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Coach Ben Johnson’s Job Security Looks Like a Lock

Posted on March 3, 2024March 3, 2024 by David Shama

If there was any doubt about Ben Johnson returning as the University of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach, it was erased yesterday with the team’s ninth Big Ten win of the season. The Gophers overcame a 23-point first half deficit to defeat Penn State, 75-70, at Williams Arena.

The victory left Minnesota with a 9-9 league record with two games remaining in the regular season. The Gophers are tied with Michigan State for fifth place in the Big Ten standings, and have an opportunity to finish 11-9 if they defeat Indiana at home Wednesday night and win at Northwestern next Saturday. The overall record is 18-11, with a 20-win season possible for the first time since 2019.

Pretty upbeat status for a team that was a popular pick before the season to finish last in the Big Ten. That outlook last fall only added to the gloom from at the bottom conference finishes the prior two years (6-33 record). Those were discouraging starts to Johnson’s head coaching career and caused loud grumbling about him heading into the season five months ago.

Johnson could currently be bought out of his contract for $6,519,340. Other media have reported a lower figure but the above is the correct number. A disastrous season this winter presumably would have caused athletic director Mark Coyle to think hard about staying with the Minneapolis native, former Gopher guard and the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 43.

Many years of mediocre and sometimes bad basketball at the U has lowered expectations inside the school and decreased pressure from fans, many of whom have become disinterested in the program. Even a month of March that includes a 9-11 final regular season record, with perhaps no wins in the Big Ten Tournament and a postseason invite to the NIT will almost assuredly be enough to continue Coyle’s confidence in Johnson.

The elephant in the room for the Gophers is men’s basketball once was a huge money maker for the financially self-supporting athletic department. Ticket sales for years have generally been in free-fall and revenues aren’t close to their potential. A Big Ten contending team in this market could command among the higher ticket prices in college hoops and those revenues would shoulder a big load in a department where the only programs making money are football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

Johnson and his staff improved the roster during the last off-season. All the key players are potentially back for next year except senior forward Parker Fox. Potentially is the operative word in the wild world of college basketball where players change schools on a dime. And sometimes for a bigger dime because of Name, Image and Likeness money.

Contrary to some voices, Johnson has NIL money to work with, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Resources don’t match the blue blood programs but there has been success by the Dinkytown Athletes collective, and the potential is significant if the Gophers can take over the town like they did in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Johnson and his staff have coaching chops and can motivate players. Their Xs and Os can be interesting, and it’s been impressive to see how often Minnesota comes out of a timeout with a savvy play to score a bucket. The coach’s judgment on personnel has usually worked although it’s still annoying to recall how in November the ball was put in freshman guard Cam Christie’s inexperienced hands to make the winning play in a 70-68 home court key nonconference loss to Missouri.

And Fox, who had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks on Senior Day against Penn State, probably should have received more playing time this season. His inside scoring, rebounding, shot blocking, unselfishness and energy merited more. Yesterday he not only started a game for the first time this season but played a rare 28 minutes and was on the floor at the end when Minnesota finished its gutsy comeback.

Johnson, a high character guy, made a classy move in the closing seconds by taking Fox out to receive recognition from the fans. Those same patrons want their hometown coach to be deserving of their applause in the future, and he will if he can add talent in future off-seasons like he did in the last one.

Worth Noting

The Gophers trailed by 12 points at halftime against Penn State. “The first 20 minutes was just flat, for whatever reason,” Johnson said at his news conference where he added the second half strategy was to tighten up on defense and “chip away” at the deficit.

If the Gophers can win their yet to be determined opening game in the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center next week, the town could get amped. In game two the Gophers would feel the adrenaline and maybe make a tournament run. Minnesota’s talent is similar or better than most of the Big Ten except Purdue and Illinois.

An overflow crowd of more than 300 heard from Paul Molitor, Glen Perkins and John Anderson at the recent Minnesota Breakfast Club gathering in Naples, Florida, per an email from event attendee Marshall Tanick. Molitor, the former Twin and Hall of Famer, is excited about the potential of 2023 first round draft choice and outfielder Walker Jenkins. Perkins, who played for Anderson with the Gophers before joining the Twins, lamented the pitch counts in MLB that limit innings by quality starters and strain bullpens.

Perkins praised Anderson as a “molder of men,” according to Tanick. He noted the coach’s emphasis on academics and graduating players. Anderson is in his final season as Gopher coach after taking over in 1982. The program has struggled of late but the Big Ten’s all-time winningest baseball coach told the gathering he sees improvement in 2024 with a “deeper and more talented pitching staff.”

Former Twins TV broadcasting icon Dick Bremer turned 68 last Friday.

Lou Nanne, the 82-year-old Mr. Minnesota Hockey icon who retires this month after 60 years of TV commentary at the boys’ state hockey tournament, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers at Interlachen Country Club Wednesday morning—the same day the Timberwolves Chris Finch, among candidates for NBA Coach of the Year, talks to the Capital Club at Mendakota Country Club.

Prep football coaching legend Ron Stolski emailed a note that registration for the annual MFCA Football Clinic April 4-6 in St. Louis Park is on a “record pace.”

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Ex-NBA Referee Describes Edwards’ Rants as Classless

Posted on February 1, 2024February 1, 2024 by David Shama

Ken Mauer Jr. believes Anthony Edwards was classless when ripping the officiating after his team’s game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City Monday night, but he said that referees Mark Lindsay, Karl Lane and Matt Myers will not hold a grudge against Ant.

Mauer, the St. Paul native who was a highly respected NBA referee for 37 years, didn’t see the game but heard about comments made by the Timberwolves 22-year-old high scoring guard now in his fourth professional season. Although Minnesota won the game between two of the Western Conference’s premier teams, Edwards said the officiating was “terrible,” that it was like competing against eight opponents on the floor (not five) and that his team won despite not receiving the calls they deserved from referees whose integrity he questioned.

Edwards knew his postgame comments invited punishment from the NBA office. Yesterday the league announced a $40,000 fine for his critical remarks after his team’s 107-101 win, a game where he scored 27 points.

“There’s no class there,” Mauer told Sports Headliners yesterday when asked about Edwards’ critical words. Mauer said there is a professional way to converse with officials and how to talk about them. Edwards crossed the line. “I just think they’re (the rants) without merit,” Mauer said by phone from his home in Florida. “I just don’t understand.”

Basketball is an emotional sport, and it can test the self-control of players as it did with Edwards on Monday night. “He’s a young kid,” Mauer said. “He just doesn’t quite get it yet.”

Edwards, who is averaging 25.5 points per game and has the potential to become a consensus superstar, has been in “hot water” with the league before. In 2022 he was fined $40,000 for anti-gay remarks made during the off-season. Last year he was assessed a $50,000 penalty for an incident in the spring when he recklessly threw a chair in frustration that struck bystanders.

Mauer said the league’s referees need to know the NBA office is supportive of them. Fines and reprimands of players show that backing and without such actions referees will be upset.

There will be no inclination by the three officials who worked Monday’s game, or any other league referees, to have a vendetta against Edwards, Mauer said. “Do they carry a grudge? No. Referees, they remember but referees don’t do that (hold grudges).”

By remembering incidents with players or coaches, the potential is created to have future dialogues among all concerned. Referees and players can learn from what happened and be better prepared to handle similar incidents going forward.

Mauer said NBA officials are constantly evaluated. “They get graded for every call for every game.” A supervisor will let them know if they make a mistake.

Mauer’s NBA career ended after the 2021 playoffs. He was suspended without pay for the 2021-2022 season for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID. The league didn’t mandate that players be vaccinated but did so with referees. In a two-sentence letter from the league in September of 2022 he was terminated. Mauer’s convictions told him his treatment was wrong and he initiated litigation against the NBA that is ongoing. He has an appeal for legal funding help on his GiveSendGo web page.

Mauer doesn’t want it to sound like “sour grapes” but he believes the quality of officiating in the league may not be what it once was. “There’s referees that they’re hiring that have refereed only four or five years in their entire careers,” he said.

Mauer can recall an era when it was common for rookie NBA officials to have 10, 12 or more years of prior experience at other levels of basketball. A referee facing a challenging situation for the first time is in a different place than one who has seen those circumstances many times. The league decision makers have for a while now been expanding the number of referees and have prioritized gender hiring. The total number of officials entering this season was 74 and the league had an all-time high eight female referees going into the prior season.

Mauer said contrary to the view of fans and media, officials don’t play favorites with players, teams or venues. They don’t now, nor did they during his time, Mauer maintains.

“There were many times I didn’t even know the player that I was calling the foul on. …We don’t care. We just go and do our job.”

Mauer said coaches, players, fans and media know the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns is a “whiner,” but that reputation doesn’t predispose officials to treat him unfairly. “Referees have guidelines they must follow. They follow (apply) for all the players.”

When Mauer worked in the NBA he talked with Towns and others who complain frequently about calls they don’t like. There’s no upside in that for players, Mauer said. He viewed Towns’ rants as immature behavior.

LeBron James and the Lakers don’t receive preferential treatment because he is one of the greatest players ever, or because his team is a flagship NBA franchise, per Mauer. He believes the league’s greatest players are probably more deserving of favorable calls because they make the difficult look easy despite having defenders hanging on them or hacking their arms.

Home court advantage in the NBA? Maybe so for various reasons like fan support spiking adrenaline in players but Mauer contends refs don’t intentionally favor home teams. Mauer said legendary NBA referee Earl Strom prided himself on a record that showed visiting teams won more often than home teams in games officiated.

Mauer said it was once pointed out during his career that the same was true of him. “I never kept track of things like that. I just go out and do my job.”

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Don’t Bet Against Kirk Cousins Comeback

Posted on January 30, 2024 by David Shama

Kirk Cousins had serious but successful surgery on his right Achilles tendon almost three months ago. At age 35, there is reason to be concerned about future performance by the Vikings’ soon to be free agent quarterback regardless of who he plays for next season.

How will his on-field mobility be? Hardly a turf-field dancer during his 12 season NFL career, a more limited Cousins could be a stationary target and easy prey in the pocket next fall. That status would make Cousins less productive and potentially prone to injuries including a concussion. Best case scenario might be okay maneuverability next season, with improvement the year after.

There is also a possibility of re-injury to the Achilles. That development would almost assuredly end Cousins’ career which other than last fall has been one of good fortune and durability. Even a less than stable right leg could lessen Cousins’ trademark arm strength.

Advances in surgery and rehabilitation have changed the outcomes of serious lower leg injuries for NFL players. The greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, recovered from ACL knee surgery in 2008 and played 14 more seasons. Adrian Peterson, the Vikings GOAT RB, injured his left knee in late 2011 and recovered from ACL surgery to have one of his best seasons in 2012.

However, Achilles tendon surgery is generally considered more problematic than ACL knee surgery for a football player. Rams’ running back Cam Akers, though, made a recovery in less than six months a couple of years ago, shaving multiple months off his scheduled return to the field. Reports now on the recovery by Jets’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his 2023 Achilles tendon surgery are cheery and basketball players like Kevin Durant also have success stories following the potential career-threatening injury.

Cousins is a high character athlete who will follow advice and instruction at a GOAT level. He will use intelligence, common sense, work ethic and determination to provide himself with the best possible recovery outcome. He told NBC a while ago he expects to go from walking to jogging by February 1.

Cousins built his reputation as a top-twelve NFL quarterback on his strong arm, accuracy and football intelligence. Never considered a scrambling or running threat, Cousins does need to achieve mobility and lower body strength similar to the past to make his comeback successful. It’s reasonable–with no guarantees—to think of a recovery timeline that allows him to be on the field when the NFL schedule starts up next September.

Don’t bet against him regardless of where he calls home later in 2024.

Worth Noting

NFC North Division rivals Detroit and Green Bay are reminding Vikings fans of the alternatives in building quarterback success.

The division champion Lions have an eight-year career veteran in Jared Goff. He is similar in experience, league quarterback reputation and skill set to Cousins. The Lions have built an impressive total team and coaching support around Goff that could lead them to a Super Bowl in 2025. The Vikings? Much more of a long shot, although a healthy Cousins and significantly improved defensive personnel would shorten the odds.

The Packers have employed three starting quarterbacks in the last 31 years. The GB way is to identify quarterback potential and develop it. Aaron Rodgers sat for three seasons behind starter Brett Favre. After Rodgers left for the Jets in the 2023 off-season, the Packers turned to Jordan Love who had also been in development for three seasons. Love’s hot finish in his first year as a starter almost got the Packers to the NFC championship game this month.

It’s looking like much-admired Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will not be hired away for a head coaching job. Flores, the Dolphins former head coach, has a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams that remains unsettled. His return for at least one more season will be a major plus for Minnesota.

Gabriel Gonzalez, 20, the outfielder who the Twins acquired from the Mariners yesterday as one of four players coming to Minneapolis in return for second baseman Jorge Polanco is only 5-10 and 165-pounds, but he has surprising power and could turn out to be the gem of the trade for Minnesota. In 477 at bats in the low minors last year he hit 18 home runs.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, speaking before a gathering of more than 300 at the Minnesota Breakfast Club in Naples, Florida this month, talked candidly about his disappointing team. The Wild currently has 47 points, the second lowest total in the eight-team Central Division and is 5-9 this month including a two-game losing streak.

In the fall Minnesota had been forecast as a solid bet for the playoffs but prospects are iffy now. Breakfast attendee Marshall Tanick emailed Sports Headliners that Guerin said his in-season head coaching hire John Hynes (who replaced Dean Evason) is a “very detailed, very organized guy” who will help players in their preparations and performances.

Positives this season, per Guerin, include 39-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury becoming the second winningest all-time NHL goalie and the play of former Gopher defenseman Brock Faber who is impressing after joining the Wild for two games last spring.

Entertaining storyteller Bob Hagan, who for many years headed the Vikings’ public relations department, is the latest guest on Behind the Game with co-host Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. Hagan, whose well-known quip at news conferences was “time for two more,” talks on the show about a career that made him one of the NFL’s well-known team communications leaders. https://youtu.be/maTN5BM4c4o.

Condolences to the family and friends of Phil Frerk who passed away from congestive heart failure earlier this month. He coached St. Louis Park girls’ basketball teams to state championships in 1986 and 1990. In retirement, the mild-mannered Frerk helped lead the CORES organization that hosted prominent speakers at luncheon gatherings in Bloomington. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Birthday club: Former Gophers All-American tight end and 1970s Viking Doug Kingsriter turned 74 yesterday, January 29. Authoritative Star Tribune Gopher basketball beat reporter Marcus Fuller celebrated his 45^th birthday last week.

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