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Golden Gophers Sit Tight on Ben Johnson’s Contract

Posted on June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 by David Shama

There has been postseason anticipation about Ben Johnson’s contract as University of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach. That suspense goes back to late March when Johnson’s Golden Gophers posted the best record in his three seasons of leading the program at his alma mater.

Athletic director Mark Coyle told Sports Headliners there will be no changes in Johnson’s contract this offseason. The deal has three years remaining (ends April 30, 2027) and Coyle believes longer contracts are a thing of the past because of the flux in rosters with basketball players and other athletes coming and going. The transfer portal and influence of NIL money can change rosters on a dime.

Minnesota will have two returning starters, Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr., from the 2023-2024 team that finished 9-11 in Big Ten regular season games and 19-15 overall. The conference record was good for ninth place in the 14-team league standings.

That was a major improvement over Johnson’s first two seasons when his teams had consecutive last place conference finishes and a combined 6-33 league record. That prompted public criticism of Johnson during his first experience as a head coach after being a career assistant college coach at Minnesota and elsewhere.

“We made great, great strides,” Coyle said during an interview at his campus office. “I’ve talked to Ben about if we go .500 in conference play, we’re going to be in the NCCA Tournament more times than not if you play a decent nonconference schedule.

“So, our goal is to continue to support Ben and help him take the next step. I think Ben is very excited about the roster he brought in. A lot of thanks to (program booster) Bob Klas and the people that support our NIL initiative. …Ben is in a really good spot, so we did not do a contract extension.”

The Gophers—who are bringing in eight new players including six transfers—lost three starters with remaining eligibility from last season’s team. It’s believed Pharrel Payne and Elijah Hawkins left for more lucrative NIL money. Cam Christie is pursuing the NBA Draft.

Coyle said Johnson and other coaches are in his office on a regular basis to discuss NIL. Working with the Dinkytown Athletes collective, the Athletic Department has seen a surge in money benefiting athletes from many sports since DA started almost two years ago. Coyle didn’t offer a figure as to how much money Johnson has had to work with in 2024 but an informed estimate by Sports Headliners is “north” of $1 million.

“I don’t think we know what our peers are at,” Coyle said. “You hear rumors what our peers are at but then you see them lose two or three starters, too.”

Money is a centerpiece of Johnson’s responsibilities. 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.

The Gophers averaged 8,139 in home attendance last season, ranking 12^th in the Big Ten. That was down from 9,451 the previous year.

A spokesman from the Athletic Department emailed that the Gophers made $5 million from men’s basketball this past year. The potential, he said, was to make $2 million more.

On a side topic, a visitor asked Coyle about the disruption of play by TV commercials during major college basketball games including in the Big Ten. Combined with frequent timeouts by coaches, there are almost constant stoppages of play.

Coyle, who is a member of the Division I Basketball Committee, remembered a game in 2024 where the teams played through two designated media timeouts because nothing happened to stop the game clock. A price was paid, though, when the timeouts finally came. In about a five-minute span the action on the floor consisted of a couple of free throws.

Coyle said “we need to have that conversation” about the disruption in flow of men’s college games.

Worth Noting

Christie, who played one season as a freshman for the Gophers, doesn’t turn 19 until July 24. If he is drafted later this month by an NBA team it will almost certainly be in the second round.

This what NBA.com, courtesy of RotoWire, said about the younger brother of Lakers reserve Max Christie: “Christie stands out due to his energy and shooting ability but needs to devote more time to improving on the defensive end of the court to reach his ceiling. Don’t be surprised if he starts his career in the G League. Given the similarity of traits, Christie could end up having a similar career to his brother.”

Richard Pitino, who preceded Johnson as Gophers coach, received an extension this spring that will pay him $1.2 million next season and rise to $1.4 million in 2028-2029, the last year of the contract. When Pitino started his career as Minnesota coach in 2013 his compensation was $1.2 million.

As of yesterday, Stub.com listed some tickets for more than $1200 each for the Lynx’s home game July 14 against phenom Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Don’t be surprised if the Timberwolves, Twins and Wild band together to televise their games next fall and beyond after the fallout this spring between Comcast Xfinity and Bally Sports resulted in no Twins games on local cable TV.

It was a spirited and heartfelt tribute yesterday for the late Jim Carter at 7 Vineyards and Winery in Dellwood. Nicknamed “Hurricane” while at the University of Minnesota playing football and hockey in the late 1960s, the South St. Paul native was a fierce competitor in sports, business and life. He was a dedicated friend to many people including those in recovery from addiction.

Close pal and Gopher football teammate Bob Stein was among those speaking at the celebration of life for Carter who passed away in November from cancer. Stein recalled Carter not liking a penalty call in a hockey game and storming out on to the ice with a chair in hand. A game official recognized Stein who was seated near the ice, and asked for an intervention with the 6-4, 250-pound Carter. “Are you crazy?” Stein said.

Stein, a defensive end, and Carter, a fullback, faced each other one-on-one many times in practice drills. Stein likened it yesterday to Bighorn Rams butting heads in the popular Dodge Ram TV commercials. He said after the drills both players would go back to the frat house with headaches, and then rest while needing to get ready for that evening’s party.

Stein spoke of Carter’s “humility,” interest in others and their welfare, saying it didn’t matter what a person’s stature in life was, he wanted to know about you. Emcee Dick Jonckowski recalled that several years ago Carter approached him and said he heard the Gophers baseball public address man had cancer. Carter asked Jonckowski about the financial impact on his life and he acknowledged there was uncertainty. Not long after a check from Carter arrived in the mail.

Former teammates and other friends were in attendance including ex-South St. Paul goalie Gaylen Bicking who played with Carter. He told the gathering that while efforts haven’t been successful yet, the will is there to name the South St. Paul High School football facility after the former Packers great: Ettinger Field at Jim Carter Stadium.

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Improving U Pass Offense? Unknowns Still Lingering

Posted on May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 by David Shama

Spring practice has come and gone for the Golden Gophers football team and while there is reason for cautious optimism about the upcoming 12-game 2024 season, no personnel unit on offense and defense seems so uncertain as the roster of receivers.

Not since 2019 has Minnesota had an elite passing offense. Ryan Burns pointed out on his GopherIllustrated Website last week that “Minnesota hasn’t ranked nationally higher than 122^nd in pass attempts in the last three seasons, which is how the Gophers averaged a putrid 143 passing yards a game last year.”

Part of the blame was deservedly targeted last season at quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis who is now the presumed starter at Rutgers next fall. But Gophers receivers had their issues, too, including with route running and dropped passes. In 2024 Minnesota returns second team All-Big Ten receiver Daniel Jackson but that’s not enough to clear the murky outlook for the receiver room.

In an interview with Sports Headliners, Burns was asked if the receiver roster and production could be good in 2024. “I don’t think they’re going to have a really good room. I have a lot of questions about that room,” said Burns who has an extensive fan following because of his recruiting knowledge and analysis of the Gopher football program.

Jackson was third in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 831 yards and also in touchdowns for pass catchers with eight. “There’s just so much ambiguity behind Daniel Jackson I really don’t know what to expect,” Burns said. “I think it (the room) has the potential to be better than it has been the last few years, but I would say the bar for that isn’t exactly high considering the inconsistencies we’ve seen at receiver. …”

Burns made his point while talking about specific receivers including Eiljah Spencer, a promising transfer from Charlotte a year ago, who caught only nine passes for the Gophers in 2023 while starting five games. Spencer has struggled with dropped balls but is a potential starter along with Jackson and Lemeke Brockington who has considerable potential but missed most of last season with an injury.

Kenric Lanier is a former four-star recruit going into his 2024 redshirt freshman season after playing in just one game last season. His talent reputation is intriguing as is Georgia transfer Tyler Williams, a redshirt freshman who coming out of high school was considered among the elite prep receivers in the country.

Burns looks at Williams and talks about the Gophers polishing “his clay,” noting he believes the Florida native has different skills “than anything in that receiver room.” Williams played in two games for Georgia last season before deciding to enter the transfer portal, perhaps because of an ankle injury in the spring and prospects of not receiving as much playing time next fall as desired, per Burns.

Raising hopes about an improved passing game is the addition of Minnesota’s FCS transfer quarterback from New Hampshire. “With Max Brosmer, I think a lot of the national media is sleeping on Max Brosmer,” Ryan said about the graduate student who recently was included on the Senior Bowl watch list for quarterbacks.

In seven seasons at Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck has only once had a quarterback throw for more than 15 touchdown passes, Burns said. In 2019 Tanner Morgan threw 30 when he had All-Big Ten receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman.

Burns is hoping for a “souped up Tanner Morgan” in Brosmer who was second team FCS All-American at New Hampshire last year. “Where you can be accurate, where you can be able to put the ball out on time, give your playmakers a chance to make a play, and just do that consistently. What that does for this Minnesota offense (in improvement).”

Brosmer is expected to throw more accurately than Kaliakmanis including on intermediate passes. He is also one of at least 14 anticipated new starting quarterbacks in the new 18-member Big Ten. Most of the league will be figuring out how their quarterbacks will settle in next fall, with Burns predicting if Brosmer can total 20 touchdown passes and be “under double digits in turnovers,” that will go a long way in Minnesota improving on last season’s 6-7 record including 3-6 in the Big Ten.

The anemic Minnesota passing offense produced just 16 touchdown passes in 13 games while accumulating 1,884 yards. The rush offense, usually the program’s bread and butter, was challenged by running back injuries and didn’t provide a lot more production with 2048 yards and 13 touchdowns. But the running game should be rolling in 2024 with lead back Darius Taylor and a refortified roster of quality backups for Taylor who made All-Big Ten honorable mention as a freshman.

Burns thinks the floor on next season’s record is 4-8, with the ceiling 9-3. The performances of all players and coaches, of course, will all impact outcomes and so will injuries. But Burns emphasizes (as was seen last season) without “consistent quarterback” play it’s difficult to win games.

What if Brosmer plays poorly, or is injured? Well, that’s where things become more dicey. In the spring the Gophers added Virginia Tech quarterback Dylan Wittke. He redshirted last season and didn’t see game action. He didn’t arrive here until late April so it’s difficult to assess Wittke, who was an athletic player coming out of high school in Georgia.

With more experience right now in the Gopher system than Wittke is true freshman Drake Lindsey. “Minnesota is incredibly, incredibly high on that young man after being able to work with him here this spring,” Burns said.

Lindsey, an Arkansas native, comes from a family of Razorback fans. There’s an impression here and down in Hog country the Razorbacks didn’t push hard enough to recruit the hometown quarterback. Any last minute recruiting rush, Burns said, was apparently negated by all the work and time Fleck and co-offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. had already invested on the three-star quarterback.

This spring Burns saw why Lindsey was a recruiting priority. “Drake Lindsay just looked different to me than other true freshman quarterbacks I’ve seen. He was very poised. Nothing really flustered him. Now (it’s true) he was drinking through a fire hose (learning so much). He’d make a great play one time; then the next time would not make a great play but I think his poise DNA ability to make plays is something that excites me.”

That’s good to hear because as recent history shows, the Gophers need help in a lot of places to raise the production of their passing offense.

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Unflappable Finch: Calm Voice for Frustrated Timberwolves

Posted on May 13, 2024May 13, 2024 by David Shama

It was typical Chris Finch last night at his presser following Minnesota’s 115-107 loss to Denver. There had been a roller coaster of emotions at Target Center among fans, players and coaches–including Finch’s frustrated Timberwolves—but if there were expectations for a ranting head coach, that didn’t happen.

Not too high, not too low describes the team’s three-plus years bench boss. With an inexperienced playoff team and having lost two straight to the Nuggets, that looks like the right approach and what everyone has come to expect from the steady leader who could be granted a pass for some orneriness after surgery earlier this month to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.

Finch, of course, was hardly a happy camper about his team’s performance but his demeanor fit the situation of the game and playoff series that is now tied and continues Tuesday night in Denver. Asked about his team’s postgame emotional state Finch said matter-of factly:

“They’re frustrated but they’re fine. We’re two-two. We got a three-game series (best of seven) going on. We never thought this would be a quick series. …”

Finch wasn’t at a loss for critical words in describing his team’s play Sunday night when he spoke at his news conference that was also broadcast on KFAN Radio. “These are inexcusable plays you can’t make right now,” he said about a couple of key parts of the game.

At times during the pivotal game (the Wolves led only once), Finch found fault with the offense, analyzing that his players “lost our composure a little bit, just kind of rushing things.” The coach added he didn’t like the offense’s structure and lack of ball movement.

Anthony Edwards scored a franchise playoff record 44 points, but the Wolves had a “Big 1” in their All-Star shooting guard, while the Nuggets countered with a “Big 3” of Nikola Jokic, with 35 points, Aaron Gordon, 27 and Jamal Murray, 19. The Wolves aren’t going to win the series without a “Big 2,” or “Big 3,” and expectations start with Karl-Anthony Towns whose career performances in playoff games is often MIA.

Among the NBA’s better paid players at more than $30 million this season, Towns scored 13 points last night on five of 18 shooting and two free throws. “Rushed a lot of things,” Finch said. “I thought physicality (the Nuggets) kind of got him off his spot a little bit. He kind of rushed it.”

The 28-year-old veteran falls into lapses where he makes too many physical and mental errors including unnecessary fouls, careless passes, ill-advised shots and bulldozing to the basket. Tomorrow night the Wolves will need performances from KAT like his contributions in Minnesota’s May 4 and 6 wins in Denver: 20 and 27 points.

Maybe for focus and calm KAT can channel his inner-Finch.

Worth Noting

Nuggets coach Michael Malone at his presser last night: “…We have to go home and protect our home court. We can’t allow them to get a third win at Ball Arena. That’s a message to our fans to come out and make that place an absolute zoo come whatever night we’re playing. I don’t even know what day it is anymore. Good win for us, but we got a long way to go.”

The Wolves only led once in the game, allowing the Nuggets to often silence the raucous sold-out crowd of 19,583 that was potentially ready to explode with every positive move by their hometown favorites.

Celebrities at the game included Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and Twins star Royce Lewis.

Word is a prominent national company that was a Wolves Target Center suite purchaser during the season turned down the opportunity to rent space for $29,000.00 at last Friday night’s Game 3 between Minnesota and Denver.

The Wolves had over 160 reservations for media space for last night’s game.

Dr. Sheldon Burns has been with the Wolves since their inception, now celebrating 35 years as a team physician. “Third employee hired,” he told Sports Headliners.

ESPN.com reports this afternoon former Golden Gopher Antoine Winfield Jr., a former second round draft choice, has reached agreement with the Bucs on a deal making him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. The deal is four years, $84.1 million.

The Twins, who have won 17 of their last 20 games, will start right-handed pitcher Chris Paddack tomorrow night at Target Field in the opener of a three-game series against the Yankees. Paddack, 4-1 with a 4.34 ERA, opposes Yankee left-hander Carlos Rodon, 3-2 with a 3.56 ERA.

Paddack is trying to extend his career-high four-game win streak. In his last four starts he has a 1.93 ERA, giving up three walks, 28 strikeouts and two home runs. He is tied for first with Ronel Blanco, Tarik Skubal and Cole Irvin for the longest active win streak in the American League.

Sam Vecenie’s NBA mock draft yesterday for The Athletic has Golden Gophers’ freshman guard Cam Christie going to the Trail Blazers at No. 34 in the second round. That might surprise Gopher fans, but the smooth shooting and athletic Christie is a solid prospect in a very average NBA Draft. If an NBA team chose to, they could offer Christie guaranteed money—something second rounders don’t automatically receive.

Vecenie projects the Wolves taking Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis at No. 27 in the first round and Connecticut guard Cam Spencer at No. 37 in the second.

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