Gophers Basketball – Page 30 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Prep Authority Raves about U Hire

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

University of Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle checked the right boxes with the hire of Dawn Plitzuweit as the Gophers new head women’s basketball coach. Plitzuweit (pronounced PLITTS-zoo-white) is an experienced coach with a winning record who has recruiting relationships and cultural ties to this region.

Brian Cosgriff, the girls’ basketball coaching legend who won seven state titles at Hopkins and is now at Minnetonka, told Sports Headliners “it’s an incredible hire.” Plitzuweit and Cosgriff have known each other for years and the new Gopher coach called her friend Saturday morning. “She is really a bright, forward-thinking lady,” Cosgriff said.

In regard to experience, she is in contrast to Lindsay Whalen who as a first-time coach couldn’t make the transition from great player to building a winning program at her alma mater during a five-year trial. Coyle took a chance on Whalen and most everybody else in the state would have done the same with the former Gopher and Lynx legend.

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. Plitzuweit’s teams have participated in the postseason 15 of 16 seasons and been in the last four NCAA Tournaments. Her career coaching record is 356-141 (.721) and she is 201-66 (.752) in league play.

Her resume includes the Big Ten where she was associate head coach at Michigan. The Michigan Tech graduate and West Bend, Wisconsin native has recruited Minnesota over the years.”…I am…looking forward to reconnecting with local high school and club coaches. I can’t wait to get to work,” Plitzuweit said in a statement released by the Gophers.

Plitzuweit, 50, could be the right age to make Minnesota her last career stop and turn the Gophers into a special program. “I honestly think it’s her dream job,” said Cosgriff.

She reportedly earned $550,000 last season at West Virginia. Whalen, who stepped down as Gopher coach in early March, was to be paid $574,761 starting next month. Most recently she earned $547,391. Specific compensation hasn’t been announced for Plitzuweit but she will receive a six-year contract pending approval by the Board of Regents.

Plitzuweit is the 13^th head women’s basketball coach at Minnesota, all females. The Gophers will hold a news conference Monday at 12:30 p.m. to introduce their coach. It will be carried live on the Big Ten Network and the Gophers’ YouTube channel.

Worth Noting

Minnesota lost the Big Ten Tournament hockey championship game last night to Michigan, 4-3 , playing in an electric atmosphere at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The game sold out in less than 36 hours and was the team’s ninth home sellout of the season as fans clamored to see a game between the No. 1 nationally ranked Gophers and No. 4 Wolverines and featuring 26 NHL draft choices.

In a home two-game series against Michigan January 20-21, the Gophers had a total attendance of 20,755, the most fans for a weekend series in arena history. Minnesota has been a draw on the road, too, mostly playing in front of sellout crowds.

Saturday morning StubHub, the Gophers’ secondary ticket partner, was listing tickets ranging from $135 each to $666. The public is starved for a Minnesota winner and this Gopher team has a chance to win the school’s first national championship since 2002.

The foundation is built on both defense and goal scoring. Defenseman Brock Faber and goalie Justen Close are names that surface quickly when talking about shutting down opponents, while the nationally publicized line of Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jimmy Snuggerud is talked about as among the best in school history. Cooley and Knies are among 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, and one of them could win the honor of being named the nation’s best college hockey player, and the first Gopher to do that since Jordan Leopold in 2002.

Coach Bob Motzko has been true to program tradition in assembling a 26-man roster dominated by Minnesotans with 20 players from the state. But he’s kept up with the times bringing key personnel from beyond the border. Cooley is from Pittsburgh, Knies from Phoenix and Close from Saskatchewan.

If the Gophers qualify, Stillwater-based Creative Charters is offering a fan trip, April 6 to 9, to the Frozen Four in Tampa. The trip is part of a creative list of 2023 travel experiences planned by Steve and Dorothy Erban including what they’re billing as “the trip of a lifetime” to North Carolina in September.

The football Gophers play in Chapel Hill Saturday, September 16 against North Carolina and Heisman Trophy quarterback candidate Drake Maye. In addition to football entertainment, the goal of the September 13-17 trip is to “provide a true North Carolina experience.”

Travelers will visit the Charlotte Speedway and get an inside look at NASCAR racing. Not only that, but some Minnesotans will be able to ride in a high-speed Ford Mustang performance car driven by a professional driver. There will also be a visit to learn about the famous North Carolina furniture industry, opportunity to play golf and tour the historic North Carolina and Duke campuses.

Matt Weimann (left). Photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas.

Among the many prospects working out in front of professional scouts at Minnesota Pro Day last week were decorated players like Gophers All-Americans Mo Ibrahim and John Michael Schmitz. But there were also many players much more uncertain about their professional football futures including former St. Thomas center Matt Weimann.

The former Hill-Murray player told Sports Headliners his hope is to be signed as a free agent and gain an NFL tryout but he “would love to play anywhere.” In his mind the USFL or Canadian Football League could be options.

Weimann, about 6-3 and 300 plus-pounds, was All-Pioneer League last season. He has lost some weight and was pleased with his 28-inch vertical jump at the U Pro Day. He said his strength is as a run blocker and he is training to play guard and center at the next level, knowing versatility in skills is valuable.

Weimann raves about the coaching he received at St. Thomas including from head coach Glenn Caruso who he refers to as “phenomenal.” He said Caruso treats his players like family and that his leadership is unlike any he’s seen in coaching.

An All-District player in high school, Weimann didn’t receive attention from the Gophers. “The U didn’t recruit me at all. I tried to reach out. Definitely would have been interested in walking on, or at least looking and seeing what the program was about. But I never got any responses from any sort of recruiting from the U of M.”

Schmitz, one of college football’s premier centers last season, is expected to be drafted in the early rounds. Ibrahim, cornerback Terell Smith, safety Jordan Howden and quarterback Tanner Morgan are candidates for later rounds.

Cathy Gorlin & Marshall Tanick with Mark Wilf (center). Photo courtesy of Marshall Tanick.

Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf paid tribute to the late Bud Grant and spoke on other subjects Friday as the guest speaker at the Minnesota Breakfast gathering in Naples, Florida. Wilf also referenced a survey of NFL players that ranked the Vikings No. 1 among 32 teams in off the field satisfaction with the organization. He said the team will seek offensive linemen in the NFL Draft and through free agency to provide better pass protection and promised an improved defense in 2023.

Wilf also told breakfast attendees ownership rarely gets involved with decision making for the NFL Draft, except for concerns about player character. He added that “60 to 70” draft prospects are disqualified each year by the Vikings because of character issues.

Archives quote from Bud Grant about dancing: “Not only am I not good, I’ve never danced in my life. I always was very shy (as a youth) and I never learned to dance. I was too self-conscious and I was taller than most of the girls so I never learned how to dance—much to the chagrin of my wife.”

A former NFL executive talking anonymously about departed Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen: “…I think Adam Thielen will find a good opportunity, perhaps with the Jets if Aaron Rodgers ends up there. Because they have a tight relationship.”

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Hockey Guru Lauds U, Praises Warroad

Posted on March 7, 2023March 15, 2023 by David Shama

It’s a special week in the State of Hockey with the boys’ state tournament starting Wednesday and the Golden Gophers playing Saturday night in what could be a playoff run to the national championship.

Hockey icon Lou Nanne, 81, talked to Sports Headliners about the preps and Gophers on Monday. He began doing TV color commentary in the state tourney 59 years ago and will be behind a microphone for both Class AA semifinal games Friday and the championship game Saturday.

“I think Warroad could be the best team in the state,” Nanne said. “I think they should win single A and Minnetonka is the favorite in double A. But it’s going to be close. There’s a lot of good teams.”

Warroad’s opening game is Wednesday night against St. Cloud Cathedral, a team the Warriors beat 4-0 last fall. Warroad also owns wins over Class A state tourney rivals Mahtomedi and Orono. The Warriors defeated Wayzata, 3-2, a Class AA team that almost made the state tournament.

“…Everybody tells me they’ve got a phenomenal team,” Nanne said. “You look at their schedule. They beat double A teams as easily as they beat (other) teams.”

Nanne, who spends part of his winters in Florida, was captain of the 1962-1963 Gophers and his heart is in Dinkytown. The No. 1 nationally ranked Gophers, 25-8-1 overall and 19-4-1 in Big Ten games, play Michigan State, 18-17-2 and 10-12-2, at 8 p.m. Saturday night in 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan State is No. 5. Minnesota is a favorite not only to win the conference tourney but to go all the way to Tampa and come home with the national championship in the Frozen Four April 6 and 8.

To say Nanne is excited about the Gophers might be understating things. “Yes, I am very hopeful they not only make the Final Four but win it. It’s in Tampa, which I love, so I can just drive over to it. It’s a fabulous team. That first line is the best line…I’ve ever seen…at the U.”

Minnesota has a line for the ages in freshmen Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud, and sophomore Matthew Knies. Enjoy their playmaking while you can because all three could be gone to the pros next season.

The Gophers won the regular season conference championship for the sixth time in 10 years. In the standings they totaled 19 points better than second place Michigan.

Minnesota’s last national title was in 2002. Is this the best Gopher team since then? “Yeah, I think it is,” Nanne said. “This is a terrific team.”

No team wins championships, including a postseason run of success, without outstanding goal keeping. Senior Justen Close, who came to the Gophers from the Canadian Juniors, is one of the best goalies in the country.

“He’s been a great addition to the team,” Nanne said. “He might be even somewhat of a surprise. I don’t know if they knew he was going to play that well.”

Coach Bob Motzko, who took over the program for the 2019-2020 season, was an assistant on Minnesota’s national championship teams in 2002 and 2001. He’s worked hard to build a special team and had to do it in the midst of losing his son Mack in a car accident in 2021.

“Well, he’s done a marvelous job from the first day he’s gone in there, and that’s why I am really hopeful he gets rewarded with an NCAA championship this year,” Nanne said.

Part of the Motzko years have included playing before large numbers of empty seats at home games. But no more as the Gophers have been wildly cheered on by sellout crowds.

“Oh, that’s the best,” Nanne said. “I am just so happy to see that. I am glad the people are realizing what a great product they have over there. It’s just tremendous to see the support, and the student section, the excitement they generate in that building, I think it’s fantastic.”

There are, of course, no guarantees the fans go home happy Saturday night. Minnesota had a bye last weekend and hasn’t played since a week ago last Saturday.

“The biggest problem I worry about is whenever you have a bye, you’re not as sharp coming out of the bye,” Nanne said. “You’re sitting out for a couple weeks and so that’s the thing that concerns me.”

Worth Noting

Nanne was an All-American for the Gophers, an Olympian, and player and executive for the NHL North Stars. He is a member of more than a half dozen halls of fame including induction last week into the Star Tribune Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.

The St. Thomas basketball team is more than impressive for a program in only its second season of Division I competition. The Tommies advanced to the Summit League tournament title game where they lost last night 70-65 to Oral Roberts in Sioux Falls. The Tommies were 19-14 overall, 9-9 in conference games. Their season is over because the NCAA is making them wait three more years to be eligible for postseason play as part of the agreement the school made to jump from Division III to I.

Minnesota plays a Nebraska team Wednesday night in the Big Ten Tournament that includes Keisei Tominaga, referred to as the “Japanese Steph Curry.” Tominaga wears No. 30 like Curry and is an electric shooter like his hero. The Huskers’ second leading scorer at 12.5 points per game, the 6-foot-2 Tominaga has remaining college eligibility for next season but could play professionally in his native Japan.

The Gophers are heavy with front court returnees and it wouldn’t be surprising if 7-foot Minnesota native Treyton Thompson enters the transfer portal. He averages 11 minutes per game and some games doesn’t play at all.

Best guess is Sonny Gray, 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA a year ago, will be the Twins’ opening day pitcher against the Royals in Kansas City March 30.

Pablo Lopez, who the Twins acquired in the offseason from the Marlins, could be a solid bet, too. His ability to throw strikes is impressive. The son of two doctors, Lopez will pitch for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic that starts tomorrow.

MLB.com singled out Twins shortstop Brooks Lee yesterday as one of 30 prospects among major league teams “who have turned heads this spring.” Less than a year ago he was playing for Cal Poly but he has made an impressive transition to pro baseball after the Twins chose him No. 8 overall in the 2022 amateur draft.

The Athletic’s NBA power rankings out yesterday have the Timberwolves at No. 13 after previously being No. 17. Ex-Wolves coach and deal maker Tom Thibodeau has the Knicks at No. 6 in the ranking of the league’s 30 teams.

Happy birthday to Minnetonka girls’ basketball coach Brian Cosgriff.

Comments Welcome

Time Expired on Whalen Experiment

Posted on March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 by David Shama

Lindsay Whalen and Mark Coyle announced the right decision yesterday regarding Whalen stepping down as the University of Minnesota women’s basketball coach. Whalen had five seasons to make winning progress with the program and she was unable to do so.

On the street and among media there was a common view that Whalen was going to receive one more year to show she was the right coach for Minnesota. But Coyle is justified in moving on now from Whalen who had never coached before accepting the job at her alma mater.

The women’s program is capable of not only more on court success but coming closer financially to operating in the black. The program has never paid its own way, and now the disastrous season by the men’s basketball program has resulted in revenues being far less than the potential for that cash cow. Maybe Coyle, who waited too long to part ways with former men’s coach Richard Pitino and made an iffy hire in Ben Johnson, wanted to move on from Whalen and not wait a year when he could be dealing with change in the men’s program, too.

Whalen remains one of the most revered sports heroes in state history for her on-court play for the Gophers, Lynx and U.S. Olympic teams. The Hutchinson native had an emotional day yesterday and understandably chose at the last minute not to participate in a news conference with Coyle who described the departure of his coach as a mutual decision.

Maybe not. Whalen posted this on Twitter last night: “I will be ‘appearing’ and ‘showing up’ for a press conference in the near future. My sincere apologies for not being there today as I was overcome with emotion in the elevator on my way to the press conference. I am a human being.”

The season ended with a thud Wednesday afternoon. Playing in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament—a home environment in front of supporters at Target Center—Whalen’s team lost to Penn State, another bottom feeder in the league who the Gophers had defeated twice earlier in the season.

It wasn’t a pretty loss. The Gophers trailed by as many as 18 points and struggled against a full court press. Minnesota rallied late in the fourth quarter before losing, 72-67, and the team received obligatory praise for its efforts from Whalen.

The Gophers finished the season with a record of 11-19. Their regular season conference record was 4-14. That landed Whalen’s fifth Gopher team in next to last place in the Big Ten.

Not an uplifting way to recognize 50 years of women’s basketball at the U.

Since taking over the Gophers Whalen’s teams never finished above .500 in the Big Ten, with the best showing 9-9 her first season. A legendary Final Four player for the Gophers, she never coached her team to the NCAA Tournament. Whalen’s three predecessors this millennium have all been more successful by far than she has been.

Whalen will stay with the department as a special assistant to the AD through April 12, 2025. That is the date her five-year coaching contract ends. It’s not known what her compensation will be in the new role.

Starting in contract year four (was to begin next month) her base salary was to be $574,761. Most recently she earned $547,391.

Worth Noting

St. Thomas is fast earning respect and attention for its success in Division I sports. With wealthy alums and admirers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see NIL become a bigger success with the Tommies than the Gophers.

The No. 1 ranked U men’s hockey team has a talented line for the ages in freshmen Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud, and sophomore Matthew Knies, but all three could be gone to the pros next season. Cooley might be the most likely returnee, with chances greatest that Snuggerud and Knies will leave.

Former MLB umpire and St. Paul native Tim Tschida speaks to the Capital Club March 8 at Mendakota Country Club. More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com

Burl Oaks Golf Club is the Minnesota Golf Association’s Club of the Year for 2022. The Minnetrista course hosted the MGA Players’ Championship last year.

Minikahda pro Jeff Sorenson recently won the Pebble Beach ProAm at Pebble Beach and Spyglass, earning his 157^th career win in harsh conditions including cold, wind and snow.

Kaat, Carew & Oliva. Photo contributed by Marshall Tanick.

Rod Carew, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, a trio of Cooperstown Hall of Famers, entertained a recent crowd of about 500 at a Minnesota Breakfast Club gathering in Naples, Florida. The former Twins all played together including on the West Division championship teams of 1969 and 1970. Baseball’s efforts to speed up the game is welcome news to Carew who said he has lost interest.

Players earn a lot more now than when Carew, Kaat and Oliva played. MLB player salaries averaged a record high $4.2 million last season, per Front Office Sports.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will give a video presentation at the 2023 Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic. The nationally admired annual clinic will again feature Gopher coaches including P.J. Fleck. Clinic dates are March 30, 31 and April 1 with more information available at https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/

The U Athletic Department has suites available for the upcoming football season starting at $4,500 per game. The home schedule is attractive with games that include Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Elite Ink is promoting a Kirill Kaprizov memorabilia sale that includes a signed $890 white jersey.

Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle, Gopher forwards and native Minnesotans, are two of 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given annually to the top player in Division I women’s college hockey.

Former Gopher Jamal Mashburn Jr., now at New Mexico, leads the Mountain West in scoring at 19.4 points per game. The Lobos, led by coach Richard Pitino, are 21-9 overall but only 8-9 in league games and are questionable to make the NCAA Tournament.

Former Viking Herschel Walker is 61 today.

I am speaking to the CORES lunch group about my column and career Thursday, March 9 at the Bloomington Event Center. Reservations can be made by emailing Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

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