Gophers Basketball – Page 18 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wolves Comeback Kids in 2023-2024

Posted on April 3, 2024April 4, 2024 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column.

The Timberwolves trailed the Rockets by 11 points early in the second quarter last night but came back to win 113-106 at Target Center. It was the 15th double-digit comeback win of the season, further establishing a franchise record (previous best 12 in 2017-2018).

The Wolves are tied with the Bulls for the second-most such wins in the NBA this season (Thunder 16 wins). The comeback victories are a key reason Minnesota is in position to finish first in the Western Conference for only the second time in franchise history.

It could be a nod of things to come when Chris Paddack makes his first pitching start today since the spring of 2022 for the Twins, who have at least two uncertain spots in their starting rotation. Paddack, who had Tommy John arm surgery in 2022 and 2016, will pitch against the Brewers in Milwaukee when the Twins try to end a two-game losing streak where they have produced just seven total hits in 11-0 and 3-2 losses to the Royals Sunday and Brewers yesterday.

Paddack was tagged “The Sheriff” because of his Austin, Texas roots when he pitched for the Padres. Fans attended games wearing cowboy boots and badges with “Paddack’s Posse” inscribed on them while cheering for the right hander. He was acquired by the Twins in 2022 and made five starts before needing Tommy John surgery.

The Vikings have scheduled voluntary Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices on these dates at Twin Cities Orthopedic Performance Center: May 20, 21, 23, 28, 29 and 31, June 10, 11, 12 and 13. The mandatory minicamp at their Eagan training center will be June 4, 5 and 6.

Word is Ari Peterson, the daughter of former Vikings great Adrian Peterson, will transfer from Providence Academy to Minnetonka for the next school year. Ari, probably the best eighth grader in the state last season, already has a college offer from the Gophers and would join a Skippers team that is expecting three returning starters and is the 2024 Class 4A champions.

Former Viking Chad Greenway’s daughter Maddyn plays at Providence and will be one of the best players in the state next season as a junior. Don’t be surprised if all four of Greenway’s athletic daughters go to Iowa where Chad and his wife Jenni went to school.

Sources speculate former Gophers center Pharrel Payne, now in the transfer portal, will receive Name, Image and Likeness compensation well into six-figures at his next stop.

MLB.com recently asked 88 baseball authorities to vote for their choices for 2024 division champs and the World Series winner. The Twins, the popular choice to win the AL Central, host the Dodgers next week in a three-game series and Los Angeles was voted to lose in the World Series to the Orioles.

Twins’ front office executives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine make their annual speaking appearances before the Twin Cities Dunkers April 10. St. Paul native and retired MLB umpire Tim Tschida speaks to the group April 24.

Twins president Dave St. Peter found it “refreshing” how the national media regarded Joe Mauer’s career as a catcher and how that view helped him to be voted into the Hall of Fame in the St. Paul native’s first year of eligibility. “I was pleasantly surprised (at his election),” St. Peter told Sports Headliners.

St. Peter said Mauer was “underappreciated” in Minnesota because of his mega contract, team performance in his later years, injuries and switching positions from catcher to first base. “Those 10 years (catching) really stack up against any catcher that’s ever played the game. I think Joe is getting his due because of that. And that’s really special and I am so excited for him, and I am excited for the Twins. It’s a big deal for our franchise.”

Joe, along with brothers Jake and Billy, will be inducted into the Mancini’s Sports Hall of Fame May 13 at Mancini’s Char House. Others being inducted are Bart and Brad Buetow, Bob Hill, Jerry Kline and Bob Nicosia posthumously. Tony Ruiz will be recognized with a special award for his community work. Charley Walters will emcee with Dick Jonckowski also speaking.

The Gophers’ Mark Crawford, participating in spring practice as he prepares for his final season as the team’s No. 1 punter, is seven years older than Viking punter Ryan Wright. The 30-year-old Australian has lettered four years with the Gophers and was All-Big Honorable Mention last year as selected by the media.

There will be a benefit from 6 to 8 p.m. April 14 at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena in Cottage Grove raising funds to help offset medical costs and living expenses for Cole Basset, a 41-year-old hockey coach and skills instructor for Park High School who is battling a rare form of cancer. Attendees can enjoy skating, a silent auction, food and beverage offerings and more at the event for Basset whose playing career included four years at Minnesota State. His GoFundMe site is https://gofund.me/73da1f8e

The Wild plays a rare pair of matinees Saturday and Sunday, hosting the Jets for a 3 p.m. home game and then playing the Blackhawks in Chicago in a 2:30 p.m. start. The Jets are 3-0 this season against Minnesota, with the Wild dominating the Blackhawks in recent seasons winning 11 consecutive times dating back to 2020.

The Wild stopped a five-game Senators win streak last night with a 3-2 victory behind goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. He is one of two active NHL goalies (Frederik Andersen is the other) to have at least 50 wins while playing for three or more franchises.

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Glen Taylor: No Interest Now in Selling Wolves, Lynx

Posted on March 28, 2024March 28, 2024 by David Shama

Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners this morning his Timberwolves and Lynx franchises are no longer for sale. The closing deadline for the final payment to gain controlling interest of the franchises by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez was March 27. “…That was yesterday and they didn’t get it done,” Taylor said.

Taylor also said the March 27 deadline was an extension of a previous date in late February for the Lore and Rodriguez group to pay the final amount of $600 million in the $1.5 billion deal. Taylor said there was no request to extend the March 27 deadline as part of a payment schedule that began with an agreement in 2021.

Taylor said Lore and Rodriguez own about 36 percent of the franchises. Will they continue as limited partners. “That’s my assumption,” Taylor said. “They certainly can and my assumption is they would want to.”

Asked about whether he is disappointed about the sale falling through, the 82-year-old Taylor answered: “No, I am not disappointed. I think that I’ve run the club in the past and I will in the future. We worked really hard to put this team (the Timberwolves) together and I am more apt to want to just continue it out for a longer period of time.”

Taylor, who has enjoyed owning both franchises for more than 25 years, frequently receives inquiries about selling his teams. He said he won’t be entertaining offers or seeking them in the foreseeable future.

The going price for NBA franchises is considerably more than the $1.5 billion that sparked an agreement in 2021. The Timberwolves, who might command $3 billion now, are 50-22 and having one of the best years in franchise history. Taylor is enthusiastic about the season and hoping for a deep playoff run.

It was reported earlier in the month that Lore and Rodriguez were positioned to make their final payment with the help of a private equity company. Did Taylor hear what happened with the investor? “No, I wasn’t involved in any of that.”

Asked if he expected any pushback or litigation regarding the failed transaction, Taylor said: “Just as a businessman I am always aware that’s always a possibility. I think that would be a legal matter.”

Taylor said he is open to communications with Lore and Rodriguez. “I certainly would talk to them if they want to talk. They are owners. They’re partners. Why wouldn’t I talk to them?”

Worth Noting

In reply to a Discovery request from Sports Headliners, the University of Minnesota said by electronic reply there is no preference at this time on whether to renovate Williams Arena or replace it. The U is in the early process of deciding what action to take with the facility that will be 100 years old in 2028.

Presumably renovation will be less expensive than a new arena. The Athletic Department already owes millions of dollars for loans on existing facilities including The Athletes Village and Huntington Bank Stadium. Renovating Williams Arena as the home for the men’s and women’s basketball teams could well be more attractive to the U than a new building. Keeping the old facility will also be popular with many ticket buyers who are nostalgic about the place affectionately referred to as “The Barn.”

Regardless of the decision, the prediction here is for a home with less than the current capacity of Williams Arena, 14,625. The last two seasons the men’s program has been averaging fewer than 10,000 fans per game. Fewer seats mean fewer tickets to sell and if there is demand to see the Gophers that puts pressure on buyers to purchase seats early including full season commitments.

Kali Engeman, a middle block from Excelsior, is transferring from Georgia Tech to play for the Gophers where she will have two seasons of eligibility. She is the granddaughter of Steve Lundeen, starting center on the last Gophers Big Ten championship team in 1967. “I’m, as you can imagine, over the moon happy,” Lundeen texted about Kali who will graduate a year early from Tech in May with her engineering degree.

This is a milestone time for broadcast icon Dave Lee, the former WCCO Radio morning drive time host who for years has been the play-by-play TV voice on Minnesota state tournament high school basketball games. It was 50 years ago that he broadcast his first play-by-play boys and girls games for KRAD Radio in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association and its leadership continue to impress with their lineup of activities, programs and speakers for the MFCA Clinic April 4-6 at the DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park and on the U campus. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has been added to the lineup of powerhouse speakers that includes the Gophers’ P.J. Fleck and assistants, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and former Gophers defensive coordinator and now Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel.

Four longtime sports executives with Minnesota ties have launched a company called Ignitor Partners that will provide marketing, communication, public relations, legal and sponsorship expertise to brands, sports properties, organizations and municipalities in Minnesota and other places. President Patrick Klinger said via email the company takes its name from his friend Paul Molitor who during his Hall of Fame baseball career was known as the Ignitor. Klinger’s three colleagues in the new endeavor are Scott E. Erickson, Bob Hagan and Bill Robertson.

Isaac Morton, the Texas A&M freshman pitcher from Spring Lake Park High School, is 1-0 with the Aggies. Morton, who was selected in the 19^th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Brewers, has pitched 11.1 innings with a 2.38 ERA.

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Taylor: Equity Group Not in Place for Wolves Sale

Posted on March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 by David Shama

Finalizing the deal to sell the NBA Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx remains unclear with a deadline of March 27 looming.

In 2021 owner Glen Taylor struck a multi-phase payment plan with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to acquire the Minneapolis-based basketball franchises for $1.5 billion. The final payment to give Lore and Rodriguez majority control over the teams (Taylor becomes a minority owner) is due a week from Wednesday.

That deadline is an extension of a previous date and indicates the challenge the buyers have experienced in raising capital needed for the takeover. Taylor told Sports Headliners yesterday about $600 million is needed to make the final payment.

Doubters might be skeptical of the sale being completed. Taylor’s communications with the two buyers haven’t been frequent of late but he did offer important news about financing.

“They had an equity group that was going to come in and put in $300 million, and that equity group has either withdrawn or the NBA has denied them,” Taylor said. “They have to go out and find new revenue. That I do know. I don’t know if they found it or what they’re going to do. We haven’t seen the schedule of ownership yet.”

The NBA will have a final call on approving the sale even if the Lore and Rodriguez group meet their final payment obligation. That might not be a slam dunk. If the league isn’t convinced the new owners can meet operating obligations with their finances, approval won’t be granted.

It’s believed Lore and Rodriguez will want to replace Target Center to better serve customers while improving revenues and financial value of the two franchises. A source told Sports Headliners the Farmers Market near downtown is a site of interest to the potential new owners.

Taylor would neither confirm nor deny the speculation about the location at 312 East Lyndale Avenue North. “…I don’t think I am the one that should comment on that. I think you should ask that of those guys.”

Gophers Basketball Notes

Anticipating how a college basketball team will perform the next season has never been dicier than it is now. With players having “free agency” to change schools at a whim, it’s best not to go overboard about the Gophers who potentially could have all five starters return.

The possibility of having center Pharell Payne, forward Dawson Garcia and guards Cam Christie, Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr. returning has college basketball authorities upbeat about Minnesota’s future. School athletic director Mark Coyle says a preseason top 25 ranking could happen, with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Big Ten Network analyst Brian Butch seeing the Gophers as possible title contenders in the Big Ten Conference.

After consecutive last place finishes in the conference and a combined league record of 6-33, coach Ben Johnson had his best Big Ten regular season record going 9-11 and 18-14 overall. Minnesota has its first NIT invite since 2014 and opens play tonight at Butler.

Izzo: “…Ben’s done an unbelievable job with the program. They could be the No. 1 team in the league next year so hat’s off to them.”

Butch told Sports Headliners the Gophers could be “top four” in the league next year. He said his alma mater, Wisconsin, might be in that company, too.

Garcia, a junior, made second team All-Big Ten as chosen by the media. He is averaging 17.7 points per game and has an admirer in Izzo. “…He’s a very good player, and if he keeps getting better, watch out,” the legendary Michigan State coach said.

Hawkins, who ranks second nationally in assists with 7.5 per game, is Garcia’s roommate. “Me and him, we feel like it starts with us. We’re the older guys in the lineup.

“I feel like as we go, the team goes. Dawson is a great player for us. He’s our leading scorer here. We expect a lot out of him, and he gives it to us.”

Hawkins, the team’s point guard, transferred from Howard last year and expects to make a decision soon about returning for his senior season. “I love Minneapolis. It’s like my new home, I guess. I love my teammates and my coaches. They test me every day to get better.

“I feel like in the beginning of the season I was struggling a little bit with turnovers and stuff as far as that, so I feel like through the season I got better and better. Next year I definitely feel like we’ll be a good team, a better team.”

Guard Braeden Carrington played frequently as a sub this year and could be the first player off the bench next season. He said it’s not “too much to hope for” that the Gophers will be a nationally ranked team in the fall of 2024.

Carrington wants to see more consistency within games from the team. At times opponents went on scoring runs and the Gophers became “flustered,” he said. “I think if we can get that figured out (consistency through 40 minutes), I think we’ll be good for next year.”

Carrington, a sophomore defensive stopper, believes he can improve his agility and strength to become an even better defender. “My goal is to be an all-defensive player (in the Big Ten),” he said.

It seems likely Johnson will receive a contract extension and additional compensation in his contract. He is the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 43 and believed to be the lowest paid.

The Badgers, who finished second in the Big Ten Tournament, might have all their starters return except for forward Tyler Wahl from Lakeville. Moving into Wahl’s spot could be Lakeville native Nolan Winter, who is the son of former Gopher center Trevor Winter.

Nolan showed considerable improvement during his freshman year and at 6-11 has exceptional skills including his outside shooting. “I think the future is so bright for Nolan,” said Butch. “He’s a great kid.”

Winter might team with 7-foot junior starter Steven Crowl from Eagan to give the Badgers two bigs in their lineup. They continue the legacy in Madison of exceptional players from Minnesota who became Badgers this millennium.

Wisconsin is in the NCAA Tournament for the 27^th time and is one of only five programs to participate 23 times in the last 25 years. Butch, who is the game radio analyst for Wisconsin, said the ongoing recruiting pipeline to Minnesota is because so many players have found success playing for the Badgers. Those players have bought into a culture of sacrificing for each other, and the Badgers have turned out Big Ten titles and NCAA Tournament runs under coach Bo Ryan and now Greg Gard.

“…They understand what exactly it is to be successful,” Butch said. “They buy into what Wisconsin is about.

“And you’ve seen changes (in style). This year Wisconsin is scoring the ball more than they have. Kids have seen that, too. Greg is willing to change. To adapt. I think that helps, too.”

Izzo said coming to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament was a “tearful visit for me” because of his friendship with the late Flip Saunders, the former Gophers point guard, and Timberwolves executive and coach. “…Flip Saunders deserves to be even thought of more than he probably is here because he loved this city, he loved the Gophers, he loved the Timberwolves, and I love him. Sad to see him not with us right now.”

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