Gophers Basketball – Page 138 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Tourney Offers Pitino Bonus Incentive

Posted on March 14, 2014March 15, 2014 by David Shama

Basketball coach Richard Pitino’s contract with the University of Minnesota includes bonus compensation based on performance by the Gophers. His team won its opening Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament game last night against Penn State and if the Gophers become tourney champions on Sunday he will earn $25,000 in bonus money.

The win left the Gophers with a 20-12 overall season record. Minnesota had an 8-10 Big Ten regular season record and it’s believed the Gophers can attract an NCAA Tournament invite if they defeat nationally ranked Wisconsin tonight in their conference tournament quarterfinal game. A victory over the Badgers would advance the Gophers to a Saturday semi-final game in the tournament.

Pitino’s contract incentives include $50,000 if the Gophers are invited to the NCAA Tournament. He earns additional payments of $50,000 each if Minnesota plays in the tournament’s Sweet 16 and Final Four. An NCAA national championship rewards him with a $100,000 bonus.

Pitino would have received a $50,000 bonus if the Gophers had a winning record during the Big Ten’s regular season. A regular season conference championship would also reward him with a $50,000 bonus.

Pitino won’t win conference or national coach of the year honors in 2014 but there are bonuses in his contract for those awards. He could earn $25,000 for Big Ten Coach of the Year and $50,000 for National Coach of the Year.

Pitino became the Gophers coach last spring after signing a contract that commenced on April 8 and ends on April 30, 2019. He receives what the contract describes as “base salary and supplemental compensation.”

His salary is $500,000, but beginning on May 1, 2014 and every year thereafter his annual performance review can result in an increase of “no less than 5% per year,” per the contract. The supplemental compensation is $700,000 annually and “….is in recognition of coach’s efforts on behalf of the University for media, fundraising, community involvement, endorsements, and apparel, shoes and equipment arrangements.”

Among conference coaches, Pitino’s $1.2 million annual compensation ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten. At 31 he is the league’s youngest head coach and has only two seasons of college head coaching experience.

Worth Noting

A crowd of 179 CORES lunch attendees listened yesterday to former Vikings head coach Bud Grant at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Grant talked about friends who died during military service in World War II, labeling them “heroes” and distinguishing those individuals from athletes who can be “stars” but not heroes. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The ballot announced by the National Football Foundation for possible 2014 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame includes several names with Minnesota ties: Former Saint John’s two-time first-team All-American wide receiver Blake Elliott; Randall Cunningham, an All-American punter at UNLV and former Vikings quarterback; Ross Fortier, the winningest coach in Minnesota Moorhead history; Clint Jones who was a two-time first-team All-American at Michigan State and an ex-Vikings running back; former Vikings running back Darrin Nelson, an All-American at Stanford who was the first player in NCAA history to run for over 1,000 yards and catch more than 50 passes in a single season; James Malosky who at the time of his retirement in 1997 from Minnesota Duluth was the winningest coach in Division II history; and Billy Jack Murphy, a former Gophers assistant coach who became the winningest head coach in Memphis history.

The Minnesota M Club will have a 100 year anniversary celebration on August 16 with boat rides and a barbecue at the Mississippi River Boat House in Minneapolis. The Gophers’ club is one of the oldest—if not the oldest—letterwinners club in the nation having started in 1914.

Gophers football booster Mark Sheffert authors a monthly column for Twin Cities Business. In the March issue he writes about the longevity of Minnesota coach Jerry Kill‘s staff and relates that to his column theme regarding the benefit of business professionals having experience working together: “The Value of Tenured Teams.”

Ex-Gophers and NFL coach Tony Dungy and NFL TV host James Brown will speak at a morning event on March 22 at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. “Arise with the Guys” will offer motivational messages, and tickets are priced at $10 and $20. More information at Arisewiththeguys.com.

Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has only played in four spring training games for the Rockies and has two hits in 10 at bats.

Danny Santana, who some day could become the Twins regular shortstop, is hitting .368 in spring training. The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is rated the Twins No. 9 prospect and best defensive infielder in the organization’s minor league system by Baseball America.

Ryan Boldt, an outfielder from Red Wing who plays for Nebraska, is Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance last week. He had six runs and six hits—both team highs—in a three-game sweep over St. John’s of New York.

CartRev, a new Saint Paul-based firm, offers golf courses the opportunity to turn refreshment carts into mobile billboards and point-of-sale displays. Using vinyl wraps similar to those on buses, the carts are a unique way for advertisers to reach target markets and offer a new source of revenue for golf courses. Patrick Klinger, former vice-president of marketing for the Twins, has made CarRev a division of Patrick Klinger & Co. More at CartRev.com.

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Ariel McDonald: 2 Wins Gets U in Tourney

Posted on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by David Shama

The Gophers play Penn State in their Big Ten Tournament opener on Thursday night in Indianapolis and Ariel McDonald believes Minnesota has to win the game to remain a possibility for the NCAA Tournament. A second win in the tournament will make him even more optimistic about Minnesota’s NCAA chances.

“If they can get two wins they should be safe, but right now they live to see another day,” McDonald told Sports Headliners after the Gophers defeated Penn State yesterday at Williams Arena. McDonald, a former Gophers point guard, was the TV analyst for yesterday’s Big Ten Network game when Minnesota improved its conference record to 8-10 and overall to 19-12.

He believes there is some possibility the Gophers could earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament when selections are announced next Sunday if they win just their Big Ten opener. That optimism is based on Minnesota’s strength of schedule including wins over top 20 teams Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

But even though Minnesota has defeated Penn State twice this season, winning again on Thursday doesn’t figure to be nearly as easy as yesterday’s 81-63 victory. “I think one of the hardest things to do in sports is beat a team three times (in one season),” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said last night.

Penn State finished 6-12 in the Big Ten, 15-16 overall. The Nittany Lions had two wins over Ohio State, an indication of their abilities. “I think they’re really good,” Pitino said.

The coach expects a “war” on Thursday night and part of the fight will likely be low post scoring. McDonald said the Gophers need balanced offense coming from the outside and inside. The inside scoring must come from not only players driving to the basket but the team’s low post players like Elliott Eliason and Mo Walker. “When they can get you 22 to 25 points in the low post the Gophers usually don’t lose,” McDonald said.

When the Gophers experience five minute scoreless streaks like they did in some conference games McDonald understands why. “The reason (is) they don’t have anybody they can throw it down low to and just say, ‘Hey, go get us a bucket, or at least a foul so we can go shoot free throws and kind of overcome this lapse.’ ”

While Eliason, Walker and power forward Joey King are important to team success, McDonald said the Gophers hopes each game start with point guard DeAndre Mathieu who provides the offensive tempo Pitino wants. “He dominates the ball and he creates so much for them off the dribble. …Usually when you can control him you can control the Gophers so he is a big, big piece to their success.”

Mathieu is only 5-9, 165. but he is quick and fearless. “I like small guys who just have guts,” McDonald said. “They’re not scared to go in there to the big guys. That’s why I like DeAndre. He seems to be under control. I think he is special.”

Mathieu and the Gophers will find out soon if they’re special enough for the NCAA Selection Committee.

Worth Noting

McDonald wasn’t even one of the Big Ten Network analysts before the season but he used his persistence to get on the air. He worked three network games this season and hopes to have frequent assignments in 2014-15. He has previous analyst experience working Minnesota State High School League games and this winter has given his basketball opinions weekly on 1500 ESPN.

Ross Travis, from Chaska, started at forward for the Nittany Lions yesterday and scored four points after entering the game averaging nine. Reserve guard Graham Woodward, from Edina, didn’t score.

While the Nittany Lions have two native Minnesotans on their roster, the Gophers have one in power forward Joey King from Eagan. The Gophers began playing basketball in 1896 and this might be the first time in program history only one player from the state has been on the roster.

Look for the five finalists for the 2014 high school Mr. Basketball Award to be announced today or tomorrow.

College national championship teams, including the 2013 Gophers women’s hockey team, will be honored by President Barack Obama today at the White House. The event will be streamed live on Whitehouse.gov/live. The Gophers had a record of 41-0-0, the only undefeated women’s hockey team ever.

Ron Stolski, the winningest high school football coach in state history, shares his wisdom in an interview for the American Football Coaches Association website. Stolski, still coaching at Brainerd, has been a Minnesota prep coach for over 50 years. The interview can be accessed at Mfca.com.

Stolski is also executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, the organization offering events throughout the year promoting football. Upcoming events include the MFCA Clinic March 27-29 and the recruiting fair May 5.

Minnetonka High School alum Will Leer, competing for the U.S. track team, finished sixth in the 1500 meters final on Saturday at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland. His time was 3:39.60.

Adrian Peterson figures to be happy about the Vikings re-signing Matt Cassel to quarterback the team. In the February 10 issue of Sports Illustrated he was asked who he wanted as the team’s starter next season. “Matt Cassel,” Peterson answered. “We were productive when he was behind center. If (we do) draft a quarterback, (Johnny) Manziel or (Teddy) Bridgewater. They have the potential to come in and play.”

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U Women’s Team Needs Tourney Run

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by David Shama

Although apathy characterizes the attitude of many fans toward Gophers women’s basketball, there is anticipation and curiosity about the team that begins play in the Big Ten Tournament tomorrow night as the No. 6 seed.

Coach Pam Borton’s team finished 8-8 during the regular season, the program’s best showing since 2009 and the last year Minnesota was invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers won six of their final eight league games, and a win over No. 11 seed Wisconsin tomorrow evening would almost certainly guarantee an NCAA invite. Minnesota is 19-11 overall and may qualify for the NCAA Tournament even if the Gophers can’t win a game in the conference tourney in Indianapolis.

But Borton and her team need to build momentum in the program by not only winning a couple of NCAA tourney games this month, but also earn major success in the future with plus-.500 Big Ten records. The program has faltered since the glory days of 2003, 2004 and 2005 when Minnesota played in the Sweet 16 twice and Final Four once. The Gophers were 6^th in the conference standings this season, certainly an improvement over the previous four years of 11^th, 9^th and two 8^th place finishes.

The Gophers averaged 9,800 fans per game in 2003-2004, and 9,200 and 8,329 the following seasons, ranking in the top five or six nationally for women’s college basketball attendance. The last three seasons the Gophers have averaged 2,835, 3,277 and 3,178 fans per game.

The Gophers can do better on the court and at the box office than the results of more recent seasons. The program has the potential to be a revenue producer for the athletic department and no doubt athletic director Norwood Teague wants to see home attendance more comparable with Big Ten leaders like Purdue and Michigan State who averaged 8,031 and 7,145 fans per game this season.

Teague’s reputation is that of a basketball authority. He hired nationally respected Shaka Smart as men’s coach at VCU. Last year he dismissed Tubby Smith as Gophers men’s coach and hired Richard Pitino who has impressed with his teaching skills while working with minimal talent compared to the Big Ten’s best teams.

Teague also hired Beth Goetz last year as his department’s senior women’s administrator. Before coming to the Gophers, Goetz was at Butler where she earned praise from Bulldogs’ renowned head basketball coach Brad Stevens. Her responsibilities at Minnesota include women’s basketball and it seems likely she will play a key role in evaluating Borton after this season.

Borton has been Minnesota’s head coach since 2002. The athletic department invested significantly in her despite struggles on the court and large financial losses with the program. (Example: a May 4, 2013 Star Tribune story reported a 2011-2012 “deficit of almost $2 million.”) Borton has received over $400,000 annually since the 2008-2009 season and at that time was in the top one-third of the Big Ten’s best paid women’s coaches. Her contract extends through the 2016 season.

Among the positives Goetz could mention in an evaluation of the coach are two of Borton’s best recruits ever, junior guard Rachel Banham who led the Big Ten in scoring at 23.3 points per game and freshman center Amanda Zahui B., the conference’s top rebounder at 11.5 per game. Both players were chosen all-Big Ten first team by the media. The media and coaches chose Zahui B. as Freshman of the Year.

If Banham and Zahui B. could lead the Gophers to a couple of wins in the Big Ten tournament and two more in the NCAA, the momentum going into next season will be noticeable and that apathy bandwagon would have fewer passengers.

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves, 30-29, wouldn’t earn a spot in the NBA Western Conference playoffs if the season ended now but Minnesota can’t be counted out. Starting tonight at Target Center against the Knicks (21-40), the Wolves face six opponents in the next seven games with records at least a half dozen wins under .500. Six of the games are at home for the Wolves who have a realistic chance to earn the eighth and final playoff spot before the season ends on April 16.

Another opportunity awaits later this month when the club has games at Dallas and Memphis, and home against Phoenix. The Mavericks, Grizzlies, Suns and Warriors are the teams most immediately ahead of the Wolves in playoff positioning.

The possibility of the Wolves earning a playoff spot this year and next is expected to have a lot to do with whether All-Star forward Kevin Love opts out of his contract in the 2015 offseason. In his five previous seasons in Minneapolis the team has yet to make the playoffs. Winning is something Love knew at UCLA and as a pro with the 2012 gold medal U.S. Olympic team.

Although the lure of playing for a better team (perhaps in a warm weather climate) is worth worrying about, Love could decide to stay here if the Wolves become a legitimate top 10 NBA team with more promise ahead. He might not find another point guard who sets him up better for open shots than Ricky Rubio. Also, don’t discount the relationship between Love and Flip Saunders, the team’s president of basketball operations who has made it a priority to develop rapport with the 25-year-old superstar.

Former Vikings coach Bud Grant will speak at the March 13 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Grant, who was one of the Gophers greatest athletes ever and played two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers, coached 11 championship teams with the Vikings. Grant, who turns 87 on May 20, will have copies of his book, I Did It My Way, on sale at the luncheon. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations (by March 10) for the lunch and program can be made by contacting dotsethj@comcast.net.

Grant’s buddy Sid Hartman, the Star Tribune columnist and WCCO Radio personality, will be 94 on March 15.

Defensive end Everson Griffen never won a starting job with the Vikings but figures to create some stir as a free agent because of his strong pass rushing skills.

No doubt former Gophers offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, now the OC with the NFL’s Jags, has to be anticipating Jacksonville taking one of the top college quarterbacks with the No. 3 selection in the NFL Draft’s first round.

Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, in his first spring training camp with the Rockies, is hitless in two at bats.

Baseball America’s top 10 Twins prospects (in order) are Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, Kohl Stewart, Jose Berrios, Eddie Rosario, Lewis Thorpe, Trevor May, Danny Santana and Jorge Polanco. Five of those prospects are pitchers including Thorpe who is among the least familiar names to some Twins fans. Thorpe, 18 and from Australia, signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent last July. He led the Gulf Coast League in strikeouts with 64 in 44 innings pitched, starting eight games, relieving in four and compiling a 4-1 record with a 2.05 ERA.

FOX Sports 1, the nation’s new sports channel trying to rival ESPN, makes its major league baseball programming debut April 5 with a doubleheader that includes the Twins at Indians game. The other telecast will be the Giants at the Dodgers.

Former Vikings safety Darren Sharper, who faces multiple rape charges, has been fired by the NFL Network.

St. Olaf men’s basketball coach Dan Kosmoski, a former Gophers assistant, made his 20^th season memorable. The Oles are MIAC playoff champs for the first time in school history and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament where they play Central College (Iowa) on Friday in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. St. Thomas, the team that lost to St. Olaf last weekend in the title playoff game, is also in the NCAA Tournament with a game on Friday against Augustana (Illinois) in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

St. Olaf’s Sam Daly and St. Thomas’ Courtney Pahl have won with the MIAC Elite 22 Award for men’s and women’s basketball. The elite 22 awards program recognizes MIAC athletes in various sports for high academic and athletic achievement. Daly, a senior with a 3.65 GPA, has a double-major in chemistry and psychology. Pahl, a sophomore with a 4.0 GPA, has a double-major in biochemistry and biology.

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