Golden Gophers – Page 374 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-Coach Dutcher: U Season ‘Up for Grabs’

Posted on March 1, 2013March 2, 2013 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher led the Gophers to the Big Ten championship in 1982, and although he has been out of coaching for more than two decades he’s admired for his basketball wisdom and fairness. He talked with Sports Headliners on Wednesday about what may develop next for the 2013 Gophers and the future of coach Tubby Smith at Minnesota.

Dutcher believes even if the Gophers were to do the improbable and lose their last three Big Ten regular season games, they are likely to receive an NCAA Tournament invitation later this month. Minnesota’s remaining games are tomorrow at home against Penn State, 1-14 in the Big Ten, and on the road versus Nebraska, 4-11, and Purdue, 6-9.

The Gophers are 19-9 overall and 7-8 in the Big Ten. Their roller coaster season includes five wins against top 20 teams, with the latest and most newsworthy Tuesday night’s 77-73 upset of No. 1 ranked Indiana. Lows include road losses to 4-12 Northwestern and defeats at Iowa and Ohio State by a combined 47 points.

Despite losing eight of their last 12 games the Gophers, who in January were ranked among the top 10 teams in the country, are virtually guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament because of quality wins and strength of schedule. Minnesota, Dutcher believes, could be a four or five seed in the tournament.

“They’re going to be favored in their next three games,” the former Gophers coach said. “They play the ninth, 11^th and 12^th place teams. Penn State is playing better but they’re not as good as the Gophers. Nebraska—we played volleyball with them here (17 more rebounds)—we got second and third shots almost every possession, and I don’t see how that’s going to change. Purdue will be a handful because Purdue will be desperate. They need some wins if they’re gonna have a chance of the tournament. Historically we have not played well at Purdue. So that game I think will be up for grabs.”

Dutcher praised the Gophers’ performance in upsetting Indiana, including the physical play of Minnesota, scoring inside on the Hoosiers and out rebounding them (44-30 with a 23-10 advantage in offensive rebounds)). He also offered “props” to Smith for allocating substantial minutes to the starters and limiting the use of subs.

“He shortened the bench,” Dutcher said. “I think that gave the team a little more rhythm. I think it gave them some confidence.”

Pre-Big Ten season expectations were high for Minnesota, and the team’s failings have caused media and fans to chastise Smith. The Gophers have faltered in the past too, including late season nosedives. In six seasons Smith has a losing record in conference games, winning 45 games while losing 60. He has no finishes in the Big Ten above sixth place.

Critics want a coaching change. How does Dutcher respond?

“It’s been frustrating the way they’ve been blown out of some games. They’re too good to lose to Iowa by 20 some and Ohio State by 20 some, but he (Smith) still has time to turn a disappointing season around. He took the first step to that (against Indiana) but now he’s gotta complete the journey. Win these last three games.

“You can’t describe their Big Ten (record now)…as anything but disappointing. But the season is still up for grabs. The final chapter hasn’t been written on this team.”

Dutcher acknowledges athletic director Minnesota Norwood Teague has been deluged with critical communications about Smith. But when asked if Smith deserves to keep his job, Dutcher responded affirmatively.

“As of today I would say yes, but it’s still a work in progress. I think at the end of the year Norwood and his group (will) do a complete evaluation of the year. It’s hard to do in midstream, to make those kinds of decisions.

“And to Norwood’s credit, I am sure there was pressure on him to make a change after Iowa and Ohio State. But they didn’t panic. They said let’s let this season play out and let’s do an evaluation at the end of the year. Which was good. That’s what I would have done. So the jury is out.”

Worth Noting

University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler was asked this week about the Gophers basketball coaching situation. “We will do what we always do…look at the end of the season and make some decisions. Norwood will make those decisions. I don’t like to talk about that team situation during the course of the season—distracts the team and the coaches.”

Kaler acknowledged to Sports Headliners he will have input on a decision.

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will speak to high school coaches at a Nike clinic in Philadelphia tomorrow. Asked if his talk has a title, Kill said it’s about “being a football coach for 30 years.”

On Sunday Kill will meet the public at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show in the Minneapolis Convention Center. Vikings players Everson Griffin (tonight), Kyle Rudolph and Toby Gerhart (Saturday), and Joe Webb (Sunday) are also scheduled.

I guess ESPN college football analyst Mark May put Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and other NFL personnel experts on notice this week. May said any general manager who drafts Notre Dame linebacker Manti T’eo in the first round should be “fired.” The Vikings’ draft needs include help at linebacker.

Among players Twins personnel decision makers will be rooting for in the 2013 World Baseball Classic is pitcher Deolis Guerra with the Venezuela team. He is the last player remaining in the Twins organization from the 2008 deal that sent Johan Santana to the Mets. The 6-5, 245-pound Guerra turns 24 in April and although his strikes to innings ratio is impressive he has yet to prove he can excel in Triple-A where he seems likely to begin the season for the Twins’ Rochester farm team.

The World Baseball Classic starts tomorrow with Pool A and B games in Japan and Taiwan. Venezuela (Pool C) doesn’t begin play until next Thursday in Puerto Rico. The United States (Pool A) has its first game against Mexico a week from tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix. WBC games are televised by the MLB Network.

Twins on the USA team are catcher Joe Mauer and reliever Glen Perkins who turns 30 tomorrow. Perkins will be in his first full season as the Twins’ closer. Perkins, 3-1 last season with a 2.56 ERA and 16 saves, had the second most saves for a left-hander in major league baseball. The Reds’ Aroldis Chapman had 38 saves.

Former Twins third baseman Danny Valencia, now with the Orioles, has played in three spring training games and has two hits in nine at bats.

The No. 1 ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball team has seven players including center Tommy Hannon and guard John Nance who were on the roster of the 2011 Division III national champs. Hannon was a starter and Nance a key reserve. “That (experience) doesn’t give you any points but it gives you confidence,” said head coach John Tauer who was an assistant on the 2011 team.

The Tommies host Aurora (Illinois) tomorrow night in an opening NCAA playoff game and have dreams of playing in Atlanta next month for another national title. Hannon is the team’s second leading scorer after guard Will DeBerg, another returnee from the 2011 champions. Nance, the team’s third leading scorer, is a name familiar to Gophers football fans who followed him at Minnesota. All three players are 2013 All-MIAC selections.

Nance leads the team in steals and blocks. Tauer said the former Cretin-Derham Hall athlete has made a lot of progress since arriving at UST as a freshman. “I am so proud of him. Frankly, he was a little rusty with basketball. He had some bad habits. I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy improve so consistently over four years. He could score 20 a game if we needed him to. He’s become one of the best defenders in the country. You couldn’t say that last year.”

The game tomorrow night at St. Thomas begins at 7 p.m. Adult admission is $7 and student $4.

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Hallelujah! Gophers Find Their Chemistry

Posted on February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers went to church on Sunday. Last night their prayers were answered.

Coach Tubby Smith took his players to a church service, part of a plan to bring the team closer together. Who could argue with the strategy after a 77-73 upset win over No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena last evening?

Before last night the public’s memory of the Gophers was a disinterested performance in Columbus on February 20 when Ohio State embarrassed Minnesota 71-45. The Gophers lacked confidence, cohesiveness and energy in defeat, their third loss in the last four games.

But against the 24-3 Hoosiers the Gophers were reborn. Is there no wonder to what a morning in church, tutoring from a sports psychologist and a new found commitment will do?

Smith resurrected his team, now 7-8 in the Big Ten and 19-9 overall, for at least one night. Give him credit for bringing in the psychologist and using team building activities to shake off the Gophers’ malaise.

Smith said even before the game he saw a “calm” in his players not witnessed before. “It was good to see them having fun (last night),” the coach said.

Reserve forward Oto Osenieks said the psychologist helped a Gophers team that is now intent on starting a new winning streak and playing like the group rated among the nation’s 10 best last month. “We had a team meeting,” Osenieks said. “We talked to each other (and) with him. We just kind of found how to play together more and not blame each other for mistakes. Just be accountable.”

On Sunday the Gophers not only went to church, but had lunch together. “We’ve done a lot of stuff to build the team chemistry,” Osenieks said. “That was a big part of it (the success last night.)”

This was a game that had an observer believing in the second half that it was the Gophers night to win. Andre Ingram, a .333 percent free throw shooter, made two foul line shots including one that made a strange landing on the rim. Later Andre Hollins, the team’s best free throw shooter, threw up a foul shot that looked like a miss until fate gave the ball a friendly bounce.

But make no mistake, the Gophers earned this win with skill and pluck. And maybe Hollins was right when he said he thought the Gophers “wanted” the victory more than the Hoosiers. No one defined Minnesota’s night and effort more than senior center Trevor Mbakwe who had a blocked shot for the ages against Indiana center Cody Zeller, and led all scorers with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Mbawke’s performance and that of his teammates got the Gophers their biggest win of the season, improved the likelihood of an NCAA Tournament invite next month, and set off a pandemonium not seen in Williams Arena for a long time—maybe ever. Fans rushed the court after the game, swallowing up the players despite their superior size and letting loose the frustrations that have dogged both the Gophers and their followers.

In a mostly empty arena late last night a fan walked past Mbakwe in the concourse. “You’ll never forget this night,” the fan said.

Mbakwe beamed.

Amen.

Worth Noting

Smith said Sunday on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” he once thought his team could win 12 to 15 Big Ten games.

The Gophers’ Mbakwe and Rodney Williams are projected to be the No. 33 and 36 picks in the June NBA draft by Nbadraft.net.

Former Gopher basketball All-American Mychal Thompson’s son, Klay Thompson, has been an important contributor to a surprisingly successful season for the NBA’s Warriors. The second-year shooting guard is third on the team in scoring average at 16.3 points per game.

Klay was recruited by the Gophers and Smith out of high school but preferred to stay on the West Coast and never made a recruiting visit to Minnesota. At Washington State his play improved, as it has with the Warriors (averaged 12.5 points his rookie season) and he believes his “best basketball” is still ahead.

Klay said his dad, who is a radio commentator for the Lakers, gives him “advice all the time.” A consistent message is “don’t take a night off” and be aggressive in his play.

“He says if I do that on both ends I will play a long time in this league,” Klay said.

Warriors’ rookie starting forward Harrison Barnes played high school basketball in Ames, Iowa and likes Smith, who recruited him. But Barnes, who was highly recruited and chose North Carolina, said the Gophers weren’t on his final list of 10 potential colleges.

Barnes and Thompson were in Minneapolis on Sunday when the Warriors, who trailed the Wolves by 16 points in the first quarter, defeated Minnesota 100-99. The Wolves frequently can’t win close games because they don’t have an elite finisher.

Their closer, All-Star forward Kevin Love, has been sidelined with a broken hand since early January and he is unsure when he will return. He hasn’t started “basketball related stuff” as he rehabs after surgery but he hopes to have medical clearance to play in the team’s last 15 to 20 games.

Love said it’s important to participate in the final games with his teammates rather than wait until training camp next fall. Love has been working out with another injured Wolves player, small forward Chase Budinger.

A reporter questioned whether Love has everyday restrictions such as “pouring” with his injured right hand. Love teased with his response: “I do a lot of pouring.”

He said LeBron James is not only the NBA MVP but “at least in our generation you’ve never seen somebody play at that level before and win.” The two players were teammates on the 2012 Olympic team and Love admires James’ work ethic.

Love said James’ leadership style made an impression, too, and it’s something he wants to continue with the Wolves. “Just to be vocal,” Love said. “I am a guy that is always vocal and playful, and always around my teammates. …”

Apparently the performance of the Vikings’ special teams made an impression on Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Last week he hired Chris White, who was an assistant special teams coach with the Vikings, to coordinate special teams for the Hawkeyes and coach running backs. White had been on the Vikings staff since 2009 but his previous coaching experience had been college and high school jobs.

With a need at cornerback and past willingness to take chances on draft choices, would the Vikings in the later rounds select controversial LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu?

McKinley Boston was the first African-American athletic director in the Big Ten. The former Gophers AD is featured this month on the Big Ten Network’s salute to Black History Month. Boston is now AD at New Mexico State.

With three games between now and next Monday, the Wild won’t practice today after last night’s 2-1 win over the Flames. The Wild are at Phoenix tomorrow night and Anaheim Friday evening—looking for their first wins of the season against the Coyotes and Ducks. The Wild are 1-0 against the Oilers who are at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

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Wolves to Lose $5 Million or More in 2013

Posted on February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 by David Shama

Glen Taylor expects his Timberwolves franchise to lose $5 million to $10 million this season but hopes to “break-even” financially in 2013-14. During an interview with Sports Headliners the Mankato billionaire and Wolves owner also said he’s not close to selling the team, looks forward to having Kevin Love on the roster for many years and isn’t ready to evaluate general manager David Kahn’s expiring contract.

The franchise has been losing money for years but those deficits have apparently been reduced. In 2010, for example, there was speculation the Wolves would lose $25 million.

Taylor has seen the value of his franchise increase over the years from when he purchased it in 1995 for a reported $88 million. Forbes.com valued the Wolves at $364 million last month.

Taylor, 71, has been shopping the team for awhile. Taylor’s proposal has him remaining as the majority owner for “sometime” with a limited partner eventually taking over the franchise. Some prospective buyers desire control immediately but that’s not what Taylor wants.

“I am not close to anything,” he said. “I continue to talk to people who have shown interest.”

Love, the Wolves Olympian and All-Star forward, made national headlines earlier this season in a Yahoo! Sports article expressing frustration with the franchise. Taylor said the story conveyed the message Love doesn’t like his teammates and the fans, and doesn’t want to play here, but Taylor explained that’s not correct.

“Well, he does regret it (the story),” Taylor said. “He’s expressed that. He didn’t quite anticipate it would come out the way it did. …”

Taylor and Love have talked about the future. He expects Love to be with the franchise even beyond the remaining three seasons on his contract starting next fall.

“Yeah, that’s what he indicated to me, that he’s looking long run,” Taylor said. “I think he knows of Ricky’s (Rubio) potential. …He likes some of the other players on the team. He can see we’re building a good nucleus. He certainly likes the coach (Rick Adelman).”

Love hasn’t played since January 3 because of injury. Taylor said it’s been a frustrating season for the 24-year-old who missed the start of the season with a similar hand injury but that’s not a reason to bring him back on the court until the medical staff determines it’s the right decision. Whether Love will play again before the season ends next month is in doubt.

Kahn has been the team’s general manager since 2009. He and Taylor talk frequently including about how to manage the roster regarding personnel and salaries. During Kahn’s watch the team has added impact players in Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved and Chase Budinger but has yet to make the playoffs and almost for certain will miss again this spring.

Also frustrating is that except for Rubio, Kahn and his scouting staff has regularly misfired on their first and second round draft choices. Among first and second round picks since 2009, only Rubio and Derrick Williams are still with the team. Williams, the second pick in the first round of the 2011 draft, has teased with his potential as both a small and power forward but shown no consistency.

Taylor admitted he is “disappointed” with the first round draft results but said Kahn has “done a lot of things we’ve asked him to do.” And Taylor said he can’t hold Kahn responsible for a bizarre number of injuries that have at times sidelined many of the team’s most important players including starters and subs.

The Wolves have an option on Kahn’s contract. “We evaluate everything at the end of the year,” Taylor said. “To say that we haven’t done very well on the draft choices is a correct statement. Is that all of his responsibility? It’s certainly part of his responsibility.”

Worth Noting

Gophers coach Tubby Smith criticized the senior leadership on his team during the 1500 ESPN postgame show following last week’s 71-45 loss to Ohio State. Commentator Spencer Tollackson prompted the remark while talking about the importance of senior leadership late in the season and implying how that’s needed when a team is struggling. “Unfortunately we don’t have that type of leadership within our seniors. So it’s got to come from me and obviously I’ve done a poor job of doing that,” Smith said.

The Gophers had 24 turnovers in the game. “I have to admit obviously we’re not having as competitive practices as we have to have in order for us to get better because obviously we haven’t gotten better,” Smith said in the interview. “Our ball-handling has gone backwards. …Everybody kind of contributed to turning the ball over, especially our post players with 10 between Mo (Walker) and Trevor (Mbawke). Just baffling, to be honest with you.”

The Gophers, who have lost four of their last five games, are 6-8 in the Big Ten and 18-9 overall. Minnesota plays No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena tomorrow night.

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in Chicago March 14-17 is a sellout.

At Sports Headliners’ request, prep basketball authority Ken Lien prepared the following rankings of Minnesota high school boys’ teams.

Class 4A: Apple Valley, Osseo, Park Center, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Lakeville North, Brainerd.

Class 3A: DeLaSalle, Austin, Marshall, Delano, Blake, Holy Angels, Waconia, Hermantown.

Class 2A: Melrose, Hawley, Fairmont, Maple River, St. Peter, Byron, Braham, Redwood Valley.

Class 1A: Upsala, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrose, Maranatha Christian Academy, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Rushford-Peterson, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Browerville, Ada-Borup.

The MIAC announced last week that in 2012 the conference led all Division III leagues in football attendance for the seventh time in eight years. The conference’s nine teams hosted 48 games with attendance of 161,870, averaging 3,372 per game.

For the 15^th time in 20 years Saint John’s led all Division III schools in attendance, averaging 7,948 per game and a total of 39,741. Concordia finished No. 5 with total attendance of 24,197, averaging 4,839 fans. Concordia has been in the top five two years in a row and in the top 10 seven of the last eight years.

Patrick Klinger & Company is presenting a seminar titled “Using Sports to Drive Your Business” on Tuesday, March 19 at the University of St. Thomas. The seminar’s intent is to help businesses identify the right sponsorships to maximize investments and produce measurable results. Prior to establishing his company, Patrick Klinger was Twins vice president of marketing for more than a decade. More information about the seminar is available at klingercompany.com or by calling 612-366-0419.

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