Golden Gophers – Page 17 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Could Vikings Target ‘One of Us’ in Draft’s First Round?

Posted on April 10, 2025April 18, 2025 by David Shama

Updated April 18, 2025

Enjoy a Thursday notes column:

Will the Vikings take “one of us” next Thursday with the 24^th selection of the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft from Green Bay?

Well, Nick Baumgardner, with his mock draft this week for The Athletic, thinks the Vikings will go for a parochial pick. He predicts Minnesota will choose Grey Zabel, a center-guard prospect from North Dakota State whose hometown is Pierre, South Dakota. He was an All-American left tackle for the FCS champs, but Baumgardner said the 6-6, 305-pound athlete is better suited to the interior line.

Ryan Wilson from CBS Sports has the Vikings opting for East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in his April 8 mock draft. Other mock draft sites believe the Vikings will trade the No. 24 pick to accumulate more draft choices than the four they now have.

Chad Reuter in his April 4 mock for NFL.com has the Vikings receiving third and fourth round selections from the Chiefs, while giving up their first and sixth round picks. And Reuter has the Chiefs selecting Gopher offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery with that first rounder. The Vikings, of course, could really go home region in the first round by taking Ersery.

The Vikings are short on draft slots right now, owning four selections currently in the first, third, fifth and sixth rounds. That status not only prompts speculation about trading the first rounder for more picks, but also that Minnesota could emphasize bringing in a lot of free agents just out of college.

The Gophers had a program record six players invited to the NFL Combine earlier this year. Ersery is all but certain to be drafted in the early rounds. He projects eventually as an NFL starter.

The other five, at worst, are almost assured of at least free agent tryouts. Quarterback Max Brosmer, defensive lineman Jay Joyner, linebacker Cody Lindenberg and cornerback Justin Walley may have a more realistic chance of being selected in the seven round draft than wide receiver Daniel Jackson.

Jackson has the lowest cumulative score from NFL.com/prospects among the University of Minnesota prospects. He has route running and ball catching skills, but his ability to get open against NFL defenders is a concern and so is his lack of speed.

Brosmer, lacking a big arm and mobility, might not hear his name during the April 17-19 draft either. But his confidence, high football IQ and quick release could intrigue a club looking for a developmental quarterback willing to take on any role for multiple seasons.

New Gophers assistant men’s basketball coaches Brian Cooley and Armon Gates will earn $300,000 and $400,000 respectively, per a Discovery request made to the University of Minnesota by Sports Headliners. Dave Thorson, the holdover assistant from coach Ben Johnson’s staff, will remain at $341,423.

The Timberwolves, despite losing to the Bucks Tuesday night, are fortunate to have two of their last three regular season games against softies as they compete to avoid the Western Conference play-in-tournament. After tonight’s game in Memphis against the Grizzlies the Wolves finish the regular season at home against the Nets, with a 26-53 record, and the Jazz, 17-63. Both franchises are presumably more interested in positioning to win the NBA Draft lottery and select Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

The hitting and pitching have been spotty, and there’s no excitement about the 4-8 Twins. But while the verdict by many fans may already be in on what kind of season the Twins will have, franchise Hall of Fame manager Tom Kelly used to say a team can’t be fairly judged until 50 games.

The Twins try for a win this afternoon in Kansas City and a four-game series split with the Royals. Minnesota has won 195 games in Kauffman Stadium, the most in any road ballpark.

Murray’s Restaurant owner Tim Murray is a passionate baseball fan who attended his 45^th consecutive Twins home opener last week.

Happy birthday next week to Jim Dutcher who coached the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten championship in 1982. Dutch turns 92 on April 17 and is healthy. He recently renewed his driver’s license and eats what he wants.

Dutch told Sports Headliners he does have arthritic knees and uses a walker to help his mobility and prevent a fall. His brother Norman is 96 and lives in Alpena, Michigan.

Former Gophers football head coach Glen Mason turned 75 yesterday.

Minnesotans are naïve if they think Dallas might trade its No. 1 draft spot to the Lynx who then could grab hometown hero Paige Bueckers. The WNBA Draft is Monday with the Wings all but certain to take Bueckers, the former Hopkins High School legend. But don’t rule out Bueckers eventually coming home via trade or free agency.

Bueckers was coached at Hopkins by Brian Cosgriff who was asked if there is another Bueckers on the horizon in Minnesota. “You don’t know about Maddyn Greenway (prep senior next season). I mean she’s doing some spectacular things here. Won four state championships. Scored over 4,000 points. She was very, very good this year. I look for Maddyn to be an amazing college player (at Kentucky) as well.”

The Lynx, BTW, had little to no financial worth in their early years after starting as a expansion franchise in 1998, but a fair estimate now is the club is worth $80 million to $100.

The Minnesota Minute Men Amateur Athletic Foundation has awarded its 2025 Scholarship to Sophia Anderson of Liberty Classical Academy in White Bear Lake. She captained her varsity track and field, and basketball teams, and also earned a state championship and a fourth-place finish nationally with USA Powerlifting. A Magna Cum Laude student, she will attend Dallas Baptist University with a biology major and compete in track and field.

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Tears from Tampa to Minnesota after Bueckers Win

Posted on April 7, 2025April 7, 2025 by David Shama

A Minnesota hero earned a storybook ending to her college career on Sunday when Connecticut defeated South Carolina to win the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball National Championship in Tampa.

Paige Bueckers, one of the most dominant women’s college basketball players ever, was pivotal in the Huskies winning the national title in her last game as a collegian while scoring 17 points and grabbing a team second best six rebounds in the 82-59 victory. It was her first college national title and the end of a journey for the former Hopkins High School superstar that prompted intensive emotions in both Tampa and Minnesota.

In the closing seconds Bueckers came out of the game and hugged head coach Geno Auriemma. “I love you. That’s all I could say,” Auriemma told an ABC TV audience after the game talking about Bueckers who was overcome with emotion yesterday just like her coach.

The Huskies’ do-everything point guard said the feeling of winning the title was “unreal.” She also told TV viewers, “I love that coach.”

Bueckers’ coach at Hopkins, Brian Cosgriff, watched the game in Minnesota and last evening talked to Sports Headliners. “I was in tears when she came off the floor and was hugging coach Geno. That’s when it hit me. That’s when I got chills and I was like, holy crap. This is something this young lady has wanted since I’ve known her.

“And knowing Geno the way I do, he was moved. You could see emotionally, he was really moved by their relationship and the magnificence of what was taking place.

“They (the Huskies) walked through this tournament. They were playing really good basketball, and it wasn’t just Paige. I mean Azzi Fudd was amazing. Sarah Strong was amazing (both players had 24 points yesterday).

“They came off the bench with players that were outstanding. It was a complete program victory. No question about it.”

A part of the satisfaction from yesterday for Cosgriff comes from what he’s seen through the years from his “tough as nails” former player. “This was a goal of hers from day one and it finally came to fruition after experiencing many setbacks and a lot of adversity along the way in terms of injuries and those kinds of things.

“She overcame a lot and showed her resilience as a person and a player, and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’s just an amazing basketball player but even a better person.”

Bueckers and Cosgriff, now the girls coach at Minnetonka, have remained close over the years. Last summer Bueckers was in town and used the coach’s rental condo downtown while she saw friends and family, threw out the first pitch at a Twins game and enjoyed the state fair. “You always take care of your former players,” Cosgriff said.

Bueckers, who is among the most prolific winners of women’s college basketball awards ever including National Player of the Year, first joined Cosgriff’s program as a seventh grader playing for the sophomores and junior varsity. A member of the varsity in eighth grade, she and the Royals made the state championship game every year except her last in 2020.

That year the Royals and Farmington advanced to a date for the final game only to see it cancelled by the State High School League because of COVID. Hopkins and Bueckers were primed to win a second consecutive state title with a 62-0 win streak that dated back to 2019 when they had earned the title of Class 4A champs. Cosgriff describes the last-minute decision to cancel the game and not compete for a championship in 2019 “as quite a kick in the pants.”

“The entire program was in tears,” he said. “We were in a mess. Absolute mess.”

But there were different tears yesterday as Bueckers fulfilled a goal she once talked about via SLAM on Instagram back in her Hopkins days. She spoke of “winning a national championship” in college and hoping after that to be the first pick in the WNBA Draft.

Now the 6-foot, 23-year-old Bueckers is considered the likely No. 1 WNBA pick in the league draft next Monday.

Storybook ending.

Worth Noting

In a move to generate more revenue, the U Athletic Department is exploring potential naming rights for Williams Arena. With or without a corporate name, the facility will still be referred to by many fans as “The Barn.”

While many find the nickname appealing, I don’t.

Do you wonder why the historic building that is nearing its 100^th birthday is labeled a “dump” now days? Yes, the men’s urinals are troughs and other enhancements are needed, but it hasn’t helped the venue’s image that for years the arena is called “The Barn.”

To me there’s nothing appealing about the disparaging connotation of a barn being home to a Big Ten basketball team. It’s a marketing mistake by the U to have played into the narrative for a long time.

Other college basketball historic venues aren’t labeled as such. Cameron Indoor, Allen Fieldhouse and The Palestra are examples. The latter two facilities have flattering nicknames: “The Phog” and “The Cathedral of College Basketball.”

Twins Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, who used to have fun as the Twins TV analyst promoting his birthday, turned 74 yesterday.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota. The April 6, 1982, attendance of 52,279 for the first-ever regular season game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome set a record that still stands. Rookie Gary Gaetti had four hits, including two home runs, but the Twins lost 11-7 to the Mariners.

Gulp: $25 to park in Ramp A for the Twins-Astros game last Saturday.

The first of 10 free Twins over-the-air games on Fox 9 is a week from Tuesday, April 15, against the Mets from Target Field.

The Twins don’t have the most attractive home schedule for summer weather. They have 15 home games each in April and May, with 13 in June, August and September, and just 12 in July.

The “Hit It To Win It” contest will draw attention at Target Field this season. If a Twins’ home run hits the Winnebago brand RV parked in right field area on the fly, a lucky fan’s entry will be drawn to win an outdoor recreational vehicle or boat of his or her choice from Winnebago Industries (up to $200,000 in MSRP value). To enter the sweepstakes, visit the area inside Gate 34 at the stadium to connect with a Winnebago Industries brand rep, scan the QR code on the stadium RV, or visit www.hitittowinit.com and complete the entry form.

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Breathing Issues Latest Hurdle for Courageous Casey O’Brien

Posted on April 2, 2025April 3, 2025 by David Shama

Updated April 3, 2025

The last several months have been another rough stretch for beloved former Gopher football player and cancer survivor Casey O’Brien who turns 26 on Monday.

His father Dan detailed the story in a recent interview with Sports Headliners. Casey has battled osteosarcoma, a bone disease, since he was a freshman at Cretin-Derham Hall. Dan said things took a “turn on us” in December and that led to 30 days at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The cancer had moved into Casey’s lungs and impacted their function. “…It’s his breathing that’s been the biggest challenge (of late),” Dan said. “We spent some time down in Mayo. We spent some time in Chicago doing some different things—kind of cutting-edge stuff—and happy to say he’s getting a little bit better. We still have a long, long way to go, but we’re seeing some progress. So that piece is good.”

The cutting-edge procedures are an experiment for Casey who has beaten away cancer many times only to see it return. But he and his father remain upbeat about the outcomes.

“We think so,” Dan said. “You never know for sure what’s hiding in your body somewhere or what (else). …We’re screening…with some spot treatment and also with an overall chemotherapy which will touch his entire body.”

Casey photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Dan resigned from his position as head football coach at Holy Family Catholic High School in January to move into a full-time support role for Casey who works as a financial advisor for RBC in downtown Minneapolis. “He loves it,” Dan said about Casey’s career.

Casey works from home in the mornings and Dan said “we get him downtown” in the afternoon. He described RBC’s support for his son as “phenomenal.”

There are times when Casey receives oxygen to help him breathe. Going for a walk is one of those instances.

Most people who face cancer multiple times don’t survive, but Casey battles on. And then there are all the surgeries he has faced. More than 40?

“Forty plus,” Dan said. “We couldn’t even tell you. We stopped counting with all the different procedures.”

If Casey’s cancer story sounds unique that’s because it is, according to his father. “There hasn’t been another case like him ever. Where they can say, ‘All right this is what we’ve seen and this is what it looks like.’

“He’s had cancer seven times. How many people do you know that have had cancer seven times? I know zero outside of Casey.”

Most of us can’t even imagine the physical and mental strength needed for a saga like Casey’s. “He’s so strong mentally,” Dan said. “So positive. We’re fortunate that he is wired that way. But it’s been a long fight. It’s been 11 years.”

Casey was part of the U football program for four seasons. He played in two games during his career, including 2019 against Rutgers where he held the football three times on point-after kicks. The 6-1, 185-pound walk-on earned two letters before retiring from football at Minnesota after the 2020 season.

A Carlson School of Management graduate, Casey’s courageous cancer battles were well-documented at Minnesota, receiving local and national attention. He was the 2019 keynote speaker on behalf of the league players at the Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon. Later that year he won the Disney Spirit Award as the most inspirational player in college football.

Casey, who during his career was honored for his academics and sportsmanship by the Big Ten, was embraced at the U by head coach P.J. Fleck and the entire program. Fleck’s feelings for Casey are through the roof.

“Casey is one of the most special individuals that I have ever met,” Fleck told Sports Headliners via email. “I am not sure that people understand or know how much Casey has overcome and endured in his life. He is a multiple-time cancer survivor and is still battling today.

“His story is one that has impacted a community and a sport. He has inspired countless lives and changed the way people look at cancer survivors.

“He always has a smile on his face and always has a positive attitude. It’s amazing really. Casey is a daily reminder to our team and program that we Get 2 to lift weights, that we Get 2 practice and that we Get 2 coach and play this amazing game.

“You get (in) coaching to positively impact the lives of young people. Rarely do you think that one of your players will impact you in such a meaningful way, but watching Casey play at Rutgers in 2019—and knowing everything he overcame to get there –is the most impactful moment of my career.

“It was a privilege to coach him and it’s an honor to call him a friend. He’s a Minnesota legend, and I have such a tremendous amount of love and admiration for him.”

Fleck’s feelings, and that of so many others, is documented in numerous ways including last year when the family knew insurance wasn’t going to cover six-figure non-traditional medical costs. In August Casey launched a GoFundMe page and wrote in part: “My family and I have spent over four hundred nights in the hospital and been seen by specialists across the country. I have faced adversity every step of the way in my seven relapses with cancer, but I have always found a way to smile and live life the way I have wanted.”

How did the community respond? His GoFundMe page reports that $394,328 was raised!

Dan said: “The response has been overwhelming. And it was an emotional decision to say, hey, you know what? We need help. We don’t have the finances to pay for some of these things, and we’re running out of options that the insurance will cover.

“But to say…I gotta have some help taking care of my kid, that’s a hard thing for any parent to do and it certainly was for us. But to see the amount of people that wanted to say, hey, we just want to help. What can we do to help? It was phenomenal. I get emotional thinking about it.”

Dan photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The outpouring of love and support for Casey has been profound but he has also dramatically given back to others. “As a parent you couldn’t be more proud,” Dan said. “The example he’s been. The role model he’s been for other kids with cancer. He’s helped so many people.

“He truly is one of the types of people that thinks about other people more than he thinks about himself, and sometimes that’s hard when you don’t feel good. You feel like crap and you got stuff wrong (with you). You got tubes hanging out of you and everything else. And you feel like you’re never getting a break but somehow, he figures out a way to put other people’s needs in front of his own.”

Casey treasures his memories and relationships from the U. He remains close with the three former Gopher players that he lived with while at Minnesota. Casey and Joe Russell, Grant Ryerse and Clint Witherspoon got together just the other day.

Their friendship and the support of others close to Casey mean everything. “I think he’d probably tell you he hasn’t had a lot of fun lately,” Dan said. “He’s got some fantastic friends. Fantastic support group.

“Both his mother and I come from big families, and they’ve been great about being around to see him and those kind of things. Family and friends are the things that kind of keep him going and keep him motivated.”

Anyone prepared to break bread with Casey will learn he is strict about his diet. “He hasn’t had much of an appetite so that’s been actually one of our challenges because he’s lost some weight,” Dan said. “He’s trying to get some weight back on but he’s very particular with his diet so he eats incredibly clean.

“If it has more than five ingredients, he doesn’t eat it. He’s eating chicken, he’s eating fish, he’s eating rice, vegetables, fruits. He kills broccoli, kills it. I’ve never seen anybody eat broccoli like he does.”

Dan assisted Jerry Kill in administration when he headed the Gopher program. The two men remain close friends. Kill knows so well not only what the difficulties have been for Casey but the challenges for the whole family.

This week Kill responded to a text message asking about his feelings regarding the O’Briens:

“Casey is no doubt the toughest person I have ever met, period! Their family has been through (so) much and they just are the best. They all will get a one-way ticket to heaven. I have never met a mentally tougher family.”

Dan, 60, is a football lifer but wants to be “all in” before he coaches again. That certainly could be on the horizon, and he’s interested in varied roles at different levels of football. “I just want to be engaged in the game and be around kids. I’ve got a couple different things that are in the hopper that I don’t want to say too much about but hopefully I’ll be on the field somewhere this fall.”

And what about the days ahead for Casey? “His deal is he’s still going to keep throwing punches,” dad said.

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