Golden Gophers – Page 2 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Stay Tuned on Niko Medved, Gophers Basketball Recruiting

Posted on April 8, 2026April 8, 2026 by David Shama

There’s a buzz, including with potential recruits, around Niko Medved’s University of Minnesota basketball program. Don’t be surprised at the program’s success during the transfer portal period that started yesterday and ends April 21.

It’s believed Medved will have a program high of over $7 million to pay players for next season. This is a combined pot of athletic department revenue share money and dollars from donors for Name, Image and Likeness.

Athletic departments in the Big Ten and elsewhere don’t disclose NIL budgets to pay players for activities such as TV commercials, social media endorsements and personal appearances. However, it’s believed the Gophers NIL budget for the coming year could be at least $3.5 million, with a similar amount coming from the U athletic department. Bottom line is Medved will have more money to work with than his first season and word is his budgets from the two sources put Minnesota in the middle range among the Big Ten’s 18 men’s basketball programs.

Niko Medved, Gophers hoops coach, photo by David Shama — Niko Medved

A lot of fans, particularly older generations, bemoan the recent development of paying players in several different sports including men’s basketball and football. But the truth is this allows the Gophers to generally recruit higher level talent than in the past. The Gophers are financially competitive with Big Ten rivals and superior to mid-major programs ranging from Appalachian State to Wichita State.

Hired in March of 2025, Medved showed coaching and culture building skills that suggest promise of making the Gophers a conference contender. The likeable and principled Minnesota native is a big hit with fans including program donors.

Just as important, the players enjoy the program. Evidence of such are his starters with remaining eligibility who are committed to new compensation deals and playing for the 2026-2027 team.

What Medved is trying to do now is fill out the roster around guard Isaac Asuma, and forwards Bobby Durkin, Grayson Grove and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. It could be that transfers will include former Orono High guard Nolan Groves (Texas Tech) and guard Kyan Evans, who played for Medved at Colorado State prior to joining North Carolina.

Underline this prediction: in coming seasons the Gopher roster will include European players. Talent from overseas is becoming more prevalent in college basketball and Medved is a savvy recruiter with skills that include identifying under the radar talent.

Illinois’ roster included six European players this past season. The Illini made their way to the Final Four this spring. In an early top 25 teams for next season listing by The Athletic’s C.J. Moore, Illinois is No. 1.

The Gophers’ momentum in recruiting success and help for next season started months ago with a three-man recruiting class that 247Sports ranks No. 9 in the Big Ten. The talent meter will be going up with the 2026 freshmen class of four-star small forward Nolen Anderson (Wayzata) and two three-stars, center Chadrack Mpoyi (Crean Lutheran, Irvine, Calif.) and point guard Cedric Tomes (East Ridge).

Worth Noting

With its money and prestige, the Big Ten will be at the forefront of power teams in college football and basketball. Indiana won the national championship in football earlier this year and Michigan earned the national title in men’s basketball earlier this week.

In Moore’s top 25 for next year, he has Michigan No. 2 with Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa also highly ranked.

Gophers departing senior Cade Tyson, the team’s leading scorer, will participate in the 72nd-annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, April 15-18 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Tyson is one of 64 men’s basketball seniors selected for the event, which is a showcase for pro basketball scouts.

Twins right-hander Taj Bradley is among the hottest pitchers in baseball with a 2-0 record and 1.08 ERA. With 22 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, only six other pitchers have whiffed more batters.

Bradley, in his first full season with the Twins, has won two of the club’s five games and could be part of a high quality big three starting staff next season if Minnesota doesn’t trade Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez recovers from arm surgery.

In what figures to be a playoff atmosphere tomorrow night in Dallas, the Stars host the Wild in what is likely to be a preview of a post season matchup of Central Division power houses. The Wild has won two of the previous three games this season and home ice in the playoffs is likely on the line.

Left wing Matt Boldy (2-2=4) and right-wing Vladimir Tarasenko (1-3=4) lead the Wild with four points each in the series. Left wing Kirill Kaprizov has three points (1-2=3).

The University of St. Thomas hires quality coaches, and it looks like the Tommies hit the bullseye with Mandy Pearson as the new women’s basketball coach. She won Coach of the Year awards during stretches at Minnesota Duluth and St. Mary’s (Minnesota)—two challenging places to win. She was a first team All-American at Concordia College (Minnesota).

3 comments

Timberwolves Remain Committed to Minneapolis Arena Site

Posted on April 6, 2026April 6, 2026 by David Shama

It continues to appear that Minneapolis will be the site of a new Timberwolves and Lynx arena. “This team will never leave here. We’re going to build down the street (from Target Center),” Alex Rodriguez told Sports Headliners almost two years ago.

At the time Rodriguez and partner Marc Lore were in litigation with Glen Taylor for control of the Wolves and Lynx franchises. Since then, the two have taken control of the franchises with Taylor no longer involved with ownership.

Timberwolves owner Alex Rodrgiuez — Alex Rodriguez

During an event at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management in February Rodriguez voiced his commitment to downtown, per a story by Jonathan Harrison on Si.com. A city insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, recently confirmed that commitment to Sports Headliners.

The source said Mayor Jacob Frey has shown a willingness to listen regarding a new arena. The insider added that Frey has appointed senior city officials to meet with basketball ownership representatives.

The source acknowledged much of the details regarding the project are yet to be known or committed to. Sources two years ago said or implied the arena site would be the Farmers Market near downtown. Neither Rodriguez or Frey has revealed a location.

Speculation about locations include City Center, the Star Tribune land in the North Loop and the Farmers Market. Regardless of location, it’s expected that the arena will be mostly or entirely privately financed.

Target Center, now owned by the city, was originally privately financed by Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner. They bought the NBA expansion Timberwolves who began playing in 1989-1990, with their first season in the Metrodome before moving into the new Target Center. Wolfenson was proud of the city and initially considered naming the team the Minneapolis Polars, the nickname being a nod to his high school alma mater, the North Polars.

The city assumed ownership in 1995 with a deal made with Wolfenson and Ratner. Over the years city officials have realized the tax and parking revenue value of downtown sports and entertainment venues. During COVID, for example, the city coffers would have been badly hurt without Target Center, Target Field, U.S. Bank Stadium and theatre venues.

It’s believed the city and the basketball owners favor an arena anchoring an entertainment district. That sort of development will need public financing for endeavors such as land acquisition and roads.

While the city council has a less than enthusiastic reputation regarding big business, Frey could provide evidence to sway votes for some public funding. The State of Minnesota could issue bonds to help with an entertainment district project as an investment in jobs and tax revenues while trying to keep the state’s largest city safe and vibrant.

The Sports Headliners source referred to believes the state is likely to approve something like $200 million this spring to help renovate the home of the Wild, Grand Casino Arena and other facilities. That will help continue a precedent of state involvement with sports facilities in the Twin Cities.

The building of a new arena in Minneapolis could be five to eight years into the future. That time period could well coincide with the leadership of a new governor, likely Amy Klobuchar.

The source predicts that 2027 would be the earliest any plan is taken to the Legislature and Klobuchar could be supportive. The insider said Klobuchar recognizes the benefits of big-time sports including revenues that will benefit the city and state.

Target Center is the 29^th oldest NBA arena, exceeded in age only by venerable Madison Square Garden in New York. The facility doesn’t begin to compare with other modern palaces in the league that are creating significant revenue returns for team owners and communities.

Worth Noting

Vikings’ safety Harrison Smith has yet to announce whether he will play next season. What’s certain is there won’t be many more seasons ahead for the 37-year-old. At the No. 18 spot in the first round of this month’s NFL Draft, the Vikings might find it too tempting to resist Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. He has size, speed and versatility, and is likely to be available in the 15 to 32 range of the first round.

It doesn’t take much noodling to figure out why University of Minnesota athletics director Mark Coyle parted ways with women’s hockey coach Brad Frost last month. The Wisconsin Badgers recently won a record ninth national championship, while the Gophers have won six NCAA titles and none since 2016. New Gopher hire Greg “Boom” May faces the highest of expectations with Coyle on record as saying the Minnesota position “is the best coaching job in the country.”

Minnesota icon Dick Jonckowski will do comedy and play his trombone kazoo starting about 8:30 p.m. April 11 at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul, appearing prior to the Mancini’s band. “The Polish Eagle,” 82, has been entertaining at nursing homes and said he doesn’t take offense when audience members nod off.

Former Gopher basketball player Walter Bond and his wife Antoinette have co-authored a new book: “Accelerate a Champion’s Playbook to Fast-Track Your Business Success.” Bond is a longtime popular motivational speaker.

Comments Welcome

Oregon Tight End Might Be Too Tempting for Vikes to Pass Up

Posted on March 29, 2026March 29, 2026 by David Shama

Local football authority Daniel House, known for his football film breakdown and data driven research, predicted on X last year the Vikings would use their first-round draft selection on Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson. Bingo! The Vikings did just that.

House, recognized by football followers for his presence on multiple platforms including X @DanielHouseMN, will post his 2026 prediction on X this Wednesday. He told Sports Headliners he’s “leaning” toward dynamic Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq being Minnesota’s choice at No. 18 of the first round of the NFL Draft which opens Thursday night April 23.

Why? “What a freaky athlete he is and how he tested. It’s pretty impressive.”

The 6-foot-3, 241-pound playmaker had a terrific NFL Combine where he ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a tight end (4.39) since at least 2003. Sadiq excelled in physical measurements and also team interviews.

The Vikings have many needs to fill in the draft and already possess a quality tight end in T.J. Hockenson but Sadiq, if available, might be too good to pass on. House said a team’s offensive efficiency can “explode when you have two tight ends on the field.” He added that the versatile Sadiq can line up not only in a tight end position but also in the slot or out wide. Sadiq, he said, is so talented and versatile he could play some fullback, making the transition easier without C.J. Ham who has retired.

Among the Vikings needs is help at running back and it wouldn’t be too surprising if they selected Minneapolis native Emmett Johnson. The Gophers didn’t pursue Johnson, but he became one of college football’s better backs at Nebraska despite not having top speed.

“He was really good…(with) acceleration, deaccelerating,” House said. “Sudden, elusive type of back. I feel like NFL teams are going to like Emmett Johnson quite a bit.”

House predicts Johnson will likely be a round two or three pick. He said Johnson may not have tested that well with scouts but he “transitions” so well when he runs that he is an intriguing prospect. “That’s where he is elite. So, I think maybe that’s going to be the calling card for his game is the ability to make people miss. And that’s the bread-and-butter success at the running back position. …”

The first Gopher to be taken by an NFL team either in the draft or free agency is likely to be defensive lineman Deven Eastern from Shakopee. Defensive tackles are coveted in the NFL, and House said the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Eastern has “great length and movement skills.”

Worth Noting

Gopher football coach P.J. Fleck — P.J. Fleck

Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck, speaking at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic last week, told the audience his teams frequently exceed expectations of prognosticators and this year’s team can be “sneaky good.” He also told Sports Headliners quarterback Drake Lindsey is improved in throwing the deep ball.

Former Gopher wide receiver and now TV analyst Ron Johnson after being asked if national champion Indiana’s coaching staff is superior to Minnesota’s: “No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s all about the dollars (to pay players).”

Johnson is an admirer of Lindsey including his 6-foot-5 height. That’s prototypical of ideal NFL quarterbacks. “It (the height) changes the trajectory of the ball,” Johnson told Sports Headliners.

The Gophers, now in spring practices, have a roster of players from 29 states.

Dan Stoltz, president and CEO of Blaze Credit Union, spoke about leadership at the clinic. An inspiring speaker, Stoltz has a book coming out this summer with a working title of “Quest to Be Your Best.”

Retired girls’ high school basketball coach Brian Cosgriff, who won eight state tournament titles, thinks the world of Amaya Battle, the Golden Gopher senior guard who played her last game in Friday’s NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA. Cosgriff coached her at Hopkins High School and recalled how the death of Battle’s mother prompted her to stay home for college and be near family.

The versatile scorer, rebounder and assist maker is one of the Gophers all-time best players. Cosgriff describes her as a great player, person and student who is also “funny as heck.” Cosgriff told Sports Headliners: “I am going to make it my cause to go out and see if we can hang a banner of her at Williams Arena.”

The Twins were efficient in gaining their first win of the regular season yesterday, scoring four runs on four hits to defeat the Orioles 4-1. Twins pitchers struck out 16 batters, including nine by first-year starter Taj Bradley in 4.1 innings. The suspect labeled bullpen used five relievers who gave up only two hits and struck out seven.

Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez was a big hit speaking to the Twin Cities Dunkers last week. He graciously posted a thank you on his LinkedIn page. (43) Post | LinkedIn

Comments Welcome