been working out with Leidner, twice attended the academy as a counselor when he played for the Gophers. The academy is for campers entering grades 8-12 in the fall.

The Twins swept the Brewers in four games last year but that won’t happen this season. The two teams split two games in Milwaukee earlier this week. Tonight they start a two-game series at Target Field. Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez is tied for seventh with 11 home runs among National League players and is eighth in batting average at .310. If the Twins hadn’t traded him away to the Brewers in 2009 they could feel almost cocky about the deal they made to originally bring him to the organization. Gomez was one of four prospects the Twins acquired from the Mets in the 2008 trade sending former Cy Young award winner Johan Santana to New York. But Gomez didn’t produce at a high level here and the Twins haven’t realized much value from the trade.

The Tapemark Charity Pro-Am the men’s tournament at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The women’s event is Thursday and Sunday, also at Southview. Spectators are welcome and will see some of the area’s best golfers.

The Tapemark, now in its 43rd year, benefits people with developmental disabilities. More at Tapemarkgolf.org.

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