NCAA – Page 142 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

GM Ryan: Molitor Doing ‘Heck of a Job’

Posted on June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 by David Shama

New Twins manager Paul Molitor and a revised coaching staff from 2014 received praise from club general manager Terry Ryan during an interview with Sports Headliners. The Twins, who lost 90-plus games the four previous seasons, had a losing record a year ago but today are 40-35 and 5.5 games out of first place in the AL Central Division.

The work of Molitor and his staff ranks with the most effective managing and coaching performances in MLB so far this season. “I’ve been impressed. I’ve been pleased,” Ryan said last week. “I think the players respond to all the staff. We’re in a good spot. We’ve got chemistry, camaraderie, and leadership and all that stuff, and more often than not you have to point to the manager. Give him the credit where credit is due.

“We’re playing very good, competitive baseball, almost on a daily basis. We haven’t gotten too giddy and we don’t get too far down when things aren’t going so well. He’s (Molitor) done a heck of a job here leading this thing. I am very happy for him, especially because he’s taken on a big responsibility here and he’s done something with it.”

The Twins are within six games of being halfway through the 2015 schedule. Ryan said the Twins can contend for the Central Division title and playoffs. “We’re in better shape than we’ve been the past four years by far,” Ryan said of a franchise that was last in the playoffs in 2010.

Ryan has been pleased with the team’s improved defense (including more athleticism in the outfield) and the starting pitching. His optimism about the club’s possible playoff participation is also based on what has been an under performing offense.

“We’re a better offensive club I think than what we’ve shown,” Ryan said. “Some of the guys that have produced the last year or two are still not back to even. That just gives me some sort of optimism we should be able to score more runs here and give our team the ability to take a little of that pressure off that pitching staff. That pitching staff has done a good job here.”

The performance of the starting pitching staff (including three starters with ERAs under 3.60) has surprised even the general manager and that’s boosted the overall pitching. “It’s not one guy (of the starters) that’s rebounded here,” Ryan said. “We’ve got a handful all of a sudden. (And) the bullpen has been pretty decent really from start to finish. We’ve had a couple of gaps but not too many.”

When former regulars Ricky Nolasco and Ervin Santana are ready to return from absences, the club will have too many starters. Ryan isn’t prepared to say now who fits in and who doesn’t. “We’ve got some difficult decisions to make, but they’re awfully good decisions because we’ve got a lot of competition for those slots,” he said.

The offense will be jumpstarted if Joe Mauer can hit like he did a few years ago. Ryan said Mauer’s rib injury diminished results last year that included a career low .277 average. The general manager said Mauer’s health this year isn’t an issue but the former three-time American League batting champion, who entered the season with a career average of .319, is batting just .260. He has 37 RBI (tied for third best on the team) and four home runs.

Mauer is hitting .240 in the last 30 games—indicative of his struggles this spring—but in his last seven is batting .323. With the season approaching the halfway place on the Twins schedule, Mauer will have to produce an avalanche of hits to finish with a .300 or better average. Ryan thinks it could happen.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t put that (.300) by him,” Ryan said. “I know he isn’t anywhere near that right now but I would not put that past him because he’s always shown the resiliency (to bounce back). He’s had a little bit of a tough year last year. We all admit that, but as long as he’s healthy—and he looks very healthy to me right now—I wouldn’t be surprised because there’s no reason, (with) his swing, his health.”

Mauer was a catcher his first 10 years with the Twins before moving to first base last season. Catching is the most physical and punishing position in baseball. Because of all the games Mauer caught, is he an old 32? Could that explain his decline at the plate?

“I don’t think so,” Ryan said. “In fact I think he’s a young 32 because he takes care of himself. …He knows what it takes to be prepared and he has done a good job of that.”

Worth Noting

Ryan talking about closer Glen Perkins (first in AL saves with 24), who could the Twins lone representative in next month’s All-Star Game: “Perkins has done nothing but impress this year and he’s put himself in a good position.”

Gary Trent Jr., the Apple Valley High School basketball player who will be among the most coveted college recruits nationally in the class of 2017, is among six “Faces in the Crowd” athletes featured in the June 29 issue of Sports Illustrated. Trent was recognized for his 19 second half points leading the U.S. 16-and-under team to a victory over Canada in the gold medal FIBA Americas game in June. The magazine also reported Trent was named tournament MVP, and earlier this year led Apple Valley to the Class 4A championship with a win over Champlin Park.

Bill Robertson, the men’s WCHA commissioner who offices in suburban Minneapolis, hopes to meet with Arizona State Athletic Department officials in Tempe this summer to discuss ASU joining his hockey league. It’s believed the Sun Devils are also being courted by the Big Ten and NCHC.

The Sun Devils have been playing club hockey but plan to be affiliated with a conference starting with the 2017-2018 season. Robertson said the ASU brand is “tremendous” and among the many reasons he is intrigued about the Sun Devils being in the WCHA is TV exposure from the Pac-12 Network. The Pac-12 is the conference home for other ASU sports but doesn’t offer hockey competition.

Among ASU officials is athletic director Ray Anderson who at one time was the agent for former Vikings coach Denny Green. Robertson sees the western United States as a “real growth area” for college hockey with the possibility some day of two major hockey schools on the West Coast—along with the two Alaska schools already in the WCHA.

Nearly 10,000 athletes from every state will compete and vie for medals in 19 sports during the National Senior Games that start here next month. Presented by Humana, this is the largest multi-sport event in the world for senior (ages 50+) athletes. The 800 competitions will take place July 3–15 at 26 venues in Bloomington, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Events are free and open to the public. More at NSGA.com.

Volunteers, including scorekeepers in archery, badminton, basketball and volleyball, are needed. Airport greeters are also sought. More at TeamMNvolunteer.com.

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Source Says Jahlil Okafor Prefers Lakers

Posted on June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by David Shama

It appears Jahlil Okafor wants to play for the Lakers, not the Timberwolves, but he won’t cause problems if Minnesota drafts him, a basketball source told Sports Headliners.

“Based on what I am hearing, Okafor would rather not be drafted by Minnesota,” the person said. “He would prefer to go to L.A. I don’t know if that is because of more glamour—the glamour franchise, the history or whatever. But that seems to be what people that are close to him are saying.”

The source, who asked that his name not be used, has college basketball connections and has been around Okafor in the past. He doesn’t know if Okafor or his agent, former Gophers basketball player Bill Duffy, have communicated the desire to play with the Lakers but it seems likely they have.

The Timberwolves have the No. 1 pick in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft while the Lakers have the No. 2 selection. Duke’s Okafor and Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who are expected to be the first two players chosen in the draft, have no control over which NBA teams choose them but they aren’t without options. However, the alternatives—including choosing to play in Europe, or publicly and privately raising hell about being on a certain NBA team—aren’t that attractive.

Okafor isn’t expected to choose either of those options if the Wolves select him. The source said the 19-year-old is a “great kid” and the Wolves won’t have to worry about his attitude.

So Okafor won’t mope if he lands in Minneapolis and not Los Angeles?

“Oh, no, he’s not that kind of player,” the source said. “Not that kind of person. He just wants players around him that want to play, that know how to play, that will pass the ball.”

As a freshman this spring the 6-11, 270-pound center helped lead Duke to the national championship. His large hands and powerful body make him a special talent in the low post. He is also a willing passer who could complement any NBA offense. Okafor’s defense and foul shooting are sometimes criticized but he has the work ethic and athleticism to improve in those areas.

Towns, 6-11, 250, can’t match Okafor’s offensive abilities but he’s the superior defender. He is a force blocking shots, and his athleticism also allows him to effectively defend pick and rolls—a staple of NBA offenses.

Who will the Timberwolves choose? How will they decide? And in a close debate might Okafor’s speculated preference in not playing for Minnesota impact who Wolves president and coach Flip Saunders ultimately decides to select?

Former professional coach Bill Fitch was asked his opinion. “You draft on your weakness,” said Bill Fitch, the ex-Gophers and NBA coach. “Best player available at your weakness.”

It’s unanimous inside and outside the Wolves’ organization the roster is much in need of defensive improvement. That certainly could tip the organization’s preference toward Towns.

Fitch was coaching the Rockets in 1984 when they had the first overall pick. A guy named Michael Jordan from North Carolina was available but the Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon. Carolina coach Dean Smith, a longtime friend of Fitch, told him it must be uncomfortable to pass on the best guy in the draft, his phenom Jordan.

“I said, well, I think I am getting the best player in the draft for my club,” Fitch recalled in an interview with Sports Headliners. “In other words we needed that hometown guy. We needed a guy that could block shots and rebound. He (Smith) was very high on Jordan.”

Fitch defends the Olajuwon selection to this day. Olajuwon had played at the University of Houston and the athletic center was so popular the Rockets knew he would be instant box office. The club needed Olajuwon’s defense and other skills including his dazzling scoring moves.

He eventually led the Rockets to two NBA titles and Fitch suspects there would have been more had Ralph Sampson stayed healthy. Sampson, the former 7-4 center from Virginia, was Houston’s No. 1 selection in 1983 and formed the famous “Twin Towers” with Olajuwon.

Fitch said if he was running the Wolves he would value talking to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about Okafor. “In other words, he’s not going to lie to you. There’s nobody that knows that kid at this stage of his career better than coach K.”

Talking to Okafor and Towns, and others who have been around them, can provide value, too, but Fitch doesn’t give a strong nod to the agents representing players in the draft. “You can talk to the agents all you want but you gotta remember you gotta walk in that stuff after you get done talking with them,” said Fitch who won 944 games with five different teams as an NBA coach. “It’s more important to talk with the kids.”

There are numerous mock drafts projecting first round selections including Bleacherreport.com and Draftexpress.com. Both predict the Wolves will select Towns with the Lakers then choosing Okafor.

The two websites agreed earlier in the week the Rockets will select former Apple Valley High School point guard Tyus Jones with the No. 18 selection. But today Bleacherreport.com has Jones going to the Cavs at No. 24 while Draftexpress.com predicts the Mavericks will take him at No. 21.

Okafor and Jones have been friends for years, played together at Duke as freshmen, and no doubt would love to some day wear the same NBA uniform. If the Wolves ended up with both former Dukies it might be a factor in keeping Okafor here beyond his rookie contract that can bind him to Minnesota for four years.

Draftexpress.com predicts former Robbinsdale Cooper High School star Rashad Vaughn, a shooting guard, will be selected 26th in the first round by the Spurs. Bleacherreport.com projects Vaughn, who was a freshman last season at UNLV, will be selected at No. 28 by the Celtics.

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Yeo: Wild Need ‘Game 7’ Effort Now

Posted on May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 by David Shama

Weekend notes and opinions on the Wild, Vikings, Gophers and Twins.

Wild coach Mike Yeo doesn’t understate the importance of tomorrow night’s Game 3 against the Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. “We have to treat it like a Game 7 right now,” he said.

A frustrated Yeo made that comment at his news conference last night when the Wild fell behind the Blackhawks 2-0 in their second round Stanley Cup playoffs series. Yeo, talking on KFAN Radio from his Chicago news conference, expressed confidence in winning the series but even a casual fan knows the Wild will be all but ready to make summer vacation plans if the team trails 3-0 in the series after tomorrow night.

The Wild fell behind 2-0 against the Blackhawks the last two years and lost both series. Minnesota will need a much better performance tomorrow night than in Game 2 in Chicago. The Wild made too many mistakes including turnovers with the puck and produced one goal (Matt Dumba) during a 4-1 loss. The Wild weren’t sharp including a lax approach on defense.

“I think we were focused on (getting) the win and not focused on the things we need to do,” Yeo said.

The Wild scored three goals in Game 1 in Chicago as the Blackhawks won 4-3 on Friday night. Last evening the team’s playmakers were even less productive. Will there be lineup changes?

Yeo acknowledged he will review a lot of things today but it didn’t sound like personnel changes are forthcoming. “It wasn’t a personnel thing. It was a between the ears thing tonight.”

The Wild has played in 10 playoff series in franchise history and has a 2-8 record in opening games including five overtime Game 1 losses. The Wild has never won a playoff game in Chicago. The Wild’s 4-3 first game loss to the Blackhawks on Friday night was the first time Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk had lost when his team scored at least three goals. Dubnyk had been 22-0-1.

The Wild will host free pre-game parties for fans prior to home playoff games this week outside Gate 2 at Xcel Energy Center. The pre-game party for Game 3 tomorrow night will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s pre-game activities will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

NHL alums and Minnesota natives Dave Christian (Warroad), Ben Hankinson (Edina), Reed Larson (Minneapolis) and Dave Snuggerud (Minnetonka) will sign autographs tomorrow night at the party from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s commitment to defense was reinforced during the 2015 NFL Draft. The team’s first three selections were all defensive players, although the club has multiple personnel needs on offense.

First round draft choice Trae Waynes, along with third-year player Xavier Rhodes, gives the Vikings a potential pair of shutdown corners. When cornerbacks don’t need much support from teammates in pass coverage, the defense turns a weakness into a strength.

“You can do numerous things that allow you to attack offenses,” Zimmer said. “But when you have to help a guy or protect a guy—use some more of your guys than you really would like to—then it makes it more difficult.”

Waynes described Zimmer as a “DB guru.” Zimmer’s NFL experiences include being an assistant coach with the Cowboys where he coached all-time great cornerback Deion Sanders. “He coached up Deion, he coached up some other good corners, as well,” Waynes said. “If he can make me into half the player Deion Sanders is, I think we will be pretty good.”

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden raised a concern about Waynes Thursday night when he said the cornerback’s tackling sometimes is a “liability.” That’s a surprising comment since Waynes played for two defensive taskmasters at Michigan State, head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi.

Waynes attended Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sports Headliners reader and Gophers football historian Dana Marshall e-mailed that Bradford’s football alums include Melvin Gordon III, a first round selection by the Chargers last week, and Alan “The Horse” Ameche who won the 1954 Heisman Trophy at Wisconsin and also played for the NFL’s Colts. Waynes and Gordon played together at Bradford.

Waynes is projected to receive a $11,567,500 deal from the Vikings, according to a Friday story on NFL compensation for first rounders by Jason Belzer of Forbes.com.

That was Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater announcing the ceremonial “riders up” prior to Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Bridgewater was introduced to the crowd and NBC TV audience as the “former Louisville quarterback”—no mention of the Vikings.

Sports Illustrated’s April 20 NFL Draft issue projected ex-Gopher Maxx Williams as the first tight end being taken in the draft, with the Broncos choosing him at No. 28 in the first round. Reality is he was the first tight end selected but the Ravens chose him at No. 23 in the second round, the 55th overall pick. Although Williams’ pass catching is reminiscent of Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, he was targeted with some concerns on his Nfl.com/draft profile page including the need for additional strength, and “limited feel and instincts as a move blocker.”

Williams is likely to receive guaranteed money from the Ravens but as a second round draft choice he will get a lot less (perhaps a $2 million-plus deal) than the projected $7,746,750 that Forbes.com expects the No. 28 pick selection (guard Laken Tomlinson) to earn. Tomlinson played at Duke and was drafted by the Lions.

The Gophers had four players drafted—the most in one year since 2006. In addition to Williams, linebacker Damien Wilson was selected in the fourth round by the Cowboys, while running back David Cobb and safety Cedric Thompson were fifth round choices of the Titans and Dolphins. The 1950 NFL Draft was the last time Minnesota had four players selected in the first five rounds. Among Big Ten schools, the Gophers and Michigan State with four each had the most players selected during the first five rounds of the 2015 draft.

Congratulations to organizers of the 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors event held last night at the Hilton Minneapolis. The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recognized many Minnesotans for their high school, college and professional achievements. Among those honored were former Saint John’s coach John Gagliardi and members of his 1965 NAIA national championship team. Vikings award winners recognized were Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings Children’s Fund Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year; Chad Greenway, Community Man of the Year; Everson Griffen, Defensive Player of the Year; and Andrew Sendejo, Special Teams Player of the Year. The Gophers David Cobb was honored with the Bobby Bell College Impact Player Award. For a list of award winners, including scholar-athletes, visit Minnesotafootballhonors.com.

Whether Florida pursues Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino probably comes down to if the Gators can interest bigger names in their opening, and what athletic director Jeremy Foley thinks of Pitino based on the young coach’s work in Gainesville a few years ago as an assistant to Billy Donovan who has moved on to coach the NBA’s Thunder.

Coming off the departure of five seniors and a 6-12 Big Ten record last season, the Gophers now are an early choice to finish at or near the bottom of the conference standings in 2016. The roster is in transition and lots of names are on Pitino’s recruiting list, but know this for sure: he needs to reverse the trend of Minnesota’s best preps playing elsewhere. That’s code for landing Amir Coffey from Hopkins High School in 2016 and Gary Trent, Jr. from Apple Valley in 2017.

The Twins top prospect, outfielder Byron Buxton, is hitting better now at Double A Chattanooga. His average is at .287 and he is batting .432 in his last 10 games. He has struggled with hitting certain types of pitches this spring but remains likely to one day be the Twins center fielder.

The Twins have won four consecutive games to go one game over .500 with a 13-12 record. The starting pitchers have a record of 4-0 with a 2.91 ERA in their last six starts.

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