Gophers Basketball – Page 57 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Holmgren Likely to Wait on Decision

Posted on July 7, 2020July 7, 2020 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column with news about prep recruiting, the 3M Open and more.

Don’t look for megastar recruit Chet Holmgren from Minnehaha Academy to announce his college choice this year. While recruits and their families can tire of the relentless contact by recruiters, Holmgren’s father David told Sports Headliners his 7-foot, multi-positional son is unlikely to accept a college basketball scholarship during the fall signing period.

David Holmgren said the most informed decision can be made in the spring because of several factors. Those variables can include the job status of coaches, and transfers going in and out of programs.

Chet Holmgren, who may emerge next winter as the consensus top recruit in the nation for the class of 2021, has a list of seven schools he is focusing on including Minnesota. David, a former Gopher, said his son’s final choice will be “more up to him” than it will be a collaborative family decision.

Totino-Grace tight end Joe Alt, who was a top target for Minnesota’s 2021 recruiting class, verbally committed to Notre Dame yesterday. 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu had predicted Alt would choose the Irish over Minnesota, Iowa and other offers.

In a story by Trieu yesterday he quoted John Alt, Joe’s dad, that the recent departure of often praised Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle was a factor in Joe not selecting the Hawkeyes. “He wanted to be trained by (Chris) Doyle and Doyle is gone,” said John Alt, a former Hawkeye. “It fell into place with Notre Dame and it’s hard to argue it.” …

Alt likely is attracted to Notre Dame by a combination of factors including the program’s success in developing NFL linemen, the school’s academic excellence, faith-based values, and storied football tradition. Alt is close to four-star status, per 247Sports.

Jeff Ferguson, who retired as Totino-Grace’s head football coach in February, knows a lot about Alt and has high praise for him as a person and football player. “I think he is just a tremendous prospect,” Ferguson told Sports Headliners.

Alt was a ninth grade quarterback, sophomore inside linebacker and last fall as a junior played tight end for Totino-Grace. In college he projects as an offensive tackle. His adaptability to new positions has been dictated by more than growth spurts that now have him at about 6-7, 240 pounds. “He is very intuitive on the field,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson described Alt as an “amazing” young man who is likeable, level headed and focused on football, academics (near 4.0 student), family and friends.

Ferguson was the Eagles head coach for 18 seasons, winning eight state titles. He continues to work part-time at Totino-Grace in fundraising and while he may coach in the future it won’t be as a head coach.

In March Ferguson’s wife Barb was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has experienced 14 chemo treatments, with three more to go before a mastectomy in September. Ferguson is upbeat about his wife’s health, referring to the cancer as “treatable and curable.”

Spring Lake Park alum Troy Merritt tied for eighth last weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Merritt tied for seventh in last year’s 3M Open, winning almost $180,000 in his home state. This year’s 3M Open field won’t entirely be known until July 17 but tourney boss Hollis Cavner expects Merritt to play.

The PGA Tournament will be July 20-26 at TPC Twin Cities, and Cavner told Sports Headliners Merritt could do well again. “Good story and good contender,” Cavner said.

Merritt not only knows the course but it’s favorable to the Minnesotan’s fairway and short game efficiency. “It’s a second shot course,” Cavner said about TPC, a layout that doesn’t mandate bombing the golf ball off the tee.

Will Tiger Woods play for the first time in the second-year tournament? “We have no clue,” Cavner said while pointing out many players are delaying commitments these days.

How about paying $1,000 for a club seat between the 30 yard lines at US Bank Stadium for the September 13 Vikings-Packers game? That was the top price yesterday at Ticket King, per Mike Nowakowski of the local ticket outlet.

Nowakowski said his business is down 95 percent since March and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While his office is taking calls about tickets for the Vikings and college football, he isn’t optimistic about business returning to normal until next year.

There is no word yet about the Vikings allowing fans in US Bank Stadium for games this year but there are ticket buyers despite the uncertainty. The NFL has made its intent clear about having a season but that is subject to debate, with or without spectators.

Nowakowski said prior to March there was an increase in interest in Gophers football tickets. “Before COVID there definitely was some buzz after the (successful) season and the (2020) recruiting class,” Nowakowski said.

Condolences to the family and many friends of Lou Holtz whose wife Beth passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. The legendary Holtz’s coaching stops included the Golden Gophers where he and Beth once were Edina residents.

Comments Welcome

U Needs AD Mark Coyle Long Term

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by David Shama

An online authority ranks Mark Coyle the No. 11 athletic director among 130 FBS schools. This is the latest endorsement of the University of Minnesota AD who was hired in 2016.

It was rumored last fall University of Southern California officials were in town to test Coyle’s interest in their AD opening. There was speculation USC might even be intrigued about not only hiring Coyle, but doing a package deal that delivered Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck.

Minnesota president Joan Gabel and the Board of Regents approved a new contract in February for Coyle that extends through June 2026. The deal now pays Coyle $975,000 and brings him nearer the best paid athletic directors in the nation who make more than $1 million annually.

Watchstadium.com’s Jeff Goodman and Brett McMurphy ranked the top 20 athletic directors nationally after grading 130 of them on their football and men’s basketball head coaching hires. The Tuesday article said “grades were based on the success of coaches hired, difficulty of opponents in their respective conferences, bowl appearances, NCAA tournament trips, conference titles and national championships won.”

As athletics director at three schools, Coyle’s ranking is based on his hires of head football coaches Bryan Harsin, Dino Babers and P.J. Fleck. As AD at Boise State he hired Harsin, who in six years has a 64-17 record. Coyle’s hiring of Babers at Syracuse resulted in a program rebuilding, with the four-season highlight so far 10 wins in 2018.

Fleck was one of the nation’s hottest coaching names when Coyle hired him away from Western Michigan in January of 2017. Fleck had a breakout season in 2019 with the Gophers winning 11 games for the first time since 1904. The Gophers won two games against top-10 teams and ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll.

Basketball didn’t figure into Coyle’s No. 11 evaluation by Goodman and McMurphy because he inherited coach Richard Pitino, who in eight Big Ten seasons has one winning year in conference games. Still, Coyle received an A- grade, and among Big Ten Conference peers ranks only behind Ohio State’s Gene Smith and Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez. They rank No. 2 and 3 respectively in the country, behind No. 1 Joe Castiglione of Oklahoma.

If Fleck can continue his success and basketball becomes a winning program, Coyle might one day earn the reputation of Minnesota’s best athletics director ever. There will be inquiries from other schools about Coyle’s interest in moving on but the Upper Midwest native seems comfortable in the Twin Cities and with his job. During Coyle’s time at Minnesota the 25-sport program has compared very favorably with other FBS schools in academics, community involvement and winning.

Retaining Coyle could well be a key in hanging on to Fleck who at 39 remains one of the hot names in college coaching. When schools start bidding for Fleck, and they will if he continues to win, the coach may or may not show interest. If he does, bet your Goldy cap Fleck’s relationship with Coyle will count for a lot on whether he stays or goes.

Hiring the right coach is an inexact process, with a long list of athletic directors failing at the assignment including in the Big Ten. Coyle’s knack for impressive hires makes him a valued commodity at Minnesota where football and men’s basketball must pay much of the budget for the 25-sport program. There is no guarantee, of course, Coyle will always make the right hire but his presence at Minnesota should give Gopher fans more confidence about the future than at most other places across the country.

Worth Noting

With COVID-19 remaining a threat, a small number of Division III colleges nationally have cancelled fall sports. What about the 13-member Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that includes several Twin Cities schools? “At this point I am focused on having a full season,” MIAC commissioner Dan McKane told Sports Headliners yesterday.

MIAC presidents meet July 15 and may have an announcement about football and other fall sports. At that meeting McKane will have feedback from the Minnesota Department of Health. He has been in weekly contact with state health officials for awhile and last Thursday submitted a plan specific to the fall sports season.

The state’s reaction will dictate what happens next with the MIAC, and McKane said the plan could provide a template for all college sports in Minnesota. While the state could approve the proposal as is, or even reject it entirely, the more likely scenario might be recommended changes given that youth sports have already been okayed.

Things change fast with the pandemic but currently all MIAC institutions are planning to have students on their campuses this fall. If some reverse course, but not all, McKane said the MIAC would still allow competition among the schools with students on campuses. If all 13 schools moved to online learning only, the MIAC would not start or continue the fall sports schedule.

As part of the recognition for the 100th season of Gopher men’s hockey this fall, the athletic department is promoting fan voting for the greatest players. John Mayasich, who last played for the Gophers in 1955, is still revered by program historians and is perhaps the greatest player ever at Minnesota.

Mayasich still holds school records including most career points with 298, even though he played in fewer games than many others in the record book. John Mariucci, the so-called “Godfather” of hockey in the state, once said this about Mayasich: “The words to describe the boy haven’t been invented. When I say the best, that’s totally inadequate.”

Happy birthday to retired Gophers trainer Jim Marshall who turns 90 tomorrow (July 3). Marshall worked 42 years for the Gophers and has been retired for 17.

The late Harmon Killebrew, the Twins homerun king, would have been 84 June 29. A great player and person, Harmon died in 2011.

Comments Welcome

Potential Twins Rosario Trade Logical

Posted on June 30, 2020June 30, 2020 by David Shama

With the Minnesota Twins training this week for their 60-game schedule that begins in late July, it would be surprising if the front office isn’t thinking about trading left fielder Eddie Rosario for pitching help. “The wheels” are likely turning, a veteran baseball observer told Sports Headliners.

He said Rosario’s age, productive past and minimal contract, combined with high potential replacement candidates from Minnesota’s farm system, point toward the five-year veteran clearly being the most likely Twin who could be traded this summer. Rosario, who turns 29 in September, had a career season in 2019 in home runs (32) and RBI (109, sixth best in the American League).

While Rosario is in his peak years and has impressive traditional stats like a .279 lifetime batting average in the majors, other metrics are less desirable such as chasing pitches outside of the strike zone. At times observers have also questioned his hustle and fielding.

Rosario is in the final season of his contract and in 2020 is paid $7,750,000 per Spotrac.com. That’s not a lot by MLB standards for a hitter of his quality. A new deal might pay him a not so costly $13 million in 2021. That’s attractive to teams who could be looking for one more solid bat in the race for the 2020 playoffs and success in the postseason.

Minnesota’s minor league system has two hyped left field candidates to replace Rosario, if not this season, then perhaps next. Alex Kirilloff, a former first round draft choice in 2016, was ranked the 32nd best prospect in baseball by MLB.com earlier this year. Trevor Larnach, a first round selection in 2018, is also one of the most valued prospects in the Twins’ system. Both are left-handed hitters like Rosario.

In the short term, the Twins have other options in replacing Rosario. In parts of two seasons Jake Cave has impressed in the outfield and been okay with his hitting. Multi-positional veteran Marwin Gonzalez, who in 425 bats last year for the Twins drove in 55 runs, plays in the infield and outfield.

Minnesota’s 40-man roster announced earlier this week has just four left-handed pitchers. Devin Smeltzer and Rich Hill have MLB resumes both starting and relieving, while Taylor Rogers and Lewis Thorpe are bullpen specialists. The imbalance between left-handed and right-handed pitchers (four versus 18) could certainly figure into analysis for a Rosario trade.

Twins front office executives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have multiple options in offering the attractive Rosario as trade bait. They might acquire an established pitcher of value in return for Rosario, with possibly a minor league prospect included, too. The Minnesota farm system isn’t deep in quality pitching prospects and another option could be asking for two of the better minor league pitchers from a rival franchise.

The organization certainly has incentive to further strengthen the roster of a team that won 101 games last season and added one of baseball’s best sluggers this winter in Josh Donaldson. Twins president Dave St. Peter has stated the 2020 World Series is the club’s goal.

Worth Noting

Hope the University of Minnesota takes the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the school’s last national championship football team, the 1960 Golden Gophers.

It was welcome news for Bloomington, Minnesota native Lane Kiffin yesterday when he heard about Mississippi’s decision to remove the Confederate battle symbol from the state flag. Kiffin is the first-year head coach of the SEC’s Mississippi Rebels.

Minnehaha’s Chet Holmgren, per some authorities the No. 1 prep basketball player in the national class of 2021, lists his top seven college possibilities as Georgetown, Gonzaga, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio State. If things follow the norm, Minnesota and Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State won’t land the athletic 7-foot Holmgren whose father, David, was a Gopher reserve from 1984-1988.

Minnesota’s elite preps usually haven’t chosen the Gophers for several years now, with Amir Coffey and Daniel Oturu being exceptions. Dawson Garcia, Matthew Hurt, Tyus and Tre Jones, Gary Trent Jr. and Kerwin Walton are among star players who decided to play elsewhere, but not for Big Ten programs. (Wisconsin is the outlier here attracting both quality and role players from Minnesota for decades, but with the Holmgren family background it’s difficult to see Chet becoming a Badger).

With Minnesota coach Richard Pitino on the hot seat, it’s probable rival recruiters will suggest it should be an easy choice to play at their programs where the future leadership is more certain.

Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph will for a second straight year be the ambassador for the 3M Open. The second-year PGA tournament will be July 23-26 at TPC Twin Cities and played without spectators. Today Rudolph will be at 3M headquarters in Maplewood helping with a tourney associated food drive.

When the Minnesota Wild play in the rescheduled Stanley Cup playoffs this summer, it will be interesting to see the development of forward Kevin Fiala who was dazzling opponents when the COVID-19 pandemic closed the NHL regular season in March. Fiala looks like a breakout star playing for interim head coach Dean Evason, whose experiences together date back to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.

Fiala was inconsistent in production and attitude with the Admirals. Evason, who coached the minor league Admirals for six seasons, saw a player with potential needing to mature. Fiala tied his NHL career high of 23 goals last season. In the last five games he had seven points including four goals.

Wally Langfellow, publisher of Minnesota Score magazine and also heard on Score Radio, is running for mayor of Robbinsdale. Langfellow has been covering sports in the Twin Cities since 1982.

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