Golden Gophers – Page 330 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U RB Goal to Become Big Ten’s Best

Posted on April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 by David Shama

A year ago in spring practice running back David Cobb didn’t know how much he would contribute to the Gophers’ success. Now he wants to be the best runner in the Big Ten Conference.

Cobb was one of the team’s surprises last fall, becoming the No. 1 running back and rushing for a Gophers’ best 1,202 yards. Among Minnesota’s roster of running backs, he offered the best combination of speed, elusiveness and power as the Gophers did some surprise work achieving a 4-4 record in the Big Ten, the program’s best since 2005.

That breakout season for the then junior from Killeen, Texas boosted his confidence. “I definitely think I am a lot better than what I was at this time last year,” Cobb told Sports Headliners in late March. He and teammates are going through practices leading up to the annual spring game this Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

The success of 2013 came about because Cobb was physically stronger, understood his assignments better and played with confidence. It was a transition no one was certain would happen.

When a player isn’t even included on the travel roster for a game, doubt can develop. Thoughts occur about whether the program is the right fit. Cobb played minimally as a freshman in 2011 with 10 carries and 57 yards rushing. The numbers as a sophomore declined to one rushing attempt and eight yards.

“You question yourself and you question the coaches whether they want you here,” Cobb said. “This is where you want to be. The hardest thing for me was knowing what I could do but just not having the opportunity.”

Cobb learned the coaches did want him. Among those who have helped is Nate Griffin who has the title of offensive quality control coach but has a background working with running backs. “I can’t thank him enough,” Cobb said.

Early last season the Gophers were searching for a No. 1 runner. Some observers thought that runner might be Donnell Kirkwood but he missed games because of injury. The chance to play more became available to Cobb.

He seized that opportunity to get on the field and become a starter. Now he has a more ambitious goal. “I want to be the best back in the Big Ten. If I am the best back in the Big Ten that does our team a whole lot of favor. As a team we want to win the Big Ten and we feel like we will win the Big Ten.”

Worth Noting

Running back is a position to watch with the Gophers. Kirkwood led Minnesota in rushing during 2012 with 926 yards. The senior is the team’s most experienced back. Junior Rodrick Williams is Minnesota’s most powerful runner and has caught Cobb’s attention. “That’s a load to bring down at 5-10, 250,” Cobb said earlier this spring.

Cobb has seen Williams benefit from increased confidence. “When you know the offense, you play with a lot more confidence,” Cobb said. “He’s playing faster and he’s looking great. Picking up blocks, running people over…making moves. So he’s looking good. I definitely see the change.”

Redshirt freshman Berkley Edwards will be among the fastest backs in the Big Ten. The Gophers will use him on more than plunges into the line. Play calls for Edwards could include reverses and pass receptions—opportunities to put his speed and elusiveness out in the open field.

“I definitely know that we’ll both be on the field at the same time,” Cobb said. “He’ll help complement me and I’ll complement him as well.”

Former Gophers defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hageman said he won’t be disappointed if he isn’t chosen during the first round of the May 8 NFL Draft. “Not really. There’s a lot of great players that have went second round that were able to do well so that doesn’t really concern me at all.”

The 6-6 Hageman weighs over 300 pounds and is viewed as someone who could play multiple positions on the defensive line. He said that versatility and his explosiveness after the ball is snapped are attributes pro scouts like.

What do scouts doubt about the Minneapolis native? “Just my motor. Just my consistency. …But that’s something I can easily change,” Hageman answered.

Rick Pitino, the legendary Louisville basketball coach and father of Gophers head men’s coach Richard Pitino, admires Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague. “He is regarded as one of the top five AD’s in the business,” Pitino said last Thursday on 1500 ESPN following the Gophers NIT championship. “…He’s an awesome AD. He is going to bring them to heights they’ve never seen before.”

Verbalcommits.com is reporting Djuan Piper, the Seattle small forward who is targeted by the Gophers, will make a college commitment this week.

Although there has been no official announcement and update, Saint John’s in Collegeville, not St. Cloud State, will host the Tackle Cancer All-Star game on June 28 starting at 1 p.m. The North versus South game showcasing outstanding senior players from the 2013 Minnesota high school football season can’t be held in St. Cloud because the artificial field is being replaced at Husky Stadium.

Players and coaches representing 85 schools and 30 conferences will participate in the game, and they were selected by members of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association. College-bound players include Columbia’s Lord Hyeamang (Apple Valley); Penn’s Drew Trabing (Prior Lake); Eastern Michigan’s Tim Gordon (Cretin-Derham Hall); Montana State’s Joey Marinello (Eastview); Northern Iowa’s Ezra Szczyrbak (Moose Lake/Willow River); North Dakota recruits Keaton Studsrud (Benilde-St. Margaret’s), Grant Aplin (Chanhassen), Reid Taubenheim (Farmington), Deion Harris (Hibbing) and Connor Bolduc (Mahtomedi); and North Dakota State’s Aaron Steidl (Alexandria) and Christian Triplett (Delano).

Head coaches for the game are Bill Weiss of Chisago Lakes Area (North) and Mike Grant of Eden Prairie (South).

The Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association honored Grant last month with the Tom Mahoney Man of the Year Award. Grant has won nine state titles including three in a row.

Former Vikings center Matt Birk spoke at the recent MFCA Clinic and talked about the importance of making the right choices and decisions. He has authored a book titled Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead to Greatness.

Birk is an appeals judge for the NFL, deciding whether players will be disciplined by the league.

The Twins lost 99 games in 2011, and 96 each of the last two seasons. They will lose 100 this year if Sports Illustrated is correct. In the magazine’s baseball preview issue last month the Twins’ record was forecast at 62 wins, 100 losses. The Twins were ranked No. 14 in the 15-team American League.

The magazine quoted an anonymous and rival scout on the Twins. Among the more interesting comments was that pitchers “Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco will be a tremendous upgrade to their staff,” plus this evaluation of center fielder Aaron Hicks:

“I always had high hopes for Aaron Hicks, but he can’t keep it together. Too many hitters think they’re supposed to be power guys instead of learning how to handle the bat.”

Hicks, who is outstanding in the field, is hitting .190 in six games so far this season after batting .192 as a rookie in 2013. Nolasco has started two games and is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. Hughes has one start, 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA.

The Twins, 3-3 so far this season, have their home opener this afternoon against the A’s. The prediction here is the Twins will win 70 or more games and easily avoid a 100 loss season.

Comments Welcome

Rick Pitino Gushes about Son’s Future

Posted on April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 by David Shama

Rick Pitino watched his son Richard Pitino coach the Gophers to the NIT championship last night, defeating SMU 65-63 in New York. The older Pitino was feeling fatherly pride when interviewed after the game on 1500 ESPN.

In his first year coaching the Gophers and second season as a college head coach, Richard is earning praise at age 31. Dad said the NIT accomplishment by his son might be the “proudest moment” of his life and that apparently includes Rick coaching national championship teams at Kentucky and Louisville.

Then the Louisville head coach talked about how NIT champions frequently make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament the year after winning in New York. “Not that there is pressure on my son but I just think it’s an awesome segue into a very special career,” he said on the radio.

To continue building on his success, Pitino will have to soon lead the Gophers to the NCAA Tournament. In 2012 the Gophers advanced to the NIT Finals where they lost to Stanford and the following season earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Will they receive an NCAA invite in 2015?

If you can find betting odds in Las Vegas, jump hard on Minnesota being in the “Big Dance” next year.

The Gophers will have four starters returning from their NIT title team. Three of the four returnees, guards Andre Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu, and center Mo Walker, will be seniors. The fourth regular is forward Joey King, a junior next season. Elliott Eliason, who was the starting center until an ankle injury reduced his minutes during the NIT games in New York, will also be a senior next season.

There are few absolutes in life—including college basketball—but having a senior-dominated starting lineup is a reason for optimism about the Gophers. The experience of the five players mentioned could translate into minimal mistakes and big plays like last night when senior guard Austin Hollins led the team with 19 points and four steals.

Eliason, King, Andre Hollins, Mathieu and Walker have a total of 13 seasons of Division I experience. Other leading players returning are redshirt freshman forward Charles Buggs and freshman guard Daquein McNeil. Those seven players not only are familiar with the demands of college basketball but now have learned the team system under Pitino who took over the Gophers’ program last spring.

Guards Andre Hollins and Mathieu are the team’s best returning players and that’s another reason to slap a smiley face on Goldy Gopher. There is a decades-old truism about successful teams in college basketball that goes like this: “You win with good guards.”

Hollins, a shooting guard, and Mathieu, a point guard, were selected as Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention players after last season by the media. In the NIT win last night Hollins was second in scoring with 14 points while Mathieu at times was simply the best player on the floor, scoring 13 points while darting around the court and producing a team high seven assists.

Pitino’s first-year coaching has been impressive and prompts positive anticipation about the future. His team came up with an 8-10 Big Ten record and Minnesota earned consideration for an NCAA Tournament invitation. The Gophers won five games in the NIT while finishing with an overall 25-13 record.

The total “balance sheet” for 2013-2014 left a lot of observers, including this one, feeling the Gophers overachieved. Previous coach Tubby Smith didn’t leave a lot of talent for Pitino. Smith’s roster for his last team was similar to what Pitino worked with except Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams, the team’s best front court players, were seniors in 2012-2013.

Without Mbakwe and Williams, the Gophers lacked inside scoring. Their rebounding and shot blocking were missed, too. Eliason and Walker, both about 6-foot-11, improved their play to sometimes make up for the absence of Mbakwe and Williams but those two were shorter, more mobile players and their athleticism left a void in Minnesota’s talent pool.

Pitino and staff improved both the individual and team skills of the Gophers. Eliason, although inconsistent, turned into one of the Big Ten’s leading rebounders and shot blockers. Walker lost weight, reshaped his body and learned low post moves that turned him into a scoring threat near the basket.

Other Gophers improved, too, including upper classman Oto Osenieks who in his early years at Minnesota looked too timid to become a contributor. Osenieks gained enough skill and confidence to win the starting power forward position, a job he kept until a troublesome knee forced him to the bench and he was replaced by King.

With Smith coaching it often seemed like the Gophers were underachieving with the talent available. The Gophers disappointed in the Big Ten, losing more games than they won. At times players stood around on offense looking as confused as the bewildered fans watching.

Players didn’t improve from one season to the next. That was frustrating and so too was watching some of the better players transfer to other schools. And while recruiting was sometimes effective, the coaching staff struggled to make the point guard position a strength.

Pitino and staff will have to prove they can recruit if Minnesota is to some day challenge for Big Ten titles. After being hired last spring the coaches had minimal time to sign up quality recruits but did score big by finding Mathieu, a junior college transfer. The first fair test comes next fall. That’s when several new players arrive representing a group the Minnesota coaches had more months to attract.

Three players committed during the early signing period last fall and Pitino has scholarship inventory to sign a couple more this spring. Newcomers will need to contribute if the Gophers are to take a next step in 2014-2015, with help particularly needed at the small and power forward positions, plus a deeper and more talented bench.

But there’s plenty of time to see how that develops. For now the Gophers have already taken a step in the right direction.

Comments Welcome

No Automatic Increases for Borton

Posted on March 28, 2014March 28, 2014 by David Shama

Pam Borton has received guaranteed monetary increases in the past but that ends this year, per her employment agreement with the University of Minnesota. The agreement does state that both her salary and “supplemental and media compensation” will be reviewed by the athletic director, “and shall not be less than the previous year.”

Borton, who has been the Gophers women’s basketball coach since 2002-2003, presently earns $335,000 in salary. That amount is $10,000 more than in 2012-2013 and is part of a past series of guaranteed annual salary increases described in her employment agreement. Borton’s supplemental and media compensation has also increased annually in the past and is $150,000 for 2013-2014, or $5,000 more than in 2012-2013.

Not only are Borton’s earnings for 2014-2015 to be determined, but there is also speculation about her job status. Athletic director Norwood Teague has declined opportunities during the last several days in both the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune to talk about the coach’s future.

The Gophers’ season ended in a third round WNIT game last night in Brookings, South Dakota. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits defeated the Gophers, 70-62.

The program has faltered since the glory days of 2003, 2004 and 2005 when Minnesota played in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 twice and Final Four once. Borton’s teams haven’t qualified for the tournament for five years. The Gophers were 6^th in the Big Ten Conference standings this season, an improvement over the previous four years of 11^th, 9^th and two 8^th place finishes.

Interest in the program and home attendance has faltered, too. The Gophers averaged 3,178 this season before hosting two WNIT games that drew announced Williams Arena crowds of 950 and 587. Attendance once averaged more than 9,000 per game.

Teague neither hired Borton nor gave her the 2012 contract extension that runs through 2016. Teague, who has been Minnesota’s athletic director for less than two years, is a knowledgeable basketball administrator and gave men’s coach Tubby Smith only one season before dismissing him last March.

Borton’s employment agreement states she can be let go “without just cause” and the University must pay half her salaries for the remaining years of the agreement. There are two years remaining at $335,000 per season. Her agreement with the University runs through April 30, 2016.

…The Gophers men’s team plays Florida State in the semifinals of the NIT in New York on Tuesday night. Minnesota defeated the Seminoles 71-61 in a nonconference game at Williams Arena in December.

Minnesota players and coaches held a meeting to discuss the NIT prior to the tournament starting. Some teams may not be focused in the NIT because of disappointment from failing to qualify for the more prestigious NCAA Tournament, but the Gophers thought differently. “We decided we want to go win this thing, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Gophers junior forward Oto Osenieks told Sports Headliners.

Minnesota has NIT wins over High Point, Saint Mary’s and Southern Mississippi. A win next Tuesday puts Minnesota into the championship game two nights later. The 2012 Gophers played in the title game but lost.

Gophers junior guard Andre Hollins said the loss left a “sour taste” with him and his teammates. “You get that close to a championship and you lose, you don’t forget that,” he said. “It will stay with me forever.”

Two years ago the Gophers went into overtime before defeating Washington in a semifinal game. Minnesota players were fatigued for the championship game two nights later. Stanford defeated the Gophers with ease, 75-51.

The 2014 Gophers believe they have more players who can come off the bench and provide energy if the starters are tired. “This year we’re definitely deeper and I think it’s going to help us,” said junior center Elliott Eliason.

Without a career high 32 points by Austin Hollins on Tuesday night against Southern Mississippi, the Gophers wouldn’t be preparing for New York and Florida State. The senior guard, who scored 18 during a first half Minnesota comeback, made his last game in Williams Arena something to remember.

“He went out with a bang,” Andre Hollins said. “That‘s what you dream of. I am proud of him.”

Although the Gophers hosted three NIT games at Williams Arena, they don’t keep the gate receipts. The NIT, owned by the NCAA, retains the revenues from games but pays for the expenses of teams.

…Timberwolves fans have reason to watch Iowa State’s Sweet 16 game tonight against Connecticut. Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg should be considered if Wolves coach Rick Adelman, 67, decides to retire this spring.

Hoiberg played two seasons for the Wolves and later worked in the team’s front office before accepting the Iowa State job, his first head coaching position. He has revived Cyclones basketball during the last four seasons while adding to his legend in Ames. Hoiberg attended high school in Ames and was a star player for the Cyclones where he became known as “The Mayor.”

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is fond of him. It’s difficult not to like the personable Hoiberg who was popular in Minneapolis and has proven in Ames he can coach. Part of his coaching success has come from working successfully with troubled players who seem to have a new outlook after transferring from other schools.

Hoiberg’s skill in dealing with difficult personalities would give him an edge in today’s NBA. At 41 he can relate to players and has the energy needed for the NBA grind.

No doubt Hoiberg feels loyalty to his alma mater. Athletic director Jamie Pollard hired him, taking a chance on someone with no head coaching experience. Still, Hoiberg might feel more comfortable leaving Ames for a pro job rather than another college position.

And coming home to Minnesota—where the family has owned a lake cabin and already knows the Wolves organization—could be an overture Hoiberg probably won’t quickly disregard.

…Saint John’s men’s basketball coach Jim Smith will be 80 in June, but if you think he will announce his retirement soon, think again.

Smith told Sports Headliners he has no plans to quit coaching the Johnnies. He enjoys his work and the association with his players. “I am sure I will know when it is time (to retire),” he said.

Smith is energetic and not concerned about the approaching eight-zero. “I don’t feel it (80),” he said.

He just completed his 50^th season in Collegeville. The Johnnies were 15-11 overall and 13-7 in the MIAC where they tied for fourth place.

The overall win total pushed his career record to 770-546. Smith is one of 27 men’s college coaches to have 700 career victories. His better teams include a couple that pressed for national championships. “If I have any regrets it would be not winning a national title,” he said.

The 2001 team made it to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16. That’s not so long ago and maybe the coach has another long tournament run to make.

The Johnnies will hold their season ending banquet on April 12.

Comments Welcome