Gophers Basketball – Page 23 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Men’s & Women’s Hoops Ticket Sales Trend Differently

Posted on November 19, 2023November 19, 2023 by David Shama

Ticket sales for men’s and women’s basketball at the University of Minnesota are in contrast with one another. After consecutive last place finishes in the Big Ten, the men’s program has declined in non-student season tickets sold, while the women’s team has increased interest and sales because of new coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

Sports Headliners requested ticket totals from the University through the discovery process. As of early last week, the U had sold 4,780 men’s non-student season tickets, representing 1,534 accounts. This contrasted with totals of 5,704 and 1,887 for the 2022-2023 season.

The U cited three reasons for decline in sales and accounts. “Changes in life circumstances (including relocating, home/city), general disinterest and poor team performance.”

Ben Johnson was hired as men’s coach in March of 2021 and his first two seasons have been rocky. His overall record is 25-40 and the consecutive last place conference finishes are the first in program history dating back to 1898. Minnesota is a popular media choice to finish at the bottom in 2024 after having a 2-17 league record last season.

Pricing of non-student season tickets is unchanged from 2022-2023, so presumably that wasn’t a deterrent for most past buyers. Fan dissatisfaction is evident, though, and there was preseason fan interest in the amount of the coach’s buyout after the coming season. Sports Headliners has confirmed with the U that if notice was given March 15, 2024 the buyout amount is $6,519,340.

The public can also purchase mini-plans or partial season tickets. That total as of last week was 289 versus 574 for 2022-2023. Mini-plan sales are expected to increase (as they normally do) in the early weeks of the season that began November 6 with a win over Bethune-Cookman.

Student season tickets have declined from 2,699 to 2,033. There’s been no pricing change since last season.

Excluding season tickets and mini-plan tickets, the U reported 7,305 single game tickets sold for the 21-game home schedule. The most interest is in the January 23 Wisconsin game. Projected attendance is 7,054 for the Big Ten home opener December 6 against Nebraska. Williams Arena seating capacity is 14,625.

Attendance generally has been in decline for years. The Gophers averaged 9,451 fans per game last season. That was the lowest since 1970-1971 (8,395). Fewer fans mean less revenue for the self-supporting athletic department that has only three money making sports—football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

Johnson has several key returnees from last season’s team who, along with a few newcomers, could lead to an improved season. Junior forward Dawson Garcia was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of November 5 when he averaged 22.5 points per game in two games. Freshman guard Cam Christie, a four-star recruit from Illinois, scored 18 points in his college debut game against UTSA on November 10. He was entrusted to take the last shot to tie up or win Thursday night’s home game against Missouri but was unsuccessful as the Gophers lost 70-68 after blowing a 20-point second half lead.

The Gophers are 3-1 after yesterday’s 67-53 win over USC Update.

Athletic director Mark Coyle hired Plitzuweit last March to replace Minnesota basketball legend Lindsay Whalen as Gopher women’s head coach. The move drew criticism from those who thought Whalen should have been given one more season to turn around her struggling program but the reception to Plitzuweit has mostly been positive from the public and fans.

Plitzuweit has 28 years of coaching experience, with 16 as a head coach. She has been the head coach of winning teams at (most recently) West Virginia, South Dakota, Northern Kentucky and Grand Valley State. As a head coach she has 15 winning seasons including nine 20-win seasons and two 30-win years.

The 3-0 Gophers play national title contender Connecticut at 4 p.m. today in Williams Arena. The blue-blood Huskies feature Minnesota legend Paige Bueckers, who won national player of the year honors in 2021, and the expected attendance of over 9,000 could be the largest home crowd of the season.

As of last week, 2,469 non-student season tickets, with 899 accounts, had been sold. This contrasted with totals of 1,876 and 704 last season. The U reported “no significant” pricing changes to season tickets from last season.

The mini-plans or partial season tickets total was 244 versus 157 for 2022-2023. There are no student season ticket sales, with students admitted free.

The single game tickets total (excludes season and mini-plan sales) for all 18 home games was 14,902.

Reasons for increased ticket sales include optimism regarding the new coach, excitement about women’s college basketball, an attractive home schedule and a roster that features local talent “playing well.” There are eight Minnesota natives and two Wisconsinites on the roster.

Sophomore guard Mara Braun, from Wayzata, was the Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 5. She averaged 25 points, 5 assists and 3.5 steals in opening season wins over LIU and Chicago State.

The closest win for the Gophers was a 22-point victory over North Dakota State.

Average home attendance last season was 3,353. Fans will turn out when given an exciting and winning team as evidenced about 20 years ago with consecutive seasons averaging more than 9,000 in attendance.

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O’Connell’s Viking Culture Fosters ‘Clear Minded Football’

Posted on November 12, 2023November 16, 2023 by David Shama

Kevin O’Connell and his staff have created a thriving atmosphere for the Vikings. Call it environment, culture, relationships, or what have you, the players are comfortable with their coaches, teammates and themselves.

Prior to O’Connell becoming head coach in February of 2022 there was criticism of the team culture. Linebacker Eric Kendricks talked about a “fear-based” organization under head coach Mike Zimmer. Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins had a contentious relationship per numerous media reports.

But under new leadership the Vikings overachieved last season going 13-4 and winning the NFC North Division. After a 0-3 start this season, they showed resolve by bringing their record to 5-4 after last week’s improbable win over the Falcons when quarterback Joshua Dobbs played hero ball after joining the team mid-week to replace the injured Cousins.

O’Connell could have contributed to a potential panicky environment with the loss of Cousins for the season and a new quarterback who had the most minimal knowledge and familiarity with the plays and personnel. Instead, Dobbs played with poise and success like he was on the school playground with old friends, rallying Minnesota to a 31-28 win despite his situation and having replaced injured starter Jaren Hall in the first quarter.

“…I know K.O. believes that you play your best when you’re enjoying yourself and having a good time and playing free,” offensive tackle Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners. “The last thing anybody wants is to be afraid to make a mistake, and they’ve cultivated a culture in that we can feel confident that they believe in us, and we believe in ourselves, and just go out and play clear minded football.”

Guard Dalton Risner signed with the Vikings as a free agent after the first two games of the season. He had visited the Vikings in the summer and been impressed with O’Connell when the coach agreed to pray with him. Risner said the gesture was “pretty awesome” and suggested to him the kind of organization he could be joining.

The positivity that Risner found in the locker room was evidenced by how Cousins connected with Dobbs and welcomed him. “…He’s been awesome,” Dobbs said. “The first thing he said was, ‘If you need anything, want to know more about the offense, whatever you need – don’t hesitate to call, text.’ And he’s been in our meetings. So just being able to bounce ideas off him, ask him how he sees different plays that we’re installing, it’s been awesome, and I’ll continue to use him as a resource.”

Kevin O’Connell photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

Success can’t be realized, of course, without preparation and game plans. “I think it’s a credit to both the players and the coaches for being ready to roll and consistently having that standard of preparation that we kind of hang our hat on around here,” O’Connell said. “It’s on us as coaches to have a game plan that our guys can absorb and then go thrive in, whether they get the reps or not, and then players making it come to life by their execution. …”

O’Connell’s savant like work as an offensive strategist, play caller, quarterback developer and team leader have positioned him among the early favorites for NFL Coach of the Year. You can be sure he will have the “vote” of his players.

Worth Noting

NFL media authority Mike Florio, talking on Paul Allen’s KFAN show last week, said Dobbs is faster than elusive Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Fans are often impatient but Gophers’ redshirt sophomore QB Athan Kaliakmanis deserves understanding. Going back to his junior year of high school in Illinois he missed part of the schedule because of injury. COVID dictated a reduced senior season schedule in the spring of 2021. That fall he redshirted with the Gophers before getting five starts in 2022. A starter in 10 games this season, Kaliakmanis is working under his third offensive coordinator in three years.

Recall that Bo Nix was a struggling quarterback for Auburn when the Gophers won the 2020 Outback Bowl. Fast forward to this fall when Nix, now playing for Oregon, has started more college games at QB than any collegian ever and is forecasted as an NFL first round draft choice.

Matt Millen, who was here November 4 to work the Minnesota-Illinois game for the Big Ten Network, waited about 100 days in 2018 to receive a heart from a donor and have a successful transplant.

Joe Mauer is eligible for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with an announcement coming in January as to who will be inducted in the summer of 2024. It’s certainly possible the former Twins catcher, whose accomplishments include three batting titles and the 2009 American League MVP Award, will not make it on his first try. Famous players who didn’t receive enough votes in their first year of eligibility include Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Harmon Killebrew. It’s fair to say, though, that in the present era voters (baseball writers) aren’t as persnickety as they once were.

The Brewers would be savvy to consider Paul Molitor as their next manager. His knowledge of baseball is extraordinary, and he has the experience of managing the Twins for four seasons. A former Brewers star, Molitor’s name is legendary in Wisconsin as it is in Minnesota, including from his playing days with the Twins.

Molitor is 67 but older managers can have success. Dusty Baker just retired at 74 and three years ago the White Sox hired Tony La Russa at age 76. Both had storied managerial careers. The Angels hired Ron Washington, 71, as their new manager several days ago.

Jack Wilson, the 6-11, 285-pound grad transfer center, plays hard for the Gophers and with his hulking appearance, effort and limited finesse could become a fan favorite coming off the bench. He may follow in the legacy of past reserves who were fan favorites like Hosea Crittenden, Russ Archambault, Rob Schoenrock, Ryan Saunders and David Grimm.

Kyle Counts, the 6-7 basketball forward from Wilsonville, Oregon who signed with St. Thomas last week as part of the Tommies’ 2024 recruiting class, is the grandson of Mel Counts, the former 7-foot NBA center and 1964 Olympian.

Astute hockey observer and Sports Headliners reader and advertiser (Iron Horse) John Justice points out this state has a history of on-ice tragedies with the most recent being Adam Johnson. The Hibbing native died last month in England while playing hockey and having his throat slit by an opposing player’s blade.

Hockey historians will remember in January of 1968 Bill Masterton, 29 and playing at Met Center for the expansion North Stars, hit his head on the ice during a game and died about 30 hours later. Another North Star from the 1970s, Warroad native Henry Boucha, tragically was poked in the eye by the hockey stick of Dave Forbes from the Bruins and the resulting blurred vision curtailed his promising career.

Duke Pieper was only 15 in 2008 and about to play his first varsity game for Hill-Murray when he suffered a brain bleed and was given about a five percent chance to survive. Surgeries and multiple complications made his life extraordinarily difficult for years, but he earned a college degree at Minnesota and has written an inspiring book called I’m Alive: Courage, Hope and a Miracle.

In 2011 Jack Jablonski, playing on the Benilde-St. Margaret’s junior varsity, suffered a neck injury that left him paralyzed. His spirit for life continues, though, including with his efforts to raise money for spinal cord injury research.

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Cousins Injury Causes Major Implications for 2024

Posted on November 5, 2023November 7, 2023 by David Shama

The Vikings play the Falcons in Atlanta today without Kirk Cousins and with rookie Jaren Hall taking his place at starting quarterback. It was a stunning development seeing the 35-year-old Cousins tear his right Achilles in Green Bay last week.

Cousins played at a high level into the fourth quarter when he was injured. He had done more than enough to position the Vikings for a third consecutive win and even the season record at 4-4.

Coach Kevin O’Connell and the players knew Cousins was running the offense and passing the football like an All-Pro. Offensive guard Dalton Risner described Cousins as “a spectacular human being and an extraordinary quarterback.”

He told Sports Headliners “losing a guy like that is devastating” but he also expressed optimism. “Kirk is gonna be just fine but we gotta move forward. We gotta play for Kirk and play for this organization.”

This was Cousins’ team and his leadership showed. He even led the team in prayer before every game. Players joined him in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Today’s game will be the first of nine where Cousins won’t be able to take the field while he rehabs from surgery. It’s anyone’s guess as to how he will be physically in 2024. Does he return with restrictions as to what his body can do? How soon could he be back on the practice field and game ready? If all goes well, who will he play for and at what level of compensation?

“Yes, with Kirk’s age and injury you don’t know if/when he will be 100 percent,” a football authority wrote via text to Sports Headliners. “Even worse (the) Vikes lost trade value, though (they)won’t have to pay market value to keep him. I think he likes raising family here and is a Midwest guy at heart, so he will stay if Vikes want to keep him.

“You won’t find many quarterbacks as accurate as Kirk (if protected). Troy Aikman bragged on Kirk all Monday night versus Niners (October 23) as he can see the value of Kirk’s skill set. Vikings fans will certainly gain appreciation over the next few weeks when they see the backup quarterbacks perform.

“Kirk makes many big-time throws look easy and fans have gotten used to those ‘easy’ completions. When you break down some of Kirk’s throws, his level of timing and accuracy are as good as it gets in the NFL. …It will be an interesting finish to the season.”

Cousins will be a free agent next year and he’s already thinking about a return to the field. It’s believed the Vikings are his first choice for 2024 and O’Connell is on record as wanting his guy back. O’Connell believes Cousins was having his best season, and he is left wondering what the Vikings might have achieved with a full season and playoffs with No. 8.

“Yeah, you guys (the media) know how I feel about Kirk,” O’Connell said last week. “Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League. …”

The Vikings ownership and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were unable to reach a contract extension last offseason with Cousins. Now the GM says all options are open as they were before the injury.

That, of course, is GM speak. The Vikings and Cousins will both evaluate his health next winter. Even if both parties are optimistic about future performance, the Vikings are all but certain to offer less money and perhaps contract length than before the surgery.

In 2023 Cousins is reportedly making $35 million on a one-year deal. He might ask for the same money in 2024 and want a two-year contract. The Vikings could be thinking of the $25 million range for one year. If Cousins had been able to play the entire season, he might have been looking for $38 million or more for a couple of years.

There’s no assurance Cousins will be back with Minnesota. The 49ers might be more likely than ever to land him. Second year QB Brock Purdy has created doubts this season as the 49ers have lost three consecutive games. His lack of accuracy in big moments and inability to rally the 49ers late in games has been a problem for a team otherwise loaded with talent and experience.

A move to the 49ers would be a reunion with head coach Kyle Shanahan who was offensive coordinator for the Redskins during Cousins’ first two seasons in the NFL, 2012 and 2013. Shanahan is a fan of Cousins and in California the veteran QB could be the last piece needed to win a Super Bowl.

The Vikings will sort through quarterbacks this fall including Hall and Josh Dobbs who they acquired in a trade with the Cardinals last week. Maybe they find something they like in them, or they could pursue a first-round QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those avenues might work, but if Cousins returns healthy, nobody they acquire will be better than No. 8 was during the last Sunday of October.

“I think Kirk will be back as good as ever,” Risner said. “Strong man of faith. He’s an extraordinary human being. A very hard worker and I can’t wait to see when he comes back. I hope I’m on the same team as Kirk Cousins.”

Worth Noting

With the trade of left guard Ezra Cleveland last week, there is no doubt Risner is the starter at that position. Risner didn’t sign with the Vikings until after the first two games of the season and he reportedly is on a one-year deal.

At first his playing time was limited. “I think that they wanted to give me time to get to know the playbook,” Risner said.

Risner also said that in the strong Vikings’ “culture” he wasn’t just going to be placed immediately in the starting lineup and coaches wanted him to “earn it and respect it.” Risner, a five-year veteran with the Broncos until this year, made his presence known. “So I put my head down when I got my opportunity. I tried to capitalize on it, and I think I did.”

The Vikings know they need to avoid the temptation to try too hard in making up for the absence of Cousins. “We each gotta stay composed and just try not to do too much because that’s when things fall apart,” Danielle Hunter told Sports Headliners.

The 29-year-old outside linebacker leads the NFL in sacks with 10, but he said there is no bonus in his contract to reward him if he is still on top at season’s end. His birthday was October 29 and although he missed major playing time in the past with injuries, he said if players take care of their bodies it’s “limitless” how long they can play.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Hunter said. “The training staff, the head coach, they do a good job of keeping us fresh. Enables us to go out there and play full speed.”

Hunter said his enthusiasm to play football remains high. It was there from the beginning and although there were doubters that just “fueled the fire.”

A sports industry source emailed with the prediction Twins radio play-by-play voice Cory Provus will soon be announced as the replacement for Dick Bremer on TV play-by-play. Provus joined the Twins radio broadcast team in 2012, while Bremer announced last week he was retiring from broadcasting after 40 years doing TV for the club. He is transitioning into a special assistant role in the front office.

Greg Eslinger, the former Gopher center and one of the most honored offensive linemen in Big Ten football history, will learn in January if he has been voted into the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Voting coordinated by the National Football Foundation is completed for candidates like Eslinger who in 2005 received the Outland Trophy (the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman) and the Rimington Trophy (the country’s best center). He was the 2005 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (only Gopher ever honored) and was awarded with the 2006 Big Ten Medal of Honor (the conference’s oldest and most prestigious award).

Alarming: announced attendance of 2,604 for the Gophers’ men’s basketball home exhibition game last Thursday night against Macalester.

Al Schoch, WCCO Radio news anchor/reporter, is one of the Minnesota Wild’s press box announcers. He also does public address work for Augsburg women’s basketball and Cretin-Derham Hall boys’ and girls’ basketball. The Pennsylvania native started doing public address work as a 15-year-old in Stroudsburg.

Word is the Bloomington-based CORES lunch program featuring prominent speakers, mostly from Minnesota sports, may have found new leadership. CORES didn’t have its regular meeting in September and has been seeking new organizers to continue. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators, and sports fans.

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