Gophers Basketball – Page 140 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Herb Brooks Olympic Legacy Continues

Posted on February 24, 2014February 24, 2014 by David Shama

When the U.S. lost 1-0 to Canada in the semi-finals of men’s Olympic hockey on Friday it meant 34 years have past since Americans won gold medals in that competition.

The aura of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” gold medal winning team is enhanced even more now. A group of amateur players led by coach Herb Brooks defeated the mighty Soviet Union, a hockey empire some observers considered invincible.

Brooks, the former Gophers national championship coach who died in 2003, would be frustrated the U.S. hasn’t been able to win the Olympics since 1980. He was an American patriot whose hockey genius and personality made him uniquely qualified to push a team of college players to perhaps the greatest sports triumph of the 20^th century, defeating the Soviets in a stunning semi-final game and going on to win gold medals 34 years ago today against Finland.

The Soviets used professional players and U.S. Olympic team trainer Gary Smith put the magnitude of the American upset this way: “It was like Eden Prairie High School beating the Vikings in football.”

Brooks’ coaching style was to identify an “enemy” and the Soviets were a perfect fit for his psychology. “Even though it was a hockey game, it just seemed like it was more of the United States of America’s way of life versus the Russian way of life,” Smith said. “He would refer to the Russians as those ‘Commie,’ and I don’t think I can use the (next) word.”

Not even the substitution of professional players from the NHL to replace amateurs has been able to produce another Olympic championship for the U.S. The 2014 Americans couldn’t even earn a third place bronze finish, stumbling in an embarrassing 5-0 loss to Finland on Saturday.

Lou Nanne, who captained the 1968 U.S. Olympic team, said the two most talented clubs in American men’s Olympic hockey history are the 1998 and 2014 teams. Nanne also said the Americans could just as easily be coming home from Sochi as Olympic champions.

“We’re good. We could play tomorrow and we could beat them (Canada),” Nanne told Sports Headliners.

The U.S. was ineffective offensively, having difficulty controlling the puck, in the semi-final loss to Canada. But Nanne gave credit to Canada, a great team that won the gold medal with a 3-0 win over Sweden yesterday.

“No doubt those are the two best teams (the U.S. and Canada),” he said.

The loss to Finland? “We weren’t ready to play,” Nanne said. “It looked like we were still thinking about Canada.”

Host Russia had serious ambitions about winning men’s hockey in Sochi. Instead the Russians didn’t even win a medal with losses including a 3-2 defeat against the Americans. Those results would have pleased Brooks and gave Nanne satisfaction too. “You always want to beat them (the Russians),” Nanne said.

Nanne decided not to attend the Olympics in Sochi because of concerns about terrorism and safety.

Worth Noting

After the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, New York, Brooks was probably the most in demand speaker in the country. Later that year I asked him to speak at a banquet for a nonprofit organization. He agreed but refused to be paid.

The Gophers basketball team, 6-9 in the Big Ten and 17-11 overall, is desperate for a win against a top 25 opponent to enhance the fading possibility of being invited to the NCAA Tournament next month. Border rival Iowa, ranked No. 15 nationally last week, will be at Williams Arena tomorrow night for a “circle it” game.

The Gophers, losers in six of their last eight conference games, might be due for a surprise performance. The Gophers lost 94-73 at Iowa in January and Minnesota couldn’t stop fouling a bigger and deeper Hawkeyes team. Iowa made 27 of 37 free throw attempts in that game.

Iowa, 8-5 in the Big Ten and 19-7 overall, is a long shot but still has a chance at winning a share of the conference title. The Hawkeyes’ five league losses are by a combined 26 points.

Former Gophers football player Lewis Garrison, now a Big Ten basketball referee, officiated Saturday’s Iowa-Wisconsin game in Iowa City.

A February 17 Los Angeles Times article lauded the San Diego State basketball program that has been turning heads for years on the West Coast. The Aztecs were ranked No. 6 and 7 nationally last week by two polls. The program is led by head coach Steve Fisher and his top assistant, Brian Dutcher, a University of Minnesota alum and the son of former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher.

“Dutcher, 54, is one of the best college basketball minds never to have held a head coaching position,” wrote James Barragan of the Times. “It doesn’t bother him, though, because he knows one day this program will be his.

“He jokes that he has the longest title in college basketball: associate head coach/head coach in waiting.

“Dutcher was officially tapped as Fisher’s replacement in 2011 when the head coach requested as part of his own contract extension that the school identify Dutcher as his successor.”

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team has won a ninth consecutive MIAC title with a 18-2 league record. Coach John Tauer lost five seniors from last year’s Division III Final Four team including four starters but the Tommies regrouped to not only win the conference but earn a 21-4 overall record.

The Tommies’ first conference playoff game is at home on Friday night against an opponent to be determined, possibly St. John’s, a team that defeated St. Thomas last Saturday night and has won 10 of its last 12 games. The Tommies have a first round bye and will play either the Johnnies, Gustavus or Bethel.

Friday’s Ted Williams column generated e-mail responses from readers including from a friend who said his autographed Williams ball was valued at $1,300.00 by a memorabilia store in Boston in 2011.

Another friend told a story about Williams when he managed the Senators. Baseball pretty much started and ended with hitting for Williams, even as a manager. The story is that two of his coaches had a disagreement about how to work rundown plays in the infield. They asked the skipper for advice and he responded something like this: “Screw it. Let’s hit!”

The first of 16 Fox Sports North Twins spring training games from Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers will be this Saturday (noon Minneapolis time) against the Red Sox.

Former Gophers wide receiver Derrick Engel is preparing for the NFL Draft and working with ex-Vikings strength and conditioning coach Mark Ellis. Engel, recovering from ACL surgery, is working out at the University of Minnesota. He has hired Minneapolis-based agents James Selmer and Shawn Stuckey to represent him.

Concordia-St. Paul defensive end Zach Moore is scheduled to work out today with other defensive ends and linebackers at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Moore is one of only nine Division II players invited to the combine where college players are evaluated for their draft worthiness. He is believed to be the only player from Concordia ever invited to the combine and is ranked as the No. 2 small college prospect for the upcoming NFL Draft by Peter Schrager of Fox Sports.

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Coach Likens Jeff Jones Style to A.P.

Posted on February 5, 2014February 6, 2014 by David Shama

Jeff Jones, the Washburn High School running back who is the state’s top prospect, officially committed to the Gophers today on national Signing Day but he will have to improve academically before he can fulfill “the sky’s the limit” potential predicted by his prep coach Giovan Jenkins.

Jones has to improve either his GPA or ACT score before the Gophers open their preseason camp next summer to be eligible for playing time. Jenkins told Sports Headliners he is confident Jones will do the necessary work. “He will do that between now and the end of the school year,” Jenkins said.

Jones told Sports Headliners he needs to raise his ACT score to a 19, two points better than his best right now. He is determined to become eligible and has no thoughts about attending junior college.

Jones decided over the weekend to choose the Gophers over Iowa State. The relationship he built during the recruiting process with the Gophers staff including head coach Jerry Kill was a deciding factor in selecting Minnesota. “I don’t want to pick a school where a coach is happy now and he loves the way I play now, but when I get there he’s a totally different person,” Jones said. “I didn’t see that in coach Kill at all.”

As a Minneapolis native, Jones is aware of the post graduation opportunities that attending college in his hometown can provide. He said only “one percent” of football players go on to a career in the NFL.

Why did he wait until this morning to announce his decision in front of an audience including media at Washburn High School? He wanted to add a little theater to the process and “keep Minnesota fans on their toes.”

Jones is the only Rivals.com four-star prospect in the Gophers 2014 recruiting class. He’s also the biggest name among Minnesota prep players that Kill has signed since taking over as Gophers coach in December of 2010.

Jenkins compares his all-state, Mr. Football award winner to a runner Minnesota sports fans know all about. “His running style is similar to Adrian Peterson. He’s big and strong and fast. I think he may have a little bit better vision. He might have a better first step in terms of his explosion.

“His top-end speed might not be quite as good as Adrian Peterson but in terms of just being dominating and people not wanting to stand in his way and tackle him, he reminds me most of Adrian Peterson with his running style.”

Jenkins said Jones loves competition. Even at football camps Jones will identify the better defenders and want to compete against them in drills. And although the Gophers have a returning starter in David Cobb, who rushed for 1,202 yards last season, Jones will push for playing time. “That’s just going to make him come in and work harder,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins believes Jones could also challenge for playing time as a slot receiver. At Washburn, Jones was a valuable pass receiver because of his running ability and exceptional hands. “He can catch the ball with the best of them,” Jenkins said.

Jones could also make big plays for the Gophers returning kickoffs like he did in high school. Will he be used in that role at Minnesota? “I sure hope so because every time he has the ball in his hands he has the possibility of taking it to the house,” Jenkins said.

At Washburn, the 6-foot, 200-pound Jones scored 44 touchdowns his senior season including 34 rushing and eight receiving, according to MaxPreps.com. He averaged 9.13 yards per carry rushing and helped the Millers to a fifth straight Minneapolis City Conference title under Jenkins.

Jones was a last minute invite to the prestigious Under Armour All-America Game in Florida last month but he made a big impression, gaining 72 yards and being named Team Nitro MVP. Jenkins attended the prep all-star game and observers couldn’t believe Jones came to the event as a reserve.

Jenkins said the Washburn coaches have held Jones accountable for his behavior, wanting to make sure he carried himself with the right attitude. “It would be easy for a young man with his athletic ability to be, let’s just say, pretty cocky and that’s not the case with him,” Jenkins said.

The Gophers have been recruiting Jones for a couple of years and offered him a scholarship after his sophomore season. Becoming involved early with Minnesota led to a verbal commitment by Jones about a year ago. Then later Jones opened up the recruiting process, exploring other schools but the Gophers didn’t waver in their commitment to him.

Jones is aware of Kill’s reputation for taking care of his players, looking out for their best interests. Loyalty is important to Jones who could have left Washburn and not finished his football career there. Instead of choosing a state power program, he stayed with Jenkins and Washburn, a program that doesn’t have the roster depth of long ago when the Millers could play with any team in Minnesota.

Jones admired Kenith Pope, the former Iowa State running backs coach no longer with the program. Pope’s departure may have hurt the Cyclones’ chances of getting him.

“Jeff Jones is a relationship kid,” Jenkins said.

The Gophers found that out today.

Worth Noting

The Gophers basketball team can enhance their chances of making the NCAA Tournament next month with a win tonight at Purdue where they have lost six consecutive games. The Gophers, 4-5 in the Big Ten and 15-7 overall, have lost two straight after upset wins at home against Ohio State and Wisconsin last month.

Minnesota has won only one Big Ten road game so far. The most recent road defeat came in Lincoln against a mediocre Nebraska team. “We’re struggling on the road right now so we gotta get a big road win,” said Gophers point guard DeAndre Mathieu.

Mathieu was a hero in the Wisconsin victory, frequently driving the lane to score and finishing the game with 18 points. Since then defenses have paid more attention, often having two defenders ready for him in the lane. Mathieu said the strategy stops him from driving all the way to the basket but he can adjust. “I just gotta get better at finding guys (passing to teammates) and shooting pull-up jump shots.”

The Gophers were able to win the Wisconsin game without leading scorer Andre Hollins after he was injured in the opening minute. However, their drive for the NCAA Tournament likely will be determined by how soon he plays again after missing two games since, losses to Nebraska and Northwestern. Hollins, averaging 15.4 points per game, might play this week—if not tonight then on Saturday at home against Indiana.

Austin Hollins’ dad, Lionel Hollins, coached the NBA’s Grizzlies last season before being replaced by Staples, Minnesota native Dave Joerger. Hollins said his dad, 60, is taking “it easy” but hopes to coach again.

Brainerd High School coach Ron Stolski is proud of Logan McElfresh who will walk-on with the Gophers as a punter. Stolski e-mailed that McElfresh, 6-2, 205, punted, kicked off, played tight end, quarterback and running back for last year’s 12-1 Warriors team.

“Averaged around 38 yards per punt with outstanding hang time,” Stolski wrote. “Highly rated punter by several kicking ‘experts.’ Attended a number of kicking camps in off-season and performed very well. Gophers plan to try him as punter only. Will need to develop consistency. Could be a real find!”

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame will have seven inductees at a banquet on March 29 at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Being honored are: Jon Bakken, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown; Dave Fritze, Eagan; Mike Grant, Forest Lake and Eden Prairie; Tom Idstrom, Anoka and Irondale; Dave Nelson, Blaine and Minnetonka; Larry Thompson, Lakeville and Lakeville South; Marc Trestman, St. Louis Park and Chicago Bears. Tickets are $35 each and available at MFCA.com (click on advertisement on this page).

Cretin-Derham Hall alum and former Viking center Matt Birk will be the headline speaker at the MFCA Clinic March 28 at the DoubleTree Hotel. The full clinic will take place March 27-29. The Gophers and Vikings will partner with the MFCA on the clinic.

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Dutcher Predicts U NCAA Tourney Invite

Posted on January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners he expects the Gophers — a team predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten standings — to make the NCAA Tournament in March.

The Gophers, 4-4, have been a surprise team in the Big Ten even though they let a bull’s-eye opportunity for a win get away on Sunday when the Cornhuskers, now 2-5, defeated Minnesota 82-78 in Lincoln. Dutcher didn’t see that coming but he still believes the Gophers will win enough games to make the tournament, even without injured leading scorer Andre Hollins who is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.

The Big Ten will likely have the highest (or near highest) RPI of any conference and Dutcher said that means the tournament selection committee will be looking for six Big Ten teams. “There’s enough winnable games left that they can still get to 10 games (wins),” the Gophers former head coach said. “Even if they get to nine they’re going to make the tournament because they’re going to want to take a minimum of six Big Ten teams. …The Gophers would have to fall flat on their faces not to finish in the top six (in the conference).”

The Gophers play Northwestern, 3-5, at home on Saturday. Then go to Purdue, 3-4, February 5 before playing Indiana, 3-4, in Minneapolis on February 8.

“They should be favored in all three of them (those games),” Dutcher said. “Then they got a home game coming with Penn State (1-6). They got a home game with Illinois coming (2-6). You gotta think that they can win those games. So they wouldn’t have to really come out (and) upset a bunch of people to get into the tournament.”

Dutcher said the Gophers, now with an overall record of 15-6, can win the next three games without Hollins. He knows, however, the value of a player he describes as the team’s best offensively. “They probably would love to have him available on the fifth of February at Purdue,“ Dutcher said.

Dutcher believes the Gophers have “much better personnel” than Northwestern. He also said Purdue “struggles to score points” but Indiana will be a more difficult game and one that could go either way.

“I think 10 (wins) still is a reasonable number but they’re going to have to guard somebody,” Dutcher said. “They can’t give a guy like Petteway 35 points.”

Terran Petteway led Nebraska in scoring with a career high on Sunday night. The Cornhuskers made 50 percent of their field goal attempts in the game. And in Minnesota’s previous road loss, Iowa converted 49.2 percent of its field goal attempts during a high scoring 94-73 game.

Dutcher, who coached the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title, pointed out that in the Nebraska game point guard DeAndre Mathieu had nine turnovers. “He didn’t make good decisions,” Dutcher said.

Last year’s Gophers were 8-10 in the Big Ten during the regular season and finished seventh in the conference. That club was 20-12 overall after the Big Ten Tournament and received an NCAA Tournament invitation.

Worth Noting

Isaiah Gentry, the 6-4 wide receiver from Cincinnati Moeller High School, verbally committed to the Gophers last night. He is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent on February 5.

Iowa State hired former Kansas head coach Mark Mangino as offensive coordinator earlier this month. Mangino, who once was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and made Kansas a top 10 team, will be Jeff Jones’ coordinator if the Washburn High School Rivals.com four-star player decides to attend school in Ames and not Minneapolis.

Nikola Pekovic scored 22 points when the Wolves defeated the Pelicans earlier this month. That was one of 17 times this season he has totaled more than 20 points but with bursitis in his right ankle sidelining him indefinitely he won’t be on the court tonight when the Wolves and Pelicans play at Target Center.

The DeLaSalle High School basketball team has high profile players in Reid Travis and Jarvis Johnson but Sacar Anim has been leading the team in scoring average. Ryan James, reporting for Gopherillustrated.com, wrote on Monday the Islanders’ wing is averaging a team best 15.9 points per game and being recruited by Creighton, Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin.

Taste of the NFL, a Twin Cities-based non-profit organization dedicated to reducing hunger in America, has raised more than $14 million dollars for local and national food banks, providing more than 112 million meals. This year’s event will take place Saturday, on the eve of the Super Bowl, at Pier 12 of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Taste of the NFL was created in 1992 by Cuisine Concepts co-owners Wayne Kostroski and Mark Haugen, the restaurateurs from Goodfellow’s, Tejas, Bar Abilene and the Franklin Street Bakery.

In recognition of the Taste of the NFL, Kostroski rang the closing bell yesterday for the New York Stock Exchange.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said the estimated local economic impact from next July’s MLB All-Star Game is about $85 million.

A hockey source told Sports Headliners he expects Minneapolis-St. Paul to host an outdoor NHL game in the “next couple of years.” The Red Wings used Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor for their game with the Maple Leafs while Comerica Park in Detroit was the site of other hockey events as part of the NHL Winter Classic promotion. A similar setup could be done here using both TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field.

The WCHA hopes to have a new commissioner by the end of March to replace retiring Bruce McLeod.

Not sure if the thought warms you but the “World’s Toughest Rodeo” will be indoors at Xcel Energy Center Friday and Saturday nights.

KSTP TV sports director Joe Schmit has written a book, Sudden Impact: Stories of Influence through Purpose, Persistence & Passion. The book includes stories about Larry Fitzgerald, Joe Mauer and Paul Molitor. More at Joeschmit.com.

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