Golden Gophers – Page 359 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Looks at Sand Volleyball Program

Posted on June 21, 2013June 22, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers are showing interest in possibly adding sand volleyball to the roster of intercollegiate sports. “We’ve just had general discussions with the administration,” Gophers indoor volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon told Sports Headliners yesterday.

Although it is an Olympic sport, only 34 American colleges have “verified their commitment” to sand volleyball, according to Collegesand.org. The website said 40 programs are necessary to make sand volleyball a “championship sport.” The NCAA has given the activity emerging sport status.

Nebraska started a sand volleyball program this year and is the only Big Ten school competing in the sport. The Huskers’ schedule was limited to the month of March and included only road matches with opponents such as Florida State, Pepperdine and UCLA.

Nebraska, like Minnesota, has a winning tradition and strong fan support in women’s indoor volleyball. The Huskers and Gophers tied for second place in volleyball in the Big Ten last year with 15-5 records. Nebraska averaged 4,287 fans per home match, second best in the nation. The Gophers, who nearly qualified for the NCAA Final Four Tournament, averaged a national third best 3,316 fans at home.

Various factors about college sand volleyball are likely of interest to Gophers athletic department leaders as they contemplate bringing the sport to campus. To field a team the Gophers could use some of the same players from the indoor team that competes in the fall. College sand volleyball requires more minimal personnel with two players from each side competing against one another (indoor volleyball uses six players per side on the court).

Having a sand volleyball team might mean a recruiting advantage for the Gophers because they could offer competitive playing time to players beyond the indoor volleyball schedule. That factor would be particularly helpful while recruiting in a state like California where so many teenagers play sand volleyball.

At Nebraska indoor coach John Cook is also coaching the sand volleyball team. The Gophers’ sand volleyball coach would almost certainly be McCutcheon, a former men’s and women’s Olympic coach and a world renowned volleyball authority.

The athletic department is in the process of developing a master plan for athletic facilities and the review could include a potential outdoor sand volleyball court. That wouldn’t be a costly expense and fits into the economy of the sport involving scholarships, coaching and a limited schedule.

Sand volleyball here might eventually have revenue producing potential if late spring matches were offered. The indoor Gophers volleyball team with its average of 3,316 drew more fans than women’s basketball, 3,277.

While nothing is for sure yet about the future of sand volleyball at Minnesota, McCutheon sounded optimistic about how it could fit in here. “I think it could be very successful given that it’s such a strong sport in the state,” McCutcheon said.

The athletic department presently has 25 intercollegiate sports. Like other schools the Gophers are mandated by federal law to provide equal opportunities for men and women. The addition of sand volleyball would add to the list of women’s offerings at Minnesota that now includes basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, hockey, rowing, softball, soccer, swimming-diving, tennis, track and field, and indoor volleyball.

Worth Noting

East Ridge High School center J.C. Hassenauer, who has verbally committed to Alabama, can become the second Minnesota native ever to play football for the Crimson Tide, according to an Internet story Tuesday by Andrew Gribble on Al.com. Guard William Buckler from St. Paul played for Alabama in the 1920s.

Mark Dienhart, the former Gophers athletic director and more recently executive vice president and chief operating officer for St. Thomas, will now lead Best Buy founder Richard Schulze’s family foundation starting in July.

Former Gophers ticket manager Tom Swain and his wife Arlene had their 66^th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after being asked about starting third-year quarterback Christian Ponder’s accuracy: “I think he’s much better. He’s worked his tail off trying to improve his accuracy. Our coaches have put him through a bunch of different drills and through his hard work I think he’s improved in that area. Now we’ve got some things we’ve got to get done in training camp, but he’s put in the work to improve and we are seeing it.”

Ex-Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton is 6-foot and played at about 190 pounds. In the June 17 issue of Sports Illustrated Tarkenton recalled trying to block 6-5, 272-pound Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones who was built like concrete and passed away earlier this month. “He just broke up laughing,” Tarkenton told the magazine.

The Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game will be played Saturday, June 30 at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud. This coming Sunday 93 players and 16 coaches report to training camp at St. John’s University in Collegeville.

The Timberwolves and the city of Minneapolis hope to soon finalize a $100 million deal to renovate Target Center. Both parties will be involved with financing on the project to further modernize the arena that opened in 1990. The original cost of the building was $104 million.

Look for the Timberwolves to build a new practice facility at a site to be determined. The project would include naming rights. The team now practices at Target Center.

In its mock draft NBAdraftnet.net predicts the Wolves will choose shooting guards Kentavious Coldwell-Pope and Ricardo Ledo with their No. 9 and 26 first round picks in next week’s NBA draft. Former Gophers forwards Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams will be selected on the second round, with Mbawke going to the Grizzlies at No. 41 and Williams to the Suns at No. 57.

The Wolves host a workout session for potential NBA draft choices at Target Center today and among the players will be former Gophers center Colton Iverson who finished his college career at Colorado State. NBAdraft.net predicts Iverson will be drafted by the Magic at No. 51 in the second round.

TV commentator Bert Blyleven, who was born in the Netherlands, joking on Wednesday night’s Twins-White Sox game: “Not Dutch. Not much.”

Joe Mauer had his ninth three-hit game this season against the White Sox in the Twins’ 8-4 win yesterday at Target Field. Mauer is batting .424 in eight games against the White Sox this year.

The No. 4 best workplace among Minnesota large companies is the Minnesota Twins, according to a special section in last Sunday’s Star Tribune.

Gophers women’s basketball coach Pam Borton announced that Rachel Banham, one of the two top sophomore scorers in the NCAA last season with a 20.7 average, had successful patellar tendonitis surgery.

Cynopsis.com reported on Wednesday that last Monday’s Bruins-Blackhawks game was the most watched NHL game ever on the NBC Sports Network and had the most viewers of any Stanley Cup Finals game on cable TV in 11 years.

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Smith to Hire another Ex-U Assistant

Posted on June 12, 2013June 12, 2013 by David Shama

Although it hasn’t been announced, Tubby Smith told Sports Headliners yesterday Vince Taylor will join his staff at Texas Tech.

Taylor worked for Smith as an assistant coach at Minnesota until earlier this year. Already on the staff are Joe Esposito, who was Smith’s director of operations with the Gophers, and Alvin “Pooh” Williamson, the first player Smith recruited when he was head coach at Tulsa. Smith is still searching for a director of basketball operations at Tech.

Smith’s son Saul, another assistant with the Gophers, won’t be joining the staff in Lubbock. Smith said his son has always been interested in NBA coaching and could join a pro organization. “Saul has a great mind and feel for the game,” his father said.

Smith was the Gophers’ coach for six seasons before new athletic director Norwood Teague dismissed him last March. Smith, who will be 62 on June 30, was surprised by his termination and thought the Gophers job would be his last.

Throughout his tenure at Minnesota there were rumors other schools wanted to hire Smith who built a national reputation at Kentucky by winning the 1998 NCAA championship and routinely had his teams advance to the NCAA tournament second round or better. Smith confirmed yesterday there were a “bunch of times” he was pursued by other programs while at Minnesota.

If Smith had known one day the Gophers planned to part ways with him he would have reacted differently to the contacts from other schools. “I would have been long gone,” he said.

Smith said he left the Minnesota program and community better than he found it including through his work with the Minnesota Chapter of the Tubby Smith Foundation that supports charities benefitting underprivileged children. Highlights of Smith’s basketball success at Minnesota included three NCAA tournament appearances and a nationally publicized upset win over No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena last February.

At Texas Tech Smith takes over a team that was 11-20 last season and 3-15 in Big-12 Conference games. The two previous seasons the Red Raiders were 8-23 and 1-17, and 13-19 and 5-11.

One worry Smith doesn’t have is his former home in Minneapolis. He and wife Donna sold the residence a couple of weeks ago.

Worth Noting

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino has a day camp for youngsters 7-18 this week at Williams Arena. Cost is $325 per camper.

Wally Ellenson, who will be a sophomore playing for Pitino next fall, earned All-American recognition last week in the high jump (2.20 meters) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Bob Sadek, who was the starting quarterback on the Gophers’ 1963 football team, passed away last month. Sadek’s career as a teacher and coach followed his sports success at Richfield High School and with the Gophers. His younger brother Mike Sadek played with the baseball Giants after signing his first professional contract with the Twins.

Gophersports.com is featuring a video highlight of the 1973 Minnesota football team that finished third in the Big Ten with a 6-2 record. The team included freshman running back Larry Powell who after the season developed French Polio ending his football career and changing his life. Powell was a special prospect and Gophers coach Cal Stoll often said Powell was going to be his “Tony Dorsett”—the University of Pittsburgh running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1976.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said at OTAs yesterday he was impressed with a telephone call from veteran defensive lineman Jared Allen. “He calls me, maybe a month ago now, and he says, ‘coach, count on me this season to be even a better leader than I have been in the past.’ That was music to Coach Frazier’s ears.

“It was unsolicited and he calls me out of the blue and tells me that. That’s what you need. You need your great players to be great leaders if you want to have a chance to change your culture and also win games. For him to call me and say he wants to do even better than I’ve done before, that’s inspiring. …”

Angel Morales, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, the three Twins prospects promoted earlier this week from Class A Fort Myers to Class AA New Britain, couldn’t make their Eastern League debuts last night because the Rock Cats’ game with Altoona was rained out.

Only three MLB relief pitchers have more saves than former Twin Joe Nathan who has 20 for the Rangers. His ERA is 1.71.

Public relations executive and WCCO Radio “Sports Huddle” co-host Dave Mona will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Twins-Royals game at Target Field on June 27.

The College World Series starts Saturday in Omaha. Indiana is the first Big Ten team to play in the series since Michigan in 1984. The Gophers’ last appearance was 1977. Minnesota won NCAA titles in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

Indiana advanced to the College World Series with a two-game regional playoff sweep of southern power Florida State. NCAA rules changes are making northern teams more competitive than in the past, according to Gophers assistant coach Rob Fornasiere. Teams across the country have the same starting date for practices, first games and number of games.

During the second day of last week’s first-year player draft the Twins’ selections included two players from Indiana, 6-9, 250-pound pitcher Aaron Slegers and 6-2, 200-pound third baseman Dustin DeMuth. Fornasiere said Slegers has “amazing control and athleticism for a guy that size.” He described DeMuth as “very athletic” with a strong left-handed bat.

Fornasiere said Coon Rapids High School pitcher Logan Shore is the “most polished” Minnesota high school pitcher he has seen in years. Fornasiere also said Shore showed no serious interest in the Gophers and will pitch for Florida. Fornasiere heard Logan was looking for major compensation in a pro contract but wasn’t selected until the 29^th round by the Twins.

Jim Dutcher enjoyed a reunion last month with 13 of his former players in Ypsilanti, Michigan where he coached Eastern Michigan for six seasons. Among those unable to attend was one of Dutcher’s ex-NBA players, George Gervin, selected one of the league’s 50 greatest players in 1996.

Dutcher, the former Gophers coach from 1975-1986, thinks Minnesota’s Trevor Mbakwe will be a mid-second round draft selection in the NBA draft later this month.

Minnesota native Mike Muscala who played collegiately at Bucknell and Indiana’s Cody Zeller are among the NBA draft hopefuls who will workout this afternoon at Target Center.

Mike Miller, the Mitchell, South Dakota native who played for the Timberwolves during the 2008-09 season, has come off the bench to make nine of 10 three point shots in three games of the NBA Finals for the Heat who trail the Spurs 2-1 in the series.

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Morneau Faces Improbable Twins Future

Posted on June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 by David Shama

Even if Justin Morneau reverts to becoming a superstar slugger in the next four months it seems unlikely he will finish his career with the Twins. The club could even reach agreement with Morneau and another team to send the 32-year-old first baseman elsewhere this summer before the major league trading deadline.

Morneau, who reportedly can’t be traded without his approval, hit .324 with 31 home runs and 130 RBI in 2006 when he was the American League’s MVP. Since 2010 his rough times have included a concussion, troublesome back and wrist surgery. In 2010 he played in 81 games and then 69 the next season. After hitting .227 with four home runs in 2011, Morneau had a comeback performance last season although his numbers —.267 average, 19 home runs and 77 RBI — weren’t like his best years.

This season Morneau is hitting .291 but has only two home runs. His decline in power isn’t acceptable for a player who is finishing an $80 million deal this season, signed in 2008. Neither is his frequent absence from the lineup during the course of his six-year contract.

Morneau is a terrific teammate. He bleeds Twins colors and no doubt wants to play his entire big league career with this organization. Despite the loyalty, it’s rational to wonder whether Morneau really would accept a huge slash in compensation on his next contract with the Twins. Another big league club might offer more than what the Twins are willing to pay — whatever that figure is — and if the rival team just happens to have World Series potential that could entice Morneau elsewhere.

The Twins aren’t going to the World Series anytime soon and Morneau would like to be a world champion. The Twins also aren’t growing their payroll, reducing it about $18 million in 2013 and $13 million in 2012, according to the website Baseballprospectus.com that also lists individual compensation for players.

The Twins ownership wants a winning team but also is interested in the financial bottom line. Average home attendance in 2013 could be down for a fourth consecutive season. The organization’s marketing approach now is to emphasize entertainment more than winning. The front office knows the club performance has to be much better than the two consecutive last place Central Division finishes of 2011 and 2012 but is counting on rebuilding with minor league hotshots, not aging veterans like Morneau.

Among those hot prospects is 6-3, 220-pound Miguel Sano who struggles as a third baseman. He could be the Twins’ first baseman within a couple of seasons. And the truth is the organization is deep in potential first basemen including Chris Parmelee who mostly plays right field now.

Joe Mauer, 30, can play first base and is going to be catching fewer games in the future while needing some place else to play other than designated hitter. Ryan Doumit can also play first base and is a versatile player. Doumit is also a catcher and outfielder, and at 32 the same age as Morneau. He reportedly earns $3.5 million per season and has a contract that goes through next year.

Doumit is a better value to the Twins than Morneau. So too is 34-year-old outfielder Josh Willingham who reportedly earns $7 million per season through next year. On a power-poor roster, Willingham is a savior for the Twins, a real slugger who led the team in home runs with 35 last season and is tops this season with 10. He is another player with better value than Morneau.

Right now Morneau doesn’t have much negotiating leverage when it comes to a future contract with any team. Even if he soon shows the plate production of the old Morneau he’s probably too expensive for the Twins and their vision for the future. If Morneau approaches his production of last season, the Twins might offer $7 million for two years but that is a big cut in compensation — especially if another club is willing to boost his wallet and ego by offering more. Don’t count on the Twins sending a lot of money his way.

Worth Noting

The Twins will see their former center fielder, Denard Span, starting on Friday in Washington. Traded during the last off-season, Span is hitting .264 with no home runs and 15 RBI. Pitching prospect Alex Meyer who the Twins acquired in the trade is 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA for Double-A New Britain. He has struck out 73 batters in 61 innings.

The Twins won’t see Washington’s 21-year-old outfielder and phenom Bryce Harper who is on the 15-day disabled list. The second-year slugger has 12 home runs in 44 games.

Span’s successor in center field for the Twins, Aaron Hicks, leads American League rookies in runs (24), home runs (six) and RBI (19) despite having only a .175 batting average. He has sometimes been spectacular in the field.

Not only is Bud Grant on ESPN’s list of the 20 greatest NFL coaches of all-time but three others with Minnesota connections are included. At No. 20 is Tony Dungy who played quarterback for the Gophers and later was the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Mike Shanahan, a former Gophers offensive coordinator, is No. 19 while Minneapolis North High School alum Sid Gillman is No. 18. Grant is No. 15 on a list that is still counting down the final seven names. A group of voters including Chris Berman, John Clayton, Mike Ditka, Herm Edwards, Mike Golic, Bill Polian and Rick Reilly cast ballots to determine the top 20 coaches in recognition of the late Vince Lombardi’s 100^th birthday.

Vikings wide receivers coach George Stewart on whether the team’s offense changes now that game-breaker Percy Harvin plays for the Seahawks: “I don’t think we change at all. Percy (was) a great talent here. We have guys. …We have a bigger athlete (than Percy) in Cordarrelle Patterson that can do the same kind of things. So I think we’ll be the same. We have some different wrinkles that we had a chance to evaluate during the course of the offseason so we’re not going to change much. We’re going to be a good football team, running the football obviously, and when it comes to the passing game I think we have a chance to excel in that area as well.”

The 2013 Sporting News College Football Preview, on newsstands now, predicts the Gophers will finish fifth in the Legends Division, one spot ahead of Iowa. The magazine projects the Gophers playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Former Gophers defensive coordinators now at other schools are David Gibbs at Houston, Greg Hudson at Purdue, Ted Roof at Georgia Tech and Everett Withers at Ohio State.

Rodney Williams, unlikely to make an NBA roster this fall, should consider the Harlem Globetrotters among his future options. The former Gopher not only has the athleticism and dunking ability to entertain crowds but also a pleasing personality and engaging smile.

Don Berry, who has won the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am a record six times, tees off at 1:10 p.m. Friday and 7:50 a.m. on Saturday at Southview Country Club. The men’s event begins Friday while the women’s event started yesterday. More at www.tapemarkgolf.org.

Radio personality Dark Star, who died June 1 of last year, has a race named after him now—the $50,000 Dark Star Cup at Canterbury Park this Saturday. Star was a former horse racing handicapper for the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. He was a major promoter of Canterbury Park and is a member of the track’s Hall of Fame.

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