Golden Gophers – Page 353 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gophers Use Predictions for Motivation

Posted on October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by David Shama

Andre Hollins calls it a “slap in the face.”

The Gophers’ best player is using predictions by college basketball writers that his team will be among the worst in the Big Ten Conference as motivation. “I think we can be a surprise team. …Nobody really knows what to expect, expecting us last. That’s the motivation that we’re using.”

Hollins, who led the Gophers in scoring last season at 14.6 points per game, is one of two returning starters from a team that finished 8-10 in Big Ten Conference games and 21-13 overall last season. He and Austin Hollins were starting guards last season but forwards Rodney Williams and Joe Coleman, and center Trevor Mbakwe, are no longer part of a Minnesota program with a new coach in 31-year-old Richard Pitino.

Basketball writers see a program in transition with changes in personnel and a new coaching staff. They forecast a challenging winter for the Gophers playing in the Big Ten, perhaps the nation’s best conference.

Andre Hollins said the Gophers, who have started fall practice preparing for their first exhibition game against Cardinal-Stritch at Williams Arena on November 1, are embracing the changes. “Much more energetic, enthusiastic. Just the whole program,” he said.

The team’s best players are likely to be the guards. The strategy could be to compensate for lack of size and talent in the frontcourt by playing wide open basketball — fast breaks, quick shots, full-court defense, double teams, and force turnovers.

The Gophers want opponents to panic and to do so Hollins is already seeing the importance of conditioning for himself and teammates. “We’re playing hard-nosed full-court defense an hour twenty minutes in practice,” he said. “I don’t think many teams do that in the nation.”

Hollins, a junior, has been known as an offensive player but when asked about personal goals for the season he said, “Be the best player I can be. Pick it up defensively. Be one of the best defending guards in the nation.”

Hollins said he improved his defense during the summer and made a comparison with how the Gophers will play defense this season versus last. While former coach Tubby Smith had players deny passes, the Gophers now will ease off on that so not to be vulnerable to backdoor cuts to the basket by opponents.

Hollins also said he’s learned to be more vocal, an attribute that will help him as one of three newly elected captains. Austin Hollins and guard Maverick Ahanmisi are the other captains.

Worth Noting

Forward Mo Walker, 6-10, has lost about 50 pounds and looks like a different person. Andre Hollins said Walker can now keep up with 6-11 center Elliott Eliason in running drills. Eliason is known for his ability to run up and down the court.

The Gophers haven’t set an October date when practice will be open to the public but plan to do so.

Pitino has converted the gym adjacent to his Bierman Building office into a practice facility. A wall has been constructed with power operated window shades to provide privacy. On the wall are video monitors showing images including of Minneapolis, the University campus and celebrities such as Ricky Rubio and Adrian Peterson.

The facility has a nearby locker room and showers. It is intended more for individual instruction, with the Gophers also using Williams Arena with its larger floor on practice days.

A passionate and knowledgeable Twins fan, disappointed with the decision to re-sign manager Ron Gardenhire for two more years, sent this e-mail to Sports Headliners: “After so many losses over the last three years, it’s hard to believe a change wasn’t made. Only in Minnesota do we accept such mediocrity on a consistent basis. I love Gardy as a person. It just seemed the right time to go in a different direction.

“What I find interesting is the Twins point to the A’s, Pirates and Rays and tell you a big payroll isn’t necessary to win. That may be true but then it’s an indictment of the team’s baseball operations department for failing to draft, sign and develop players that make an impact. If a team isn’t willing to spend money, then it better draft and develop well. Some of the Twins first-rounders like (Chris) Parmelee, (Trevor) Plouffe, (Aaron) Hicks and (Kyle) Gibson made it to the bigs but don’t appear to be impact players. Others, like (Denard) Span and (Ben) Revere, were traded before the start of the season.”

A guess is Gardenhire’s new deal pays him between $1.4 and $1.6 million annually. Baseballprospectus.com lists his two-year total compensation at $2.5 million for 2008-2009, but offers no figures more recent.

The Gophers (4-1) play at Michigan (4-0) tomorrow in a 2:30 p.m. ABC regionally televised game. The Gophers haven’t won in Ann Arbor since 2005 and have two victories in Michigan Stadium since 1980. The “Big House” has an official seating capacity of 109,901 but 115,109 saw the Wolverines defeat Notre Dame last month – the largest crowd ever to watch a college or pro football game.

Senior defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman said younger teammates might be somewhat “star-struck” playing against college football’s all-time winningest program in such a famous venue, but they need to know it’s “just a regular football game.”

Two years ago it wasn’t a regular game, as Michigan embarrassed Minnesota 58-0 in the “Big House” before 111,106 fans.

The Gophers average of only 27.4 penalty yards per game is the best among Big Ten teams. Coach Jerry Kill stresses in weekly meetings the importance of minimizing penalties.

“You wouldn’t want to be in here (the meeting room) after a ballgame and you were one who made a dumb penalty because it’s going to go up on that screen. That’s called the Daily News.” Kill said. “We all get educated through the Daily News and it helps because it’s not degrading anybody. This is why we didn’t score. This is why we kicked the field goal because we lined up wrong. So we’re gonna get that corrected. ‘Yes, sir.’ Okay, move on. So that’s kind of how we try to teach.”

The defensive secondary might be the Gophers’ top unit, comparing favorably with the best in the Big Ten. Safety Cedric Thompson thinks so and believes the unit is better than last year. “We’re a lot more physical, smarter and faster,” he said.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier didn’t want to tell his players that because of the team’s unexpected poor start and 1-3 record they had to spend part of their bye week at Winter Park working: “I think it’s important that our players get a chance to get away, take their minds off some things for a little bit and also…get re-engaged from a physical standpoint as well. So I think this is the right decision. We’ll come back on Monday, get started on the next opponent. …”

Vikings rookie wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has turned heads with his kickoff return ability including a 105-yard touchdown return against the Bears last month. He is averaging 33.8 yards on 12 returns and was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. Frazier allows him freedom about making decisions about whether to return a kickoff or down the ball in the end zone for a touchback.

“Yeah, we do have a lot of trust in him for sure,” Frazier said. “We have some parameters on when he can bring it out and when he doesn’t, but it’s not by yards. We think he can return one 109 yards, 108 yards and he’s done 105 so we trust his judgment. We do have some things we talk about when it comes to where the ball is kicked when he has to not return it, but he’s made good decisions up to this point.”

It wasn’t complacency that ended St. Thomas’ 36 game regular season winning streak last month. “Gosh, no. No way,” coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners yesterday. “We would not tolerate it.”

The Tommies lost 20-18 to St. John’s on September 21 and had a bye last weekend. Caruso was surprised how poorly his team played “at times” against the Johnnies, committing five turnovers after a focused week of practice. “It was a great reminder of how strong the rest of the conference has gotten,” he said.

The Tommies are home for a 1:10 p.m. game tomorrow against Carleton, another MIAC opponent. Caruso said the St. John’s loss doesn’t end the dream of playing later this year for the Division III national championship but the Tommies need to focus on the present each week.

State basketball legend Janet Karvonen, now 50, is finishing studies at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, according to the latest issue of MVP Magazine. Bob Brown wrote in his story for the southeast Minnesota sports publication that Karvonen plans to intern at Living Waters Lutheran Church in Lino Lakes. “It’s still a new thing for women to be ordained as pastors,” said Karvonen who grew up in the Lutheran church.

The Lynx open the WNBA Finals on Sunday night at Target Center against the Dream. Single game tickets start at $26.

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Sooners Interested in U RB Target Jones

Posted on October 2, 2013October 2, 2013 by David Shama

Oklahoma is the latest school to show interest in Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones. Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins told Sports Headliners the Sooners contacted him last week about Jones, the Rivals.com four-star running back who remains verbally committed to the Gophers.

“The Gophers will always be No. 1 until someone else shows something different that he can’t get at home,” Jenkins said. “He is a hometown kid who loves the thought of being a superstar in his home state. He loves the idea of being the next guy having the whole state on his side.”

The senior running back, who Rivals.com reports is the only four-star player to commit so far to the Gophers for the class of 2014, scored seven touchdowns last week to increase his season total to 24. “He’s having a phenomenal senior year,” Jenkins said. “He‘s on track for over 40 touchdowns.”

Jenkins believes Jones’ statistics, that include a career best 28 touchdowns as a sophomore, may have been what first prompted interest by national power Oklahoma, a program whose former great running backs include Adrian Peterson. “He probably reminds them of No. 28,” Jenkins said.

Jones spoke with Oklahoma assistant coach Cale Gundy on Monday night. Jenkins said the Sooners want to review Jones’ academic records before making an offer. Jenkins said his star running back is “on track to graduate.”

Worth Noting

The other Minnesota prep named Jones who is being highly recruited is Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones. It’s speculated Jones will make Duke his college choice but maybe not. Jones is likely to keep his pact to attend the same school with Jahlil Okafor, the Chicago Whitney High School center. But does Okafor want to accept a scholarship to Duke where forward and former Chicago prep rival Jabari Parker is already a freshman?

Speculation is Okafor likes the Kansas coaches and perhaps leans toward a November commitment to the Jayhawks. But does Jones want to play in the Big 12 Conference where the Jayhawks’ rivals will include Baylor? The Bears’ coaching staff includes Jared Nuness who is a friend and relative of Jones.

Okafor and Jones might have their reasons for cancelling out Duke and Kansas. Could Baylor be the compromise choice?

Rivals.com rates Okafor the No. 1 national recruit in the class of 2014. Jones is No. 5.

Last Sunday games involving the Twins (Fox Sports North) and Vikings (WCCO TV) were televised in the local marketplace with dramatic differences in viewership. The Twins, ending a 66-96 season, had a 0.8 rating while the Vikings number was 33.

Byron Buxton, named this week by the Twins as the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year, backs up the hype about his extraordinary speed. He led all of minor league baseball in triples this year with 18 and was 12^th in stolen bases at 55. Buxton, who played in 125 total games with Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, was also selected by Baseball America as its Minor League Player of the Year.

Sports Headliners’ Big Ten football power rankings: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Penn State, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue.

NHL authority Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners he’s taking a wait-and-see approach with the Wild who open the regular season tomorrow night at Xcel Energy Center against the Kings. Whether the Wild improve over last season’s 26-19-3 record depends on how young players “produce,” Nanne said. He mentioned 21-year-old forwards Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter, and defenseman Jonas Brodin, 20, referring to Coyle and Brodin as potential stars.

Nanne, a University of Minnesota alum, is involved with the new fundraising campaign to raise $190 million for Gophers facilities. He said a campaign announcement could come in three weeks.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino said yesterday he has 13 players practicing and is looking to add one or two walk-ons. He also said the NCAA hasn’t informed the Gophers yet whether Drake transfer Joey King will be eligible this season or have to sit out a year.

Pitino on former Gophers coach Tubby Smith: “He is one of the better teachers of fundamentals in the game.”

Local high school basketball authority Chris Monter describes Seattle prep Josh Martin as a “physical player” who can score inside. “He’s not a great athlete but a good athlete,” Monter said about the power forward who verbally committed to the Gophers this week.

ESPN.com dropped Martin, who makes only about half his free throws, from a four-star to two-star player. “His AAU team did not have a good summer,” Monter said.

News conference overload: The Gophers men’s hockey team will have a news conference this afternoon to preview the coming season. That will be the last of six local news conferences that started late Monday morning with the Timberwolves and included the Twins, Vikings, and Gophers football and basketball.

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Bowl Prospects Dim for Golden Gophers?

Posted on September 30, 2013September 30, 2013 by David Shama

What now for the Golden Gophers?

Passionate Gophers fans had a disappointing day on Saturday when Iowa defeated Minnesota 23-7. It was a game many thought was a likely win because Iowa was coming off a 4-8 season and had lost its opening game to Northern Illinois.

Wrong assumption.

It was suggested here last Friday the Hawkeyes have better personnel than the Gophers. Correct analysis.

The Hawkeyes dominated Minnesota starting with the line of scrimmage where Iowa’s superiority in offensive and defensive linemen was evident from the opening minutes of the game. But the Hawkeyes were better in other positions, too, including linebackers, running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers.

The Gophers came into the game 4-0 and need two more wins to be bowl eligible. Iowa was supposed to be win No. 5, with the Hawkeyes projected among the most likely victims on Minnesota’s Big Ten Conference schedule. Now, with seven league games remaining, all Gophers fans can do is cross their fingers the team can find a couple more wins.

Except for the November 2 game at Indiana, the Gophers will send inferior personnel onto the field in the weeks ahead. And the Hoosiers might be Minnesota’s equal in talent, and will have home field advantage. Assuming a victory against the Hoosiers is a mistake.

The Gophers play at Michigan on Saturday where the shaky but undefeated Wolverines are difficult to defeat. Michigan has had two weeks to prepare for the game. Then the Gophers have their own bye before playing in Evanston on October 19 against one of the best Northwestern teams in years.

Nebraska comes to TCF Bank Stadium on October 26 and the Gophers might have a chance for an upset against a Cornhuskers defense that can be clueless. But don’t count on a win and for sure the Gophers face long odds against Wisconsin at home on November 23 and at Michigan State November 30. A declining Penn State program (the Nittany Lions are at TCF Bank Stadium on November 9) might provide the best opportunity for a win among the remaining opponents.

Reality is the Gophers may fail to qualify for a bowl game. The four wins leading up to the Iowa game were nice but came against the softest nonconference schedule in the Big Ten. UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State — a combined 7 wins and 12 losses for four teams without much personnel. Nobody in the Big Ten had it easier than Minnesota.

That’s the kind of schedule Gophers coach Jerry Kill wants. He’s trying to reshape the talent-poor program he was given in 2011. The plan calls for winning all the nonconference games, finding a couple of league wins and going to a lower level bowl. Extra practices have value but just as important is using a bowl game for a sales tool with recruits, part of the patter the program is improving and will be a winner.

The Gophers are better than two years ago. This is not the same program Kill inherited. The talent is superior, the players are bigger and stronger. They play hard but are often overmatched and out-executed.

It takes time to construct a more competitive roster. Kill has only had two recruiting classes that were the work of him and his assistants. Building a football program is an exercise in not only acquiring skilled players but also increasing total numbers on the roster and putting those players through a process of becoming stronger and more experienced.

The Gophers might surprise their disappointed fans and find a couple more wins this season but even the most optimistic scenario won’t have Minnesota doing much better than last year’s 2-6 Big Ten record. Minnesota hasn’t won half of its conference games since 2005 when the Gophers were 4-4.

Put down 2015 as a possibility for climbing to .500 in the Big Ten. Kill knows what he is doing and the Gophers will be better next year, and the year after. For disappointed Gophers fans that might not represent much encouragement but could be reality.

If you want to rant, don’t direct your comments to Kill. Send them to the school administration. Tell them you want the Gophers to have more resources comparable to the better college football programs including improved practice, academic and training table facilities.

And if you want a little encouragement look at undefeated Northern Illinois’ record this season. The program Kill helped build — led by quarterback Jordan Lynch who Kill recruited and developed — is 2-0 against Big Ten teams. The Huskies are the first Mid-American Conference team in history to have two wins against Big Ten teams in one year.

Just ask Iowa and Purdue.

Worth Noting

A source with knowledge about the Twins organization told Sports Headliners he expects the club to announce today Ron Gardenhire won’t return as manager for 2014. The same source said Paul Molitor could be the team’s new hire.

Don’t expect the Twins to name a successor today if an announcement is made regarding Gardenhire leaving the franchise. If interested, the well-liked Gardenhire is almost certain to be offered a position within the organization if he is no longer the manager. You can be sure Gardenhire’s Twins colleagues and bosses feel bad he finished the season two wins short of 1,000 career victories.

The Twins completed their 2013 season yesterday with a loss to the Indians and a final record of 66 wins, 96 losses. The Twins were also 66-96 last year and 63-99 in 2011. The three year cumulative record, 195 wins, 291 losses, is the worst in Twins history dating back to 1961.

What’s next? Well, from 1997-2000, the Twins’ record was 270 wins, 376 losses. Breaking that record is in play unless the club unexpectedly improves its starting pitching — by a lot.

Average home attendance declined by about 4,000 per game. The season per game averages since Target Field opened in 2010 are: 39,798, 39,112, 34,512 and 30,588.

Adding to the frustration for fans is seeing the success of Twins alums with other teams. Among the achievers in 2013 were outfielder Michael Cuddyer who won the National League batting title with a .324 average and pitcher Francisco Liriano who tied for third in the NL with most wins, 16.

Relief pitchers and ex-Twins Joe Nathan and Grant Balfour were top six finishers in AL saves. Slugger David Ortiz hit 30 home runs and drove in 103 runs, while Carlos Gomez hit 24 home runs and stole 40 bases — painful reminders the Twins had less productive players at designated hitter and center field.

Sports Illustrated offers an NHL preview including power rankings in its September 30 issue. The Wild is ranked No. 6 in the 14 team Western Conference. The Penguins are No. 1 in the Eastern Conference with the Blackhawks No. 1 in the West and the magazine’s choice to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

S.I. chose Wild second year defenseman Jonas Brodin as its “Breakout Player” in the Central Division. “Polished beyond his years in the defensive zone, look for the 20-year-old Brodin’s offensive game to blossom this season,” S.I said.

The new Robbinsdale High School Athletic Hall of Fame will induct its first honorees from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18 at Robbinsdale Middle School. The inductees are Dennis Claridge, Don Dale, Verne Gagne, Tom Heinonen, Julian Hook, Len Lilyholm, Tom Loechler, Irv Nerdahl, Larry Peterson, Cindy Sneddon, Randy Sonenfeld and H.W. “Doc” Spurrier.

Robbinsdale High closed in 1982 but the building is still used by the middle school. More information about the hall of fame is available by calling 763-537-3317.

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