Gophers Basketball – Page 167 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Ticket Sales Hold Up in Renewals

Posted on June 4, 2012June 4, 2012 by David Shama

It appears gloomy forecasts about Gophers hockey and basketball season ticket renewals will not be correct. Next fall will be the first where most season ticket holders are paying a donation fee in addition to the regular cost of tickets, but renewals in hockey are impressive this spring and basketball looks promising too.

The hockey season ticket drive (now over) resulted in an 89 percent renewal, only one percent less than last year. The inventory for seats requiring a $300 donation sold out while 95 percent of the $200 category was purchased. Six hundred seats in the $100 donation category weren’t purchased and 150 remained in the non-donation group.

At the one-third renewal phase for basketball, the top donation category — $400 per ticket — was the most popular. The season ticket renewal for basketball was thought to be a major challenge for Gophers marketers since coach Tubby Smith’s team finished at 6-12 in the Big Ten and his five-year conference record is 38-52, but Minnesota rallied late in the postseason to play for the NIT title and has a promising group of players returning this fall. The Gophers hockey team is coming off a season when Minnesota lost to Boston College in the semifinals of the Frozen Four.

The Gophers football season ticket renewal campaign is also complete, ending with 89 percent renewal. The athletic department is working with the Atlanta-based Aspire Group to sell football tickets this summer with 12-full time sales reps expected to begin work on June 11.

Nearly all 25 sports programs at Minnesota compiled cumulative GPA’s of 3.0 or better by their athletes during spring semester. Solid academic performances in football and basketball include the news that no high profile players are expected to have eligibility issues.

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Indiana Offers Scholarship to Tyus Jones

Posted on May 21, 2012May 21, 2012 by David Shama

Indiana is the latest school to offer a college scholarship to Apple Valley High School sophomore Tyus Jones, according to his mother Debbie Jones.

She said the offer came about two weeks ago. Previous offers include Arizona, Baylor, Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State.

Tyus is regarded by prep experts as the best point guard in the country for the class of 2014 but he might never make the cover of Sports Illustrated like his pal Jabari Parker. The Chicago forward is on last week’s cover, being promoted as the best high school player since LeBron James.

The article featured Parker’s faith as a Mormon. “He’s a great kid,” Debbie said.

In the magazine story Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said Parker is a role model for kids in that city. “His character and seriousness of purpose are exceptional,” Emanuel said in S.I.

Jones and Parker have talked about attending college together but there are no commitments by either yet. Parker is a junior, one class ahead of Jones. Since it’s probable Parker will only play one season in college before entering the NBA, Jones might not be influenced much by Parker’s college choice.

Debbie said Tyus has been ill with a virus and unable to play basketball in recent weeks. He will attend the USA 17 and under team tryouts in Colorado Springs in mid-June. The USA team will compete in the world tournament in Lithuania from June 29 – July 8.

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Final Four Likely for New Stadium

Posted on May 18, 2012May 21, 2012 by David Shama

With approval for a new Vikings stadium now finally in place, media speculation has started about attracting a Super Bowl to Minneapolis but it might be even easier to bring the NCAA’s Final Four to town.

“I’ll be amazed if we don’t get it (a Final Four),” Bill Lester told Sports Headliners. He is executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission and was part of the group that helped bring Final Fours to the Metrodome in 1992 and 2001.

The Gophers have been the college host for past Final Fours. “We know how to put it on,” said Joel Maturi, Gophers athletic director. “This is a great city (to visit).”

Lester said the Final Four sites are determined through 2016 but beyond then Minneapolis could be in the mix with a bid. “They (the NCAA) like competing cities,” he said.

The NCAA chooses only Final Four sites that are state-of-the-art domed stadiums. The new Vikings stadium will have either a fixed or retractable roof, and Lester said the seating configuration for the Final Four will be about 74,000.

A Super Bowl was held at the Metrodome in 1992. Although the NFL is known to reward new facilities with a Super Bowl, the league has most often selected warm weather cities as the site for games and sometimes in older stadiums. Earlier this year Indianapolis with a new stadium was the Super Bowl site, and Lester believes there’s definitely a possibility Minneapolis could host another Super Bowl within the next 10 years.

Maturi said the Big Ten Conference will be open to considering the new Vikings stadium for the league’s championship football game. That game is committed to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the next four years, and Detroit has expressed interest in hosting the game at Ford Field, according to Maturi.

There’s been quiet talk about establishing an annual college football bowl game (“City of Lakes Bowl?”) in Minneapolis. Maturi acknowledged it could be a difficult sell to convince teams the city is a desirable destination in December but said this is an attractive area with lots to do.

Maturi believes a nonconference basketball game involving the Gophers and a national power might one day be booked for the new Vikings stadium. “I think it’s a natural,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Lester said he’s already hearing from potential users of the new stadium that is projected to open in 2016. Contacts range from inline skating organizers to amateur baseball teams looking for a protective environment. Such contacts are providing input on the design of the new stadium.

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