Golden Gophers – Page 417 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Search Committee to Meet Monday

Posted on February 24, 2012February 24, 2012 by David Shama

Sports Headliners has learned that the search committee for a new Gophers athletic director will have its initial meeting with University president Eric Kaler on Monday. Both the search committee and a search advisory group will hear Kaler’s expectations about the position as the process begins to replace Joel Maturi as the school’s athletic director.

Speculation is the University will seek candidates who have business skills and experience, but there’s no confirmation on that. The opinion here is the next athletic director will face these priorities: develop winning teams in football, basketball and hockey; effectively fund-raise and address the budget issues of a 25-sport program; and improve the public image of Gophers athletics.

A talented business leader with a passion for Gophers athletics would be the ideal candidate in the opinion of many school supporters. They believe such an individual would have the expertise to hire excellent coaches plus the management skills to run an efficient program, and the personality to attract support both within and outside the University.

It will be the search committee’s job to send the names of finalists to Kaler. With a 25 person search advisory committee and four person search committee, there will be a lot of interests represented in formulating candidates but the 55-year-old Kaler will make the final choice. His hire is likely to be someone his age or younger, a person he can work with for many years.

The Kaler choice will have a lot to do with defining his legacy as the school’s president. The Gophers have long been searching for a great athletic director. An extraordinary leader in athletics can make the difference in how the University is perceived by the public, and Kaler knows that.

Many potential candidates will be considered by the search committee and advisory group. Input regarding the suggested A.D. profile will come not only from those 29 people but also the public, and the University is using the Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search firm to assist with identifying candidates.

Names that could draw at least public speculation include former Gophers quarterback Tony Dungy and football coach Glen Mason. Others with ties to the state include Iowa athletic director Gary Barta who is a Minneapolis native, former Gophers football stars Peter Najarian and Bob Stein, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson (Redwood Falls native), Minnesota Alumni Association CEO Phil Esten (former Gophers associate athletic director), Akron athletic director Tom Wistrcill (former senior associate A.D. at Minnesota) and UMD athletic director and football coach Bob Nielson. Also, Regina Sullivan and Marc Ryan, senior associate athletic directors on Maturi’s staff, have years of experience in the athletic department.

And Stony Brook University athletic director Jim Fiore is in his ninth year at the New York school, the same institution where Kaler worked until coming to Minnesota last July. Fiore’s name was rumored with the North Carolina athletic director opening last fall.

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Worth Noting

Posted on February 24, 2012February 24, 2012 by David Shama

Using a search committee for administrative and coaching hires has been typical at Minnesota, although there was no such committee in 2010 when football coach Jerry Kill was hired.

Twins first baseman Chris Parmelee turns 24 today. With so many questions about Justin Morneau’s health, fans may wonder if Parmelee could play even more games than he did (21) during his rookie season last year. Parmelee hit .355 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

It wouldn’t be surprising if this is pitcher Francisco Liriano’s last season with the Twins. He’s working on a one-year contract reportedly worth $5.5 million. If the inconsistent 28-year-old left hander has a similar season to last year (9-10, 5.09 ERA), the Twins may have minimal interest in re-signing him. If Liriano were to approach his electrifying 2006 stats that included a 2.16 ERA, he presumably could command a contract too rich for the Twins.

Former Gophers golfer and New York Times best selling author Harvey Mackay was featured on a recent cover of Speaker, the magazine of the National Speakers Association. The article said Mackay speaks “about once a week to Fortune 500-size companies and associations.”

The Big Ten is the best basketball conference in the country, according to a February 20 article in Sports Illustrated. The story praises the execution, toughness and defense of Big Ten teams.

“I’d almost bet my life…the Big Ten is as good as it’s been in a long time, top to bottom,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo when he was in Minneapolis on Wednesday night.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith talking about his team’s 66-61 loss to Michigan State on Wednesday night: “We just folded at the end of the game.”

The Gophers are 5-10 in the Big Ten, 17-11 overall and have lost four consecutive games. “He (Smith) coached better than I did,” Izzo said. “They’re good enough to be in the tourney.”

Gophers’ women’s basketball guard Rachel Banham ranks sixth in Big Ten scoring at 16.3 points per game and first among league freshmen.

Larry Bird told ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons in a February 8 interview he’s an admirer of the Timberwolves twosome of Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. Bird played on three NBA championship teams in Boston including the 1986 team that ranks with the best for passing and unselfish play. Rubio and Love would fit perfectly on that team.

Love will be the first Timberwolf ever to participate in the NBA’s three point contest when he competes tomorrow in Orlando as part of All-Star Weekend activities.

Rookie forward Derrick Williams will be in the slam dunk contest tomorrow.

This week’s National Junior College Athletic Association poll has coach Jay Pivec’s first year Dakota County Technical College team ranked No. 8 in the country among Division II men’s teams.

The Wild will wear custom-designed camouflage jerseys during warm-ups on Sunday prior to Minnesota’s home game against San Jose. The jerseys will be available for bid via online auction starting Tuesday at www.wild.com. Proceeds benefit Defending The Blue Line, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization created by Minnesota National Guard soldiers. The charity assists military families with costs associated with hockey.

State tennis historian and author Jim Holden reported via email that Kevin Rust, the former coach at Rochester Lourdes, has been inducted into the Minnesota State High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.

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Worth Noting

Posted on February 22, 2012February 22, 2012 by David Shama

Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he wouldn’t grade his overall work including accomplishments as Gophers athletic director. “I will give myself ‘A’ for effort,” he said.

Maturi and University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler announced earlier this month that Maturi, the school’s A.D. since 2002, will leave his position in June when his contract expires. Although his tenure has been controversial, Maturi said he’s recently received over 500 emails and 99 percent have been “positive.”

“I don’t get too high and I don’t get too low,” Maturi said.

Maturi, 67, won’t be a member of the search committee announced yesterday to find his successor. “Gosh, absolutely not,” he said. “That wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t accept it (an appointment).”

Media birthdays this week: KARE TV’s Dave Schwartz, 33; FSN’s Kevin Gorg, 45; Lynx assistant coach and Wolves broadcaster Jim Petersen, 50.

The Star Tribune’s Sid Hartman turns 92 on March 15.

Although it’s the offseason, Hartman has Gophers football coach Jerry Kill on WCCO Radio every Sunday from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Co-host Dave Mona said last Sunday that Kill’s weekly comments are transcribed and posted on Gopherhole.com.

C.O.R.E.S. members have a March 5 deadline for attending the March 8 program with Kill in Bloomington. Ron Stolski, Brainerd High football coach and executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, will introduce Kill. Members can contact Jim Dotseth for more information, dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.

The Gophers basketball team, 5-9 in the Big Ten, plays 11-3 MichiganState at Williams Arena tonight and Minnesota will try to end a three game losing streak. In five seasons Minnesota coach Tubby Smith is 0-9 against Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. Smith’s conference record as Gophers coach is 37-49.

As a high school player, MSU’s Draymond Green committed to Kentucky when Smith was coaching the Wildcats, but then changed his college choice. The senior forward, who might be the Big Ten’s best player, leads the conference in rebounding at 10.5 per game and is MSU’s leading scorer, 15.4 points per game.

Gophers senior center Ralph Sampson, described earlier this season as one of Minnesota’s star players by the Star Tribune, has scored four points in each of his last three games (all losses). Sampson is averaging 7.9 points per game, the lowest since his freshman season (6.4).

Although former Gophers forward Royce White is second in Big 12 Conference rebounding at 9.1 and is 14^th in scoring, 12.9, the Iowa State sophomore isn’t listed by nbadraft.net among its projected 60 NBA draft picks next June. Look for White to return to the Cyclones next season.

Former Star Tribune Gophers basketball beat writer Myron Medcalf still lives in the metro area and works seven days per week in his new college basketball writing assignment for ESPN.com.

Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson was in the news last week because his league is merging with ConferenceUSA. Thompson, who used to work in the Gophers sports information department, is from Redwood Falls, Minnesota and could be a candidate for the athletic director job at Minnesota.

Alexandria, Minnesota native Tom Lehman tied for third in last weekend’s ACE Group Classic in Naples, Florida. Kentucky native Kenny Perry won the Champions Tour event and earned $240,000. Lehman, 52, was the tour leader last year earning over $2 million.

The Twins, on March 3, will be the first major league team to play the Red Sox in the team’s new Fort Myers ballpark that includes a replica of the famed Green Monster wall in left field. Lee County spent $77.8 million on the new ballpark and expects an annual economic impact of $24 million from Red Sox generated spring training monies, according to a February 18 article in the Naples Daily News.

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