Golden Gophers – Page 384 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012 by David Shama

Kill expects almost his entire roster to be available for spring practice including Marcus Jones, a promising freshman wide receiver last year who missed part of the 2011 season because of a torn ACL. The coach did report on WCCO Radio last Sunday morning that junior linebacker Brendan Beal (ACL) won’t be available.

News of a tentative deal on a Vikings stadium announced this morning is consistent with what sources have been telling Sports Headliners that political approval will get done. Most likely this year.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman plan to attend Saturday’s 42^nd annual NFL 101 Awards gala in Kansas City where those being honored will include Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen, selected as the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in nationwide voting by the media. Allen had a league leading 22 sacks last season, only a half sack short of the NFL record. He is 20^th all-time in NFL sacks.

The Gophers basketball team has lost six straight Big Ten games, matching the season ending losing streak of last year. Minnesota, 5-12 in the Big Ten, closes the regular season at home on Saturday afternoon against Nebraska (4-13).

Tubby Smith is finishing up his fifth season as Gophers coach. His conference record, including Big Ten tournament games, is 43-56. The coach he replaced, Dan Monson, was 31-56 after five seasons but had to deal with NCAA and school sanctions left over from the Clem Haskins era.

While Smith is experiencing his second consecutive disappointing season, Monson’s Long Beach State team has won a second straight Big West regular season championship.

“I always thought he (Monson) could coach,” said Spencer Tollackson who played three seasons for Monson atMinnesota. “He had proven that he could coach at Gonzaga. I think he had some problems here that weren’t self-inflicted. …They’re able to recruit guys and get guys into school (at Long BeachState) that some other schools maybe wouldn’t. … He’s able to be successful out there. I am not surprised at all.”

Monson was only 37 when named Gophers coach and Tollackson thinks his former boss is probably a better coach now than he’s ever been. “I don’t know if coach was really ready for this job when he took it,” he said. “I think he was a little young. He was just starting a family with a bunch of young kids.”

Pam Borton’s Gophers team, the No. 8 seed, plays Wisconsin, the No. 9 seed, in an opening game of the Big Ten Women’s Tournament starting at 5 p.m. tonight in Indianapolis. Rachel Banham is the league’s Freshman of the Year as voted by coaches and media. Borton’s conference record in 10 seasons is 89-77.

The February issue of Minnesota Basketball News includes a listing of great state basketball tournament teams and players as selected by a committee of the Minnesota State High School League. The all-time top five boys’ teams: Minneapolis North, 1995; Hopkins, 2009; Edina, 1966-68; Edgerton, 1960; and Minneapolis Edison, 1937. The best boys players: Khalid El-Amin, North; Randy Breuer, Lake City; Isaiah Dahlman, Braham; Jim McIntyre, Minneapolis Patrick Henry; and Mark Olberding, Melrose.

The top girls’ teams: St. Paul Central, 2007; Rochester Mayo, 1997; Minneapolis North, 1998; Lakeville North, 2010; and Rochester Lourdes, 1991. The best girls players: Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South; Janet Karvonen, New York Mills; Kelly Miller, Rochester Mayo; Coco Miller, Mayo; and Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central.

The St. Thomas women’s basketball team (26-1) hosts an opening Division III NCAA Tournament game on Friday starting at 8 p.m. against Martin Luther (20-7). The Tommies have won 26 games in a row including 24 over MIAC opponents, finishing as both regular season and conference tournament champions.

Oswaldo Arcia, a 20-year-old outfielder on the Twins 40-man spring training roster, is unlikely to make the big league club this year but has shown power in the lower minors including last season hitting 13 home runs in 292 at-bats. The Venezuelan outfielder is 6-feet, 210 pounds.

The Twins search for pitching is exemplified by the 21 pitching candidates on the 40-man roster listed on the team website.

The Twins, who might have the least power among major league teams, are looking for home runs from offseason acquisition Ryan Doumit. A catcher-outfielder, he’s likely to see a lot of at-bats as a designated hitter. But Doumit has never hit more than 15 home runs in one season. His next best totals are 13 and 10.

A 20-bout mixed martial arts card matching Minnesota fighters against rivals from Japan is scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at Target Center. An anticipated match involves Minnetonka welterweight Jeremy Hamilton (8-1-0) against Yoshiyuki Yoshida (13-6). Hamilton is a rising star while Yoshida, a former world judo champion, earned the first Cage Force welterweight title in 2007. A crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 is expected with tickets still available in all price categories including $200 ringside.

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CEO’s with Seizures Reach Out to Kill

Posted on February 28, 2012February 28, 2012 by David Shama

Jerry Kill joked with a visitor last week about “messing” with his walking schedule. The Gophers second year football coach sat in his office and answered questions about his health.

“Don’t I look good?” Kill teased.

The 50-year-old Kill seemed fit, energetic and happy, despite starting another day in the office at 6 a.m. He’s learned to cope with long days and nights, just as he’s adjusted to a history of seizures and winning a fight with kidney cancer several years ago.

Kill stunned Minnesota fans when he fell to the ground during a game at TCF Bank Stadium last September. Most Minnesotans, including media, weren’t aware of Kill’s seizures prior to his becoming the Gophers coach. The scary sight of Kill writhing on the ground and not knowing the cause made the outcome of the game against New Mexico State on September 10 a secondary concern (Minnesota lost).

Kill had additional seizures last year, was hospitalized and also sought advice from the Mayo Clinic. Asked about his health last week, Kill said he’s okay and although he couldn’t specify a date said he’s been seizure-free for “awhile.”

Kill’s challenge with seizures is ongoing and very public but he insists the issue doesn’t minimize his effectiveness in trying to rebuild a Gophers program that was 3-9 last season and had the same record the year before he arrived in Minneapolis. “There are two or three CEO’s that do not want their names mentioned right here in the Twin Cities (who’ve) got the same problem I got,” Kill told Sports Headliners. “But nobody knows that. They’ve reached out to me—confidentially to me—‘Hey, coach (I) know what you’re going through.’

“I am doing fine. Just like anything, you can’t worry about…(what) you can’t control. You just don’t need to help it. My wife makes sure I am not helping, that I am staying on the right track. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I am in good shape right now.”

The college football world can be cutthroat and Kill admitted when he was coaching at Southern Illinois, a rival used his cancer against him in recruiting. “There was a coach that I won’t name that said, ‘What’s going to happen?’ ”

While recruiting his 2012 freshmen and junior college players Kill said he wasn’t aware of rival coaches using the seizures issue against him.

“That hurts people (recruiters) more than it helps them,” he said. “I am honest. I haven’t lied to anybody. I’ve said that it is (the seizures) what it is. If that bothers you, you shouldn’t come here.”

The Gophers begin spring football practice on March 22. Kill is excited to see what an offseason of conditioning and strength training has done for his players. They can expect to see a coach full of energy and ready to work.

Kill has said that if health problems ever become too much for him to be effective, he will step aside. That time isn’t now. “If I can’t do my job, I am not going to steal money,” he said.

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Worth Noting

Posted on February 28, 2012February 28, 2012 by David Shama

Former Gopher Phil Kessel, now with Toronto, is listed first in an NHL players poll regarding All-Star caliber players “easiest to intimidate,” according to the February 20 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Hopkins High School junior forward Nia Coffey, a top 100 recruit, has verbally committed to Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference, according to the Lakeshore Weekly News website. She is the daughter of former Gophers forward Richard Coffey.

The Gophers basketball team, losers of five consecutive games, plays at Wisconsin(10-6 in the Big Ten) tonight. Minnesota(5-11) lacked energy, focus and confidence in an embarrassing 69-50 home loss toIndiana(9-7) on Sunday.

After the game guard Chip Armelin said the losing streak is a liability to team confidence and it challenges players to support each other. Coach Tubby Smith didn’t like the effort of his players including leading scorer Rodney Williams who had only three points in the game. Smith said Williams wasn’t “engaged” and didn’t earn his shot attempts.

Indiana coach Tom Crean was pleased to see Williams not hurt his team. “He’s gonna be about the best athlete going into a gym anytime,” Crean said.

Crean’s wife Joani, the sister of mega-intense football coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, attended the post-game press conference—unusual for a spouse.

Although game attendance was about 3,000 less than capacity at Williams Arena (14,625), a Gophers season ticket holder sold his two row three tickets near the Indiana bench for $170 each via StubHub last week.

The Gophers basketball banquet will be next Sunday evening in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium. The cost is $60 per person and more information is available by calling 612-625-3085.

The Gophers athletic department announced a grassroots fundraising drive for the new on-campus baseball stadium. The Gophers are playing their 2012 home schedule at the Metrodome except for a May 1 Siebert Field finale against St. Thomas. John Anderson is in his 31^st season as Minnesota coach.

An estate sale at the late Harmon Killebrew’s home in Scottsdale, Arizona was held last Saturday. Items included sports memorabilia, clothing and furniture.

The Twins were No. 25 among major league teams in Bleacherreport.com’s power rankings heading into spring training. That’s lowest among all Central Division teams including Kansas City.

The NFL Scouting Combine ends today in Indianapolis. Among the headlines coming out of the combine, where over 300 prospects were invited, is the 2012 draft will be deep in athletic offensive linemen. The Vikings, with the third pick in the first round, could certainly improve by drafting USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil but other offensive line prospects that could help Minnesota figure to be available later in the draft.

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