Lynx – Page 7 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Expanded Playoff Breath of Fresh Air for Gopher Football

Posted on June 17, 2024June 17, 2024 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota football team hasn’t won’t a Big Ten championship since 1967 and that’s not likely to change in the foreseeable future with the conference adding premier programs from the west coast to join dominant schools in place for decades like Michigan and Ohio State.

But there is a development that realistically could sooner or later juice the Golden Gophers program—the expanded college football playoff starting in 2024. The expansion from four to 12 playoff teams should put a smile on the face of every loyal Gopher fan. Now this program can potentially be nationally relevant without winning the league title.

“P.J. and I are very excited with the 12-game expansion,” athletic director Mark Coyle told Sports Headliners.

Head coach P.J. Fleck’s 2019 team went 11-2 including an Outback Bowl win over Auburn. That group finished tied for first in the Big Ten West Division standings. Minnesota was ranked No. 10 in the country by two polls following its bowl win.

That 2019 outfit exemplifies a Gopher team worthy of being invited to participate in a 12-team playoff. As a member of the Big Ten, the Gophers belong to a conference exceeded in prestige and reputation only by the SEC. Talk this spring is those two leagues could annually have four or even five teams each in forthcoming playoffs.

Athlon Sports College Football magazine, now on newsstands, offers a projected playoff bracket for 2024-2025 that has Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State from the Big Ten, with Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas from the SEC. The forecast is for a national title game between Georgia and Ohio State with the Bulldogs winning.

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will evaluate teams including by their schedules. The SEC has an edge with its teams playing eight league games, while Big Ten programs play nine.

That difference gives Coyle pause when a visitor asks about Big Ten teams one day playing 10 conference opponents each year. The change would be appealing to fans and TV viewers, but Coyle said such a development becomes “tricky” in that an extra league game adds another loss for half the schools. “…You’ve got to win all of them (the full schedule) if you want to have a special year,” Coyle said during an interview in his campus office.

The Big Ten adds Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington this year, creating an 18-team league. The SEC expands to 16 teams with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas. Coyle said it’s going to require a couple of years to see how the committee evaluates the teams in the two conferences including wins, losses and strength of schedules.

The Gophers have a mix in quality of nonconference opponents through 2032 with college football kingpin Alabama at one extreme and Lindenwood, a program that became Division I last year, at the other. Other diverse future opponents include California, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northwestern State and Rhode Island.

Coyle said Fleck is open to scheduling any school. “He never freaks out,” Coyle said about Fleck who has been leading Minnesota since 2017 and has a career third best Gopher winning percentage of .595 (among football coaches with 45 games or more).

What Fleck’s teams do on the field is critical to revenues for the self-supporting athletic department with 21 sports. The Gopher revenue streams from football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey include those they control directly such as ticket sales and fundraising. A jackpot is Minnesota’s share of TV and other revenue that comes from the Big Ten office, with USA Today reporting that in 2023 and 2024 a full league member received about $60 million.

Tony Petitti, who became Big Ten commissioner in 2023, has a career background in the business side of TV and Coyle raves about him. “He makes it clear that football is 90 percent of the revenue in the Big Ten Conference. The same thing with the SEC.”

Worth Noting

Coyle talking about men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko who took the Gophers to consecutive Final Fours in 2022 and 2023 after being hired in 2018: “The crowds are back. 3M Arena is hopping again.”

Bobby Bell, the greatest Golden Gophers football player I ever saw, turned 84 today. Bell was a two-time All-American tackle, Outland Award winner and Big Ten Conference MVP while leading the Gophers to a 22-6-1 record from 1960-1962.

Michael Hsu, the former University of Minnesota agent, has long been an advocate for treating college athletes as employees. He looks more like a prophet all the time.

It appears as soon as 2025 college football players will be sharing in revenues at their schools. Last month the NCAA and Power Five conferences settled a pending lawsuit by allowing schools to directly pay its athletes in the future. Already in place is the practice of Name, Image and Likeness money that has lined the pockets of athletes from coast to coast.

Hsu, who told Sports Headliners he doesn’t receive compensation or expect it in the future for his advocacy on behalf of college athletes as employees, has been supportive of several litigations that challenged the old amateur college sports model. Defendants included the NCAA, Ivy League and Notre Dame.

“They (the lawsuits) basically say that college athletes are being misclassified as student athletes by these organizations,” Hsu said.

What’s down the road could be classification of athletes from revenue generating sports as employees by their schools. That, of course, includes Minnesota who by next year maybe sharing about $20 million in athletic department revenue. Hsu said schools don’t want athletes to be employees because as such that will entitle them to various rights and protections including health insurance.

Hsu, who lives in the Twin Cities area and is a Gopher fan, co-founded the College Basketball Players Association. That entity is dedicated to current, future and past college players and advocates for their rights including “health, safety and welfare,” per the CBPA website.

The Lynx, winners of three straight and having a 10-3 record, remain No. 2 in The Athletic’s latest WNBA power rankings. The Liberty, 12-2, is still No. 1 in the 12-team league.

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Timberwolves Will Create High Drama in Coming Offseason

Posted on May 31, 2024 by David Shama

The Timberwolves are finished in the playoffs after losing last night to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs won the series 4-1 and embarrassed Minnesota on its home court, jumping off to a big lead in the game and winning 124-103.

That thud last night and losing the series in five games doesn’t tarnish a special year. As time expired Thursday evening, fans chanted: “Let’s go Wolves!” The shout out was in appreciation for a 56-26 regular season, No. 3 seeding in the postseason and deep playoff run.

This team produced one of the best years in franchise history dating back to 1989-1990. That success has also set up an intriguing offseason. Among the drama will be the following:

Who is going to have majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA Lynx? Arbitration and later a vote by the NBA’s owners will settle the issue. That vote will be very interesting not only because Glen Taylor has a long time relationships with the league’s other 29 owners that could favor him in the outcome. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are trying to close on a sales price of $1.5 billion for the Wolves and Lynx that was agreed to in 2021. With NBA franchises now valued at $3 billion and more, do the owners want to see a club sold for $1.5 billion? Prediction here: Taylor will emerge from the legal dispute with Lore and Rodriguez as the controlling owner.

President of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who took over as the front office basketball boss in 2022, reportedly has an opt out now in his contract. Will the architect who put the pieces together elevating the team from mediocre to championship contender want to leave? The push to bring Connelly to Minneapolis from Denver was led by Lore and Rodriquez but the opinion here is the valued decision maker will stay on working for Taylor and wanting to further build on his work.

How will ownership and Connelly approach an expensive player payroll that as constructed now will put them way over the NBA salary cap? Speculation is ownership will have to pay over $25 million in luxury tax to keep an expensive core together led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and others. Spotrac.com projects the payroll at over $190 million for next season, one of the highest figures in the league.

But if all the key players return the Wolves will be sitting on a box office and marketing bonanza with fans. Presumably they could generate revenues from varied sources to cover the luxury tax expense while driving up the value of the franchise if success duplicates or exceeds last season. Taylor, 83, has never seen his team win an NBA title and might have a “let’s go for the ring” approach this offseason.

How does this team get better? Significant improvement will come organically from a roster mostly of young players led by Anthony Edwards, 22, Jaden McDaniels, 23, and Naz Reid, 24. It requires experience to win championships and these players have big upsides on a roster that potentially has its top six guys returning.

New pieces? The Wolves need a plan that sooner or later will replace valued 36-year-old veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. Other wants should be to add more consistent and clutching scoring, ideally from a big-time veteran or prospect (possible Towns trade?), and develop a deeper bench to go along with NBA Sixth Man of the Year Reid.

Those needs will go through Connelly’s mind in a rare NBA Draft where the Wolves haven’t mortgaged away their selections. Minnesota has the No. 27 and 37 picks in next month’s draft.

In some towns just the approaching draft, free agent signings and trades would provide the offseason focus but not here there is even more anticipation about what’s next.

Roles for U Frosh Koi Perich in 2024 Might Be Multiple

Koi Perich is the face of the 2024 Golden Gophers football recruiting class. Expectations by fans are considerable for the former Esko star and consensus four-star recruit ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Minnesota by On3, 247Sports and ESPN last year. On3 ranked him as the No. 3 safety in the nation and the No. 53 overall recruit in the country.

As a senior last fall Perich played defense, offense and special teams while leading Esko to a 10-1 record. He accounted for 27 touchdowns, including five on defense.

Perich showed he could perform not only against small town Minnesota competition but also on the national stage. Playing in the All-American Bowl against some of the better prep talent in the country last January, Perich was named MVP. He had an interception, broke up two passes, made a tackle for a loss, and blocked and recovered a punt.

Perich tantalizes fan enthusiasm beyond his talent because of his loyalty to the home state school. Ohio State, a favorite to win the 2024 national championship, put a December recruiting rush on the teenager with head coach Ryan Day visiting him. He could have not only become a Buckeye but chosen to any number of other marquee programs.

That kind of “he’s one of us” feeling fuels curiosity about Perich who also excelled in basketball at Esko and won the 2022 Class A state long jump championship. Among the questions is how soon will he play for the Gophers and where?

Ryan Burns, the recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated, predicts Perich isn’t likely to start right away. “It’s not a knock on Koi’s talent. It’s a knock on him getting here in June (summer school starts Monday). If he would have been here in January, I think the likelihood of him having a much bigger role this fall would have been exponentially higher.

“It’s just so tough for—in my eyes at least—for a true freshman that comes in in the summer to really make a giant impact in the fall. It’s not unheard of to see it happen. We’ve seen guys where it happened like Antoine Winfield Jr. . …”

As of late, there’s a developing tradition of great safeties at Minnesota. Winfield was named a unanimous All-American in 2019. Tyler Nubin was honored as a first and second team All-American in 2023.

Perich has a legacy to follow and although he may not be a starting safety in 2024, Burns sees potential roles on the field including the possibility of playing nickel on passing downs. That could have the hyped freshman on the field for 200 to 300 snaps next season.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

At Esko Perich returned three punts for touchdowns and one kickoff for a score last season. Given how prolific Perich was at returning punts and kickoffs in high school, Burns would “love to see” the fan favorite have a chance at those roles with the Gophers.

“As you know, my bar for (head coach) P.J. Fleck’s return game is incredibly low,” said Burns who noted the Gophers haven’t returned a kickoff for a TD since 2017, nor taken a punt back for a score since 2018. A poor kickoff return game last year, he said, resulted in consistent bad field position and added to problems for aa challenged offense.

So, nickel back, returning punts and kickoffs, and even time at safety could be on the table for Perich. The Gophers do have to replace their starting safeties from 2023 and sooner or later that could create an opening for you-know-who.

The conclusion? No one should be shocked if Perich contributes to Minnesota’s success in 2024 with probably bigger things coming in 2025.

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Taylor: Equity Group Not in Place for Wolves Sale

Posted on March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 by David Shama

Finalizing the deal to sell the NBA Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx remains unclear with a deadline of March 27 looming.

In 2021 owner Glen Taylor struck a multi-phase payment plan with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to acquire the Minneapolis-based basketball franchises for $1.5 billion. The final payment to give Lore and Rodriguez majority control over the teams (Taylor becomes a minority owner) is due a week from Wednesday.

That deadline is an extension of a previous date and indicates the challenge the buyers have experienced in raising capital needed for the takeover. Taylor told Sports Headliners yesterday about $600 million is needed to make the final payment.

Doubters might be skeptical of the sale being completed. Taylor’s communications with the two buyers haven’t been frequent of late but he did offer important news about financing.

“They had an equity group that was going to come in and put in $300 million, and that equity group has either withdrawn or the NBA has denied them,” Taylor said. “They have to go out and find new revenue. That I do know. I don’t know if they found it or what they’re going to do. We haven’t seen the schedule of ownership yet.”

The NBA will have a final call on approving the sale even if the Lore and Rodriguez group meet their final payment obligation. That might not be a slam dunk. If the league isn’t convinced the new owners can meet operating obligations with their finances, approval won’t be granted.

It’s believed Lore and Rodriguez will want to replace Target Center to better serve customers while improving revenues and financial value of the two franchises. A source told Sports Headliners the Farmers Market near downtown is a site of interest to the potential new owners.

Taylor would neither confirm nor deny the speculation about the location at 312 East Lyndale Avenue North. “…I don’t think I am the one that should comment on that. I think you should ask that of those guys.”

Gophers Basketball Notes

Anticipating how a college basketball team will perform the next season has never been dicier than it is now. With players having “free agency” to change schools at a whim, it’s best not to go overboard about the Gophers who potentially could have all five starters return.

The possibility of having center Pharell Payne, forward Dawson Garcia and guards Cam Christie, Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr. returning has college basketball authorities upbeat about Minnesota’s future. School athletic director Mark Coyle says a preseason top 25 ranking could happen, with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Big Ten Network analyst Brian Butch seeing the Gophers as possible title contenders in the Big Ten Conference.

After consecutive last place finishes in the conference and a combined league record of 6-33, coach Ben Johnson had his best Big Ten regular season record going 9-11 and 18-14 overall. Minnesota has its first NIT invite since 2014 and opens play tonight at Butler.

Izzo: “…Ben’s done an unbelievable job with the program. They could be the No. 1 team in the league next year so hat’s off to them.”

Butch told Sports Headliners the Gophers could be “top four” in the league next year. He said his alma mater, Wisconsin, might be in that company, too.

Garcia, a junior, made second team All-Big Ten as chosen by the media. He is averaging 17.7 points per game and has an admirer in Izzo. “…He’s a very good player, and if he keeps getting better, watch out,” the legendary Michigan State coach said.

Hawkins, who ranks second nationally in assists with 7.5 per game, is Garcia’s roommate. “Me and him, we feel like it starts with us. We’re the older guys in the lineup.

“I feel like as we go, the team goes. Dawson is a great player for us. He’s our leading scorer here. We expect a lot out of him, and he gives it to us.”

Hawkins, the team’s point guard, transferred from Howard last year and expects to make a decision soon about returning for his senior season. “I love Minneapolis. It’s like my new home, I guess. I love my teammates and my coaches. They test me every day to get better.

“I feel like in the beginning of the season I was struggling a little bit with turnovers and stuff as far as that, so I feel like through the season I got better and better. Next year I definitely feel like we’ll be a good team, a better team.”

Guard Braeden Carrington played frequently as a sub this year and could be the first player off the bench next season. He said it’s not “too much to hope for” that the Gophers will be a nationally ranked team in the fall of 2024.

Carrington wants to see more consistency within games from the team. At times opponents went on scoring runs and the Gophers became “flustered,” he said. “I think if we can get that figured out (consistency through 40 minutes), I think we’ll be good for next year.”

Carrington, a sophomore defensive stopper, believes he can improve his agility and strength to become an even better defender. “My goal is to be an all-defensive player (in the Big Ten),” he said.

It seems likely Johnson will receive a contract extension and additional compensation in his contract. He is the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 43 and believed to be the lowest paid.

The Badgers, who finished second in the Big Ten Tournament, might have all their starters return except for forward Tyler Wahl from Lakeville. Moving into Wahl’s spot could be Lakeville native Nolan Winter, who is the son of former Gopher center Trevor Winter.

Nolan showed considerable improvement during his freshman year and at 6-11 has exceptional skills including his outside shooting. “I think the future is so bright for Nolan,” said Butch. “He’s a great kid.”

Winter might team with 7-foot junior starter Steven Crowl from Eagan to give the Badgers two bigs in their lineup. They continue the legacy in Madison of exceptional players from Minnesota who became Badgers this millennium.

Wisconsin is in the NCAA Tournament for the 27^th time and is one of only five programs to participate 23 times in the last 25 years. Butch, who is the game radio analyst for Wisconsin, said the ongoing recruiting pipeline to Minnesota is because so many players have found success playing for the Badgers. Those players have bought into a culture of sacrificing for each other, and the Badgers have turned out Big Ten titles and NCAA Tournament runs under coach Bo Ryan and now Greg Gard.

“…They understand what exactly it is to be successful,” Butch said. “They buy into what Wisconsin is about.

“And you’ve seen changes (in style). This year Wisconsin is scoring the ball more than they have. Kids have seen that, too. Greg is willing to change. To adapt. I think that helps, too.”

Izzo said coming to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament was a “tearful visit for me” because of his friendship with the late Flip Saunders, the former Gophers point guard, and Timberwolves executive and coach. “…Flip Saunders deserves to be even thought of more than he probably is here because he loved this city, he loved the Gophers, he loved the Timberwolves, and I love him. Sad to see him not with us right now.”

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