Media – Page 40 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U’s Murphy May Miss All-Star Game

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column with a focus on the Final Four.

Golden Gophers forward Jordan Murphy, still cautious after injuring his back two weeks ago in Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament win over Louisville, said he may not play in the Reese’s College All-Star game scheduled this afternoon (Friday) at U.S. Bank Stadium as part of the Minneapolis Final Four activities.

Murphy, though, plans to participate in the Dos Equis 3-on-3 tournament starting today at Mall of America. The three-day tournament consists of college seniors like Murphy who are grouped with other players from their conferences, and they compete for $150,000 in prize pool money, with $100,000 going to the winning team.

Murphy had never missed a Gophers game until his back problem of two weeks ago forced him to sit out Minnesota’s second NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State. He never had previous back problems but he suffered spasms and soreness when the Gophers were in Des Moines for the tournament. Trying to get ready for Michigan State, Murphy said he saw a chiropractor twice, took ice baths and also used heat, and did some stretching and jogging.

“There’s probably zero chance I could have played in that game,” Murphy said.

Internet reports and a Sports Headliners source believe the University of Arkansas has interest in the Gophers’ Richard Pitino for its head basketball coach opening.

Inner city youth received a lesson yesterday as to why sports—even when played at the highest levels—is about more than wins and losses. Youngsters at a Minneapolis Convention Center event took home about 1,000 items including sports apparel donated by the Clean Out For A Cause program supported by coaches, athletes, and staff from college and professional teams throughout the country.

The program launched in 2013 when basketball coach Tubby Smith donated excess Gophers items after he was let go by the University of Minnesota. The 100 pound donation has since turned into over 200,000 pounds of sports gear donated by over 100 college programs, and nearly half of all pro sports teams as they pass on used or excess shoes and other items each season.

Drew Boe, a former Gopher student manager under Smith, has been the driving force of the Clean Out For A Cause program and the generosity it provides. More on Boe at the Managers On A Mission website.

Boe admires Smith who was joined by other sports celebrities at the Convention Center to deliver messages about life. Smith has long been known for his commitment to help in places where he has coached including in Minneapolis.

“I just have so much respect for his commitment and integrity,” Boe said about the coach who is still mentoring him. “He is willing to go above and beyond in developing men.”

Smith said he’s moved past his firing at Minnesota by controversial athletic director Norwood Teague that came after his team had played two games in the NCAA Tournament of 2013. “I’ve got too much going in my life,” he told Sports Headliners yesterday. “Too much excitement to worry about anything. Once it’s over it’s gone. Losses will stick with you but it’s all about family. …”

Smith’s predecessor as Gophers coach, Dan Monson, is also in town for the Final Four. Smith had a 16-15 overall record as head coach at High Point last season. Monson was 15-19 at Long Beach State.

Jim Nantz, who has spent his entire national broadcasting career at CBS television, works his 30th Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend as the network’s play-by-play voice. Nantz is doing his third Final Four in Minneapolis.

David Ching, writing Tuesday for Forbes.com, said all four coaches in the Minneapolis Final Four will be receiving bonuses for the NCAA Tournament runs of their teams and can add a lot more by winning the national championship on Monday night. None can profit more than Virginia’s Tony Bennett who with the Cavaliers’ tournament march to Minneapolis has already earned $850,000 in incentive bonuses. A national title will add $400,000 more to the payday.

How difficult is it to predict before the season the teams that will be in the Final Four? Very challenging even for the best crystal ballers. The entrants in Minneapolis this weekend are Auburn, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Virginia. Prior to the season Athlon’s college basketball magazine had Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky in the Final Four. Nice try with Duke, Gonzaga and Kentucky all losing in Elite Eight games.

Michigan State will try to win the Big Ten Conference’s first men’s NCAA Tournament basketball championship since 2000 when coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans won it all. The league is frequently promoted as a great hoops league but all time the Big Ten has won only 11 titles in the tournament that started in 1939. Per Wikipedia, UCLA alone has 11 national crowns. Kentucky has eight, and ACC powers North Carolina (six) and Duke (five) have 11 titles.

Indiana with five titles and Michigan State with two, are the only Big Ten programs to have won multiple NCAA men’s basketball championships. Minnesota, of course, has no national titles and has a combined 9-11 record in the NCAA Tournament not counting vacated games due to NCAA violations.

No doubt the absence of Duke and its must-see freshman Zion Williamson put a damper on ticket prices for Minneapolis Final Four tickets. The average resale ticket price for games Saturday and Monday won’t come close to the $900 reported by geekseat.com for the 2015 Final Four involving showcase programs Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Game tickets aren’t the only hot commodities in Minneapolis. Reservations at the city’s top restaurants are popular, too, including at Murray’s where the iconic steak house (in business since 1946) is sold out on Friday and Sunday nights. Earlier this week owner Tim Murray said Saturday and Monday will be busy, too.

Word is Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley could be a first round pick if he decides to leave college early for the NBA. Former DeLaSalle and Kentucky standout Reid Travis, who projects as a power forward in pro basketball, isn’t likely to be drafted in either the first or second round by an NBA team, per a pro scout.

Former Timberwolves player and front office executive Fred Hoiberg, now the new Nebraska head coach, is assembling his staff including Matt Abdelmassih who he referred to at his introductory press conference this week being “as good as” any recruiter in the country. Abdelmassih, who was a student manager for St. John’s from 2004-2007, met Hoiberg after college when he was an intern for the Timberwolves. Abdelmassih, described by ESPN authorities as the best transfer recruiter in the country, left his position as an assistant coach at his alma mater to join Hoiberg in Lincoln.

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Sano Absence May Impact Division Race

Posted on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column leading off with the Twins, and including basketball and football newsmakers.

The Twins start playing meaningful games next week when the regular season begins, and they are a popular pick to finish second in the mediocre AL Central Division. The more optimistic fans and media were thinking division title during the offseason, but now maybe less so with puzzling slugger Miguel Sano not expected in the lineup until May.

The Indians have won three consecutive division championships and while the roster doesn’t look as formidable as in the past, the club is anchored by probably baseball’s best starting staff. Those starters could lead the way to 90+ wins, while the Twins are a smart choice to win 80 to 85.

Sano told Sports Headliners a few years ago he might be capable of producing Miguel Cabrera type hitting numbers. “I can be better than Cabrera, I think,” he said in the summer of 2015. Sano, though, isn’t even close to matching the numbers of the future Tigers’ Hall of Famer. The Twins’ third baseman began his MLB career in 2014 and his play has been characterized as much by injuries as production at the plate.

The 6-foot-4 Sano, with a .199 batting average, didn’t even come close to hitting his weight (260) last season. He is out until possibly the time of his 26th birthday on May 11. Sano, whose latest problem is with his heel, tantalized the Twins in 2017 with his 28 home runs and 77 RBI. His presence in the lineup from the beginning of this season would have added confidence to those predicting a first Twins division championship since 2010.

It will be interesting to see how the Twins’ pitching staff develops including the late innings situation. Perhaps the club will not have an ace closer, instead using a few different relief pitchers in that role.

Minnesota’s regular season and home opener against the Indians will be played late afternoon on Thursday of next week, with Accuweather.com predicting a day time high of 56 degrees. The three-game series with the Indians also has scheduled day time dates at Target Field on March 30 and 31 when temps are predicted to be in the 40’s.

On opening day the club is giving away Twins puffer vests to the first 30,000 fans. Former Twin and AL MVP Justin Morneau will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, with Minneapolis song writer and performer Sean Tillman (aka Har Mar Superstar) singing the National Anthem.

As of this morning on the Twins’ ticket website, there were tickets available for the opener ranging in cost from $17 to $31.

There were rumors last week junior Gophers forward Michael Hurt will transfer to the college destination of his superstar brother Matthew Hurt, a senior at Rochester John Marshall. The possibility was mentioned to me months ago but I chose not to write about the speculation.

Michael would be eligible to play next season with his brother who has yet to announce his college choice, and could be destined to the NBA in another year via the 2020 league draft. Michael is a three-year reserve who this season is averaging 1.7 points per game and is 1 of 13 on three point field goal attempts. If he were to leave Minnesota, that presumably opens up a scholarship for the Gophers who have multiple roster needs for next season and should be shopping for junior college help.

Matthew, 6-foot-9, is so skilled he can excel at multiple positions. The bluebloods of college basketball, including Duke and North Carolina, would welcome the five-star recruit, and perhaps his brother—allowing the twosome to play one year together.

It will be a major surprise if Matthew isn’t announced as the state’s Mr. Basketball winner at the Timberwolves game on March 26. Hurt, who averaged about 37 points per game this season, won’t be in attendance because he will play among the nation’s elite players at the March 27 McDonald’s All-American Game in Atlanta.

A member of John Marshall’s varsity since eighth grade, Hurt has closed out his high school career never having played in the state tournament. Lakeville North has blocked Marshall’s path to the state tournament by winning seven consecutive times in the section finals.

Among the favorites to win the Class 4A Tournament this week is Hopkins with star center-power forward Zeke Nnjai. He is committed to Arizona for next season but if Wildcats coach Sean Miller leaves the program speculation will start about Nnjai’s college destination.

The Gophers, in search of a point guard all season, could have filled that opening two years ago by successfully recruiting Champlin Park’s McKinley Wright, who as a sophomore at Colorado has been named first team All-Pac-12. He also was an honorable mention choice for the league’s all-defensive team.

CBS lead sportscaster Jim Nantz, who will be here for the Minneapolis Final Four, gave a shout-out to 99-year-old Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman on last Saturday’s telecast of the Minnesota-Michigan Big Ten Tournament game, and he told the listening audience he will speak to the Twin Cities Dunkers when he is town. The downtown-Minneapolis based Dunkers dates back to 1948 and Hartman has been a member since 1965.

Purdue, who the Gophers defeated twice in March, is an upset pick to make a run in the NCAA Tournament including a prediction by Seth Davis the Boilermakers will advance to the Minneapolis Final Four. Davis, the CBS in-studio college hoops analyst, is the son of Lanny Davis, the well-known lawyer and TV political commentator.

Steve Erban and Paul Dillion are among Gophers fans expected in Des Moines tomorrow for Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament game against Louisville. Erban emailed that the two are the only people who have seen every Gopher NCAA Tournament game dating back to 1989.

Gophers’ athletic director Mark Coyle said on the WCCO Radio Sports Huddle show last Sunday that about $130 million out of the $166 million targeted cost has been raised for the new Athlete’s Village on campus.

Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck, new North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz, and former Vikings Matt Birk and Ben Leber are headline speakers at next week’s MFCA Football Clinic at the DoubleTree in St. Louis Park. More than 30 speakers and over 50 sessions are scheduled for the March 28-30 clinic. More at mnfootballcoaches.com

Karl-Anthony Towns had his 47th double-double of the season last night when he scored 26 points and got 21 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ loss to the Warriors at Target Center.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer hosts his first Mike Zimmer Golf Classic at Bearpath Golf and Country Club in Eden Prairie on Monday, May 13. The event is part of the Mike Zimmer Foundation. Hole sponsorships starting at a $1,000 are available. More at Mikezimmerfoundation.org.

Looks like Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman were right about quarterback Case Keenum who they let walk as a free agent last year. The Broncos, who signed Keenum in 2018, traded him to the Redskins earlier this month and now have turned to another veteran, Joe Flacco, as their quarterback leader. Keenum is with his fourth team in four years.

Ex-Gopher Phil Nelson, who received a lot of media and fan attention last month for a no-look pass, has completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 513 yards, and thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions, quarterbacking the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football, according to noextrapoints.com.

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Fleck High on Gophers Offensive Line

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column with information on football, basketball, hockey, media and wrestling newsmakers.

Third-year Golden Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck expects his offensive line to be among the better ones in the Big Ten next fall. Offensive line performance has often been an issue in the program’s recent past and Minnesota hasn’t had a center, guard or tackle chosen in the NFL Draft for 13 years.

The enthusiastic Fleck said the Gophers, who begin spring practice next Tuesday, could have “incredible line play in the making.” Minnesota has several offensive linemen with starting experience returning from a 7-6 team that closed the year winning two of its last three regular season games, and then won a bowl game by the largest margin in program history.

Fleck believes a top offensive line is “the name of the game” in the Big Ten Conference. He knows programs that win at a high level consistently have offensive lines that excel and produce top players.

“It’s a very, very physical conference,” Fleck said. “It’s a long season. It’s nine conference games. …It is a battle every single week, especially up front. If you can have bigger, stronger, more athletic, smarter (linemen), and you continue to develop that every single year, I think you’re going to have a lot of success.”

Fleck’s returnees include Connor Olson, a starting guard who could move to center and replace Jared Weyler who was a senior last fall. Fleck said it’s also not clear yet whether Blaise Andries, another starter last season, will end up at tackle or guard.

Fleck couldn’t talk about his offensive line without quickly discussing a tight end roster that is loaded with big bodies who are counted on to complement the blocking of the center, guards and tackles. The tight end group includes 6-foot-4 Jake Paulson, a starter last season, who has bulked up from 245 pounds to 270.

Minnesota has eight returning starters on offense and the competition at some positions will be intense. The running back roster, for example, will be one of the better such units in the country with returnees Shannon Brooks, Mohamed Ibrahim, Rodney Smith and Bryce Williams. Fleck said the foursome have already accounted for “6,500 yards and 52 touchdowns” during their careers at Minnesota.

“I would call that a lot of productivity coming back in the running back position,” the coach added.

Minnesota’s first practice open to the public will be March 15 starting at 4:45 p.m. The location has yet to be announced.

In Lindsay Whalen’s first season as Gopher women’s basketball coach, home attendance has increased from an average of 3,130 in 2017-18 to 5,738 in 2018-19. The regular season finale last Sunday against Michigan State had announced attendance of 7,707 and was the third largest home crowd of the season.

This has been a historical week in Minnesota for female play-by-play announcers on television, with Marney Gellner doing the Twins’ spring training game from Fort Myers Sunday, and Sloane Martin describing games Wednesday at the boys’ state high school hockey tournament in St. Paul. Never before in Minnesota have women done TV play-by-play for the Twins and the boys’ hockey tournament.

The Pioneer Press chose John Mayasich as the No. 1 all-time Minnesota prep hockey player in its recent series listing the 75 best ever. He had a great prep career at Eveleth High School and was a four-time All-American for the Gophers in 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955. The newspaper named South St. Paul’s Phil Housley No. 2.

Best guess to win the “sweepstakes” to get Rochester John Marshall basketball superstar Matthew Hurt is Duke and its legendary coach Mike Krzyzweski, who in past years has landed Minnesotans Gary Trent Jr., and brothers Tre and Tyus Jones.

The Gophers’ chances? Slim to none, according to those who have followed the recruiting of Hurt.

Coach Richard Pitino’s Minnesota men’s basketball team closes its regular season at No. 24 Maryland tonight, after upsetting No. 11 ranked Purdue Tuesday at Williams Arena. A Minnesota win will be the first time since 1993 (excluding vacated seasons) that a Gopher team has won back-to-back games against ranked opponents.

Among those in attendance at Tuesday’s game was 1952-53 All-American Gopher guard Charley Mencel. He also played for the NBA Minneapolis Lakers, and is among the Gopher greats whose jerseys are displayed in the Williams Arena rafters.

At No. 1 Gable Steveson, the Apple Valley freshman with a 27-0 record, is Minnesota’s highest seeded wrestler as the Gophers go into Saturday and Sunday’s Big Ten Championships at Williams Arena, but others, of course, will be counted on to contribute. “We have 10 guys who can go out and score points,” coach Brandon Eggum said.

Shortstops can be the best athletes on their teams, so maybe the Twins don’t face a logjam for eventual playing time with incumbent Jorge Polanco and valued minor league prospects Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis, and Wander Javier.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a Fortune 500 CEO is hired to replace retiring Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in June of 2020.

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