Gophers Basketball – Page 96 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Fran Fraschilla: U Point Guards Critical

Posted on January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by David Shama

It might be anyone’s guess whether Nate Mason’s injured left ankle allows him to play Wednesday night against Illinois but ESPN basketball authority Fran Fraschilla is clear about the senior point guard’s importance to the Gophers.

Mason hurt his ankle December 23 and didn’t dress for last Saturday’s game with Harvard. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said recently he didn’t know about Mason’s availability for Illinois.

The Gophers, 1-1 in Big Ten competition so far, have both Illinois and Indiana (Saturday) at home before playing four of their five following games on the road. Without Mason, the likelihood of two wins this week diminishes and could be difficult.

“If he’s not the best point guard in the Big Ten, it’s a very short list and he’s on it,” Fraschilla told Sports Headliners by telephone Sunday. “To have him return as quickly and healthy as possible is critical.”

Without Mason, freshman Isaiah Washington started at point guard against Harvard. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Washington hustled for a team-leading 13 rebounds and was effective defensively, but he had only two assists and made just four of 17 field goal attempts.

Washington’s shooting (34 percent made field goals) and decision making with the basketball have frequently been disappointing through the first 15 games of the season. There have been high expectations about Washington after he became one of the nation’s most acclaimed point guards while playing at St. Raymond’s in New York City.

Fraschilla watched the former state of New York Mr. Basketball in AAU basketball even before he arrived in Minneapolis. Fraschilla said it’s typical of a talented freshman to be struggling early on in his career. “Just trying to do too much and not yet understanding that he has to value the ball and shot selection a little bit more than he did on the AAU circuit—and that will come.”

Isaiah Washington (photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications)

But if Mason can’t play tomorrow night (or is sidelined longer), the Gophers have to hope Washington matures fast. In Mason’s absence, Pitino is likely to continue using Washington as his starting point guard. Even when Mason returns, Washington is all but certain to potentially be the highest impact player off the bench. Minnesota’s lack of depth is the team’s biggest weakness.

“He (Washington) now needs to understand that every possession in the Big Ten is going to be critical,” Fraschilla said. “One play can make or break your season. One great decision, or bad decision, can affect whether you help your team get to the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully that was the lesson coming out of nonconference play for him.”

The depth issue gives Fraschilla pause about Minnesota’s success this winter but he likes the skills of several players including the shot-blocking of both center Reggie Lynch and power forward Jordan Murphy. Murphy also has 15 consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

By Saturday night he could have the most NCAA consecutive games of double-doubles to start a season since Tim Duncan in 1996-1997. ”I became a really big fan of his early in the year when he got off to such a great start,” said Fraschilla who thinks Murphy can be named a first-team All-Big Ten player this year.

The Gophers were 7-0 and ranked in the top 15 nationally when Fraschilla was the ESPN analyst doing their game with Miami. Since losing to the Hurricanes, Minnesota has dropped out of the top 25 rankings and hasn’t looked like the same team that had impressive early wins against Providence and Alabama.

Minnesota’s other starting guard Dupree McBrayer was injured and missed the Miami game. That forced Washington into the starting lineup alongside Mason. Washington scored 14 points but made some mistakes, including five turnovers, that contributed to the loss. Bench players totaled two rebounds, no points and no assists against No. 10 ranked Miami.

Depth was a concern even before the season because sophomore forward Eric Curry is out until next fall following ACL surgery on his left knee. The 6-9 Curry showed during his freshman season while averaging over five points and five rebounds that he was going to be an impact player coming off the bench and Minnesota’s best sub.

Prior to the Miami game there was talk the Gophers might challenge Michigan State for the Big Ten title and Minnesota looked like the league’s No. 2 team. Fraschilla thinks the Gophers still can finish high in the conference standings and earn their way into the NCAA Tournament. “I would say right now they still have a chance in my mind to be the third best team (after Michigan State and Purdue) in the conference,” he said.

Whether Minnesota can equal or better last season’s 11-7 Big Ten record will have much to do with Mason’s injured ankle. Fraschilla refers to Mason, who was all-Big Ten last season, as the team’s “catalyst.”

“You can’t ask a team that doesn’t have the depth that the Gophers have, and are trying to break in a talented but erratic freshman point guard, to play without their team leader for very long,” Fraschilla said.

Shorn Morris, the Big Ten Network analyst who was at Williams Arena for the Harvard game, also sees Minnesota as the league’s third best team behind Michigan State and Purdue. The upcoming games with Illinois (0-2, 10-5) and Indiana (1-1, 8-6) will tell more about the Gophers but he’s not ready to label them must-win opportunities.

“I think it’s really important (to win those games), especially when let’s not forget they’re already 1-1,” Morris told Sports Headliners last weekend. “They dropped a road game at Nebraska. You want to make sure you take care of the two…home games here.”

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Here’s What to Make of U Basketball

Posted on December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 by David Shama

Thud?

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball season hasn’t crashed but the last couple of weeks haven’t been much fun either. Minnesota, undefeated and ranked No. 12 in the country in late November, has lost three of its last five games and at times looked awful.

The now 9-3 Gophers weren’t even that impressive in their most recent win, a 68-67 home victory earlier this week against mediocre and undersized Drake. Oh, how things can change in a hurry.

Did college basketball authority Seth Davis really mention Minnesota as a potential Final Four team? Guess he and others got caught up in the November and even earlier optimism about the Gophers who returned all five starters from last winter’s NCAA Tournament team that had a surprising 11-7 Big Ten record and fourth place finish in the standings. An impressive season for the players and Richard Pitino who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Coffey photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications

Yup, it was easy to hype a team that last offseason had a No. 10 national ranking by Sporting News. Back in October media covering the Big Ten voted Minnesota forward Amir Coffey and guard Nate Mason first team preseason All-Big Ten. It was also easy to believe that by the end of the conference season center Reggie Lynch would be a repeat winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and that guard Isaiah Washington would be included on the All-Freshman team.

That’s the kind of stuff that made long-suffering Gopher fans rush to the box office last offseason. And when the team ran off seven consecutive season-opening wins and junior forward Jordan Murphy started reeling off one double-double after another, Minnesota fans were absolutely giddy.

When No. 10 ranked Miami came to town November 29 the Hurricanes were undefeated like the Gophers. Williams Arena was sold out and the crowd of 14,625 was raucous. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when Williams Arena hosted the best show in town and one of the top attractions in college basketball.

Minnesota played well, but the Hurricanes better in their 86-81 win. The Gophers played without injured starting guard Dupree McBrayer. His absence was telling, with teammates, particularly Washington, mishandling the ball too many times. Miami scored 17 points on turnovers, Minnesota two. The Gophers had just 12 assists in the game, only three in the first half.

McBrayer returned for the next game, a lethargic opening Big Ten win over lowly Rutgers at Williams Arena. The Gophers’ collective energy was probably even worse when two nights later they went to Nebraska and lost to the just okay Cornhuskers in a second conference game.

Then before last Saturday night’s SEC Network televised game at Arkansas a Gopher social media booster suggested U officials should be arranging a viewing party for the many fans without access to that network. The way the Gophers played it wasn’t even worth listening to on the radio.

The Razorbacks won easily, 95-79. They controlled the game from the beginning when Arkansas players were making easy baskets by hustling down the court faster than the Gophers. Lynch had two fouls in the opening minutes of the game and sat until halftime. At the beginning of the second half he committed a third foul. It was that kind of night.

Minnesota struggled to make shots in the first half against Drake and the Bulldogs led at halftime by four points. The Gophers rallied in the second half led by Coffey who had 16 points after scoring none in the opening 20 minutes. The one point win was indicative of how close the 5-5 Bulldogs—whose losses include a 93-65 beat down by South Dakota—came to pulling off a major upset.

So what has happened to the Gophers? What’s going on with a team that once looked so confident and efficient but now is left out of the top 25 national rankings and struggles with an opponent like the Missouri Valley Conference’s Drake Bulldogs?

Well, lots of things factor in. The schedule became more difficult in late November and December. While the Gophers had an impressive mid-November win at Providence and a neutral court victory over top 25 ranked Alabama, they hadn’t played a four-game stretch like Miami, Rutgers, Nebraska and Arkansas.

In those games it’s been more evident than ever how unproductive the Gophers’ bench has been scoring a total of 31 points. Add the Drake game into the total and the figure is 35 points, or an average of seven per game in the last five games.

Minnesota is 12 games into the 2017-2018 season and still trying to recover from the absences of guard Akeem Springs and power forward Eric Curry. Both subs were major contributors to last season’s success. Springs used up his eligibility and an offseason knee injury has Curry sidelined for the winter. Springs was often instant offense with his long-range shooting, while Curry provided inside scoring and made other contributions including rebounds and hustle plays.

Also, without going too much into the subtleties of basketball, let’s just say opponents have made adjustments to the Gophers. Lynch, for example, can be a ball-blocking machine near the basket but opponents will make him move away from the hoop to guard another center (perhaps positioned near the free throw line). Murphy is now facing double and triple teams. He can bull his way through gangs of lightweight defenders but when he faces the big boys on top teams he should adjust by passing more to open teammates.

In recent games the Gophers haven’t been moving the ball like they did when things were rolling. In the first half against Miami the Gophers had three assists. In the Arkansas loss Minnesota had 10 assists, the Razorbacks 23.

It’s not just ball movement either. Lynch can’t routinely be in early foul trouble. Minnesota also can’t be letting opposing players get down the floor for easy baskets. There has to be more consistent energy and focus, which can lead to steals and layups for the Gophers.

The Gophers don’t play again until December 21 against Oral Roberts. That’s the first of three winnable nonconference games at Williams Arena that takes them through the end of December. Then comes a return to Big Ten play on January 3 against Illinois at Williams Arena.

What can the Gophers, including not just the players but the coaches, do to get their stride back? First, don’t panic, don’t lose confidence and enjoy playing basketball.

Minnesota has a talented and experienced starting five. The front line of Lynch, Murphy and Coffey is one of the better units in college basketball. Mason, along with Lynch is one of two senior starters. Mason was all-Big Ten last season and will continue to make big plays for the Gophers. McBrayer, at the other guard, has to improve his shooting (10 of 33 in the last four games) but at 6-5 the junior is the only guard with length on the roster.

Coffey, a sophomore, is the most unselfish of the starters and probably should be handling the ball more. The Gophers could benefit by running their offense with him in charge. He will find open teammates and he also excels at slashing to the basket. With Coffey more as a playmaker and ball handler, it will free up point guard Mason, the team’s best long-range shooter, to come off screens.

What to do about the bench? A couple things.

If the starters (particularly Lynch and Murphy) have fewer fouls, than sometimes that will limit the need for subs. It’s a bit of a head scratcher why Pitino has used almost no zone defense to protect his foul-prone big men. With Lynch, Murphy, Coffey and McBrayer, the Gophers have a lot of length that can make a zone defense effective and minimize foul troubles.

There apparently isn’t much help to be found on the bench, and the only sub with big potential is Washington. He can become an ignitor off the bench, lending spark with his playmaking and ability to drive and score near the basket. It looks so far like he isn’t playing enough consecutive minutes to get into a rhythm. Maybe the coaches are trying to discipline him from freshman mistakes but he will be a key to whether this team earns a high finish in the conference standings and wins a couple of NCAA Tournament games.

Washington could not only help the starters but even lead four other subs playing briefly together. Make the bench guys a “go-to-unit” that plays together a couple of minutes around the TV timeouts before returning all five starters to the floor.

Right now a team that was supposed to take the next step after last season isn’t the equal of the 2016-2017 edition. But in a 30-plus game schedule teams go through highs and lows, and there’s minimal doubt the Gophers will recover and play better.

A former Gophers player who remains knowledgeable about the program sees the Big Ten as weak. He’s been raving for months that Minnesota could challenge for the championship. Even now he thinks Minnesota can finish second in the league standings to national title contender Michigan State.

He insists the Gophers need to make adjustments and improvements but he’s still on the bandwagon. His attitude provides a little pre-Christmas cheer.

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Vikings Spielman Shows the Skeptics

Posted on December 5, 2017December 5, 2017 by David Shama

It looks like Rick Spielman’s critics will have to rethink their second-guessing of the Vikings general manager. Skeptics said this summer the 2017 Vikings might struggle to make the playoffs, but with a 10-2 record the club is one of the NFL’s elite teams and headed toward a postseason run that could end in the Minneapolis Super Bowl.

The Vikings rank third in the NFL in yards given up per game at 289.1 and have made a statement offensively ranking fifth and averaging 370.4 yards. Mike Zimmer, in his fourth season leading the Vikings, is an advanced defensive teacher and strategist. In his first full season as offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur has impressed with varied schemes, play calls and tempos. But without gifted players the Vikings wouldn’t be on an eight-game win streak and in the company of the NFC’s best teams.

Before the season there was speculation Spielman’s job could be on the line this fall. General managers, like coaches, are subject to constant scrutiny—especially those who have been making personnel decisions with the same organization for a long time. Spielman has been out front on Viking scouting, drafting and trading since 2006. During that time the Vikings have won three division titles and advanced to the playoffs four times.

The Vikings have one playoff win in the Spielman era and from season-to-season often struggled to maintain success. The 2015 team’s record was 11-5 and the club won the NFC North title. Last season was a disappointment with an 8-8 record and no playoff appearance. A major source of misery was the offensive line and the Spielman critics faulted him for not drafting an o-lineman in the first round for five years, 2013-2017.

The line is part of the success story this fall, though. During the offseason Spielman signed free agent tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers. He drafted center Pat Elflien who as a rookie moved into the starting lineup joining Reiff and Remmers. As of late Remmers has been injured but Rashod Hill has been an effective sub. The Vikings added Hill to their practice squad about a year ago when the Jaguars let him go.

It was a great 2017 offseason for Spielman who also signed Case Keenum as a backup quarterback to Sam Bradford. Keenum has emerged as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, with both observation and analytics testifying to his high level of play. Bradford, acquired by Spielman before the 2016 season after future franchise quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sidelined for the year, turned in a career season for the Vikings despite the awful performance of the offensive line. Bradford, though, has a history of knee injuries, and has only played in two games this season. Keenum was a journeyman quarterback until this season but Speilman looks prophetic in acquiring the five-year veteran who was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.

Keenum is one of several players on the roster worthy of NFL postseason honors, including Pro Bowl consideration. Spielman and his staff found wide receiver Adam Thielen as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and the Minnesota native heads any list of offensive players along with Keenum. Other names include these Spielman draft choices: linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Everson Griffen, safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Xavier Rhodes. There is also defensive tackle Linval Joseph who Spielman acquired as a free agent in 2014.

The presence of Keenum, 29, is particularly significant for Spielman and the Vikings. Criticism has been targeted at the general manger for years regarding the quarterback position. Brett Favre was a short-term fix in 2009 and Spielman hoped he had a long-term solution with 2011 No. 1 draft choice Christian Ponder. The Ponder experiment didn’t succeed and the Vikings started over with the drafting of Bridgewater in 2014, only to see him sustain a career threatening knee injury last year.

During the Spielman era there have admittedly been personnel moves that didn’t work out. The Leslie Frazier hire as head coach in 2011 didn’t succeed either but it’s difficult to know how much authority Vikings ownership played in that decision—and perhaps even the hiring of Zimmer.

What is known is that without assembling a talented roster and winning on the field, general managers can’t maintain job security. It looks like Spielman will be around for awhile.

Worth Noting

Bobbleheads of Vikings legends Jerry Burns and Bob Lurtsema, costing $40 each, will be on sale this weekend at Southtown Shopping Center as part of Triple Crown’s Sports Card & Bobble Show. Lurtsema will be at the show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, while Burns is there from 1 to 4 p.m. Show hours Saturday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available from Joe Florenzano, vikingstwinsman@gmail.com.

Mary Hardin-Baylor, the school that defeated St. Thomas 24-10 last Saturday in a Division III quarterfinal playoff game, started its football program in 1998. Until playing the Tommies, the Crusaders had never been held under 150 yards of total offense, or less than 10 yards rushing. St. Thomas limited MHB to 143 yards on 55 plays, including minus 16 rushing yards on 30 carries.

St. Thomas graduated four defensive All-Americans from the 2016 team but this season still achieved historic statistics. The Tommie defense allowed only 21.6 rushing yards per game—something no NCAA team in Division I, II and III has done in the last 16 seasons. St. Thomas gave up 0.7 yards per rushing attempt, ranking with the best seasons by an NCAA defense. Eight of 13 opponents were held under 15 net rushing yards (six gained one or less total yards).

Darrell Thompson, the Gophers all-time career leading rusher and now head of the Bolder Options nonprofit, hosted a thank you event for his youth mentoring organization last night at Cambria Gallery in downtown Minneapolis. Bolder Options celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018.

The No. 14 ranked Gophers basketball team will be 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference for the first time since 2013 with a win tonight in Lincoln against the Cornhuskers. Minnesota is 8-1 overall and 1-0 in league games, while Nebraska is 6-3 and 0-1.

Statistics as of yesterday showed Gophers forward Jordan Murphy leading the conference in scoring at 21 points per game and rebounding at 12.9. Center Reggie Lynch led the nation in blocks per game with 4.8.

Sunday’s home attendance of 11,097 for the Rutgers game was disappointing after last week’s sellout crowd of 14,625 for nationally ranked Miami. The Scarlet Knights aren’t a strong draw, plus the Vikings and Timberwolves had games on Sunday.

Jim Bruton, who has authored books with Jerry Kill, Lou Nanne and Fran Tarkenton, is working on a book coming out next year about Dick Jonckowski, the former public address announcer for Gophers basketball and funny man storyteller who has made a career of emceeing and speaking at events.

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