Preps – Page 123 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

NFF to Honor Legendary ’63 Johnnies

Posted on April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 by David Shama

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will honor the 1963 St. John’s football team with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team award on Sunday, April 28 at the University of St. Thomas. As part of its annual awards event, the chapter will recognize the John Gagliardi coached team that defeated Prairie View A&M to win the NAIA national championship.

Although A&M had 11 players who later generated professional football interest, the homegrown Johnnies won the game, 33-27. Of the 34 players on the Johnnies’ roster, 12 were from a 14-mile radius of Collegeville, Minnesota and 26 were from an 80-mile radius of campus.

The Johnnies, who were 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the MIAC, were a highly productive team that outscored opponents 298-45. The Johnnies’ defense limited other teams to 12.8 yards rushing per game. The offense averaged 37.3 points a game.

Among the other awards at the April 28 event will be recognition of Brainerd High School football coach Ron Stolski who will be given the John Gagliardi Minnesota Football Legacy Award. Stolski is the winningest Class 5A coach in state prep history. He has been coaching in Minnesota high schools since 1962 and took over as Brainerd head coach in 1974.

The awards event is open to the public. For more information visit nffmn.org.

Logan Connors is listed as a sophomore quarterback on the Gophers’ spring football roster but as of Monday had not participated in the team’s first three practices. He is a walk-on from Corvallis, Montana who is on a track scholarship at Minnesota, and awhile ago he asked football coach Jerry Kill to be part of his program.

Connors, who throws the javelin, placed fourth in a meet last month. He was the top junior college javelin prospect in the country last year at Diablo Valley College in California. He was the Montana state high school javelin champion in 2011 and passed for 2,000 yards during his senior year as a quarterback.

Connors’ tweets last month included this: “Man, I hate the Badgers.”

The Gophers have a practice scheduled tomorrow starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Saturday’s practice at TCF Bank Stadium is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Both sessions are open to the public.

Kill was impressed with the physical progress of his team before spring practice started last week. Off-season training has been successful and Kill talked about the work of head strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein. “I think coach Klein said 95 percent of our young people improved in the strength, speed, quickness, vertical jump,” Kill said.

Ra’Shede Hageman, the 6-6, 311-pound defensive lineman who might be an early round NFL draft choice next year following his senior season at Minnesota, was the first player Kill mentioned when he gave examples of weight lifting. “…He benched 465 pounds which is awfully strong. Squatted over 500 pounds…36, 37-inch vertical jump. So he made some great strides in the off-season.”

The Gophers’ baseball team plays its first game ever at the new Siebert Field on Friday starting at 3 p.m. against Ohio State. Coach John Anderson, who hosted dignitaries and the public at a grand opening yesterday, said season tickets are available to watch the Gophers outside in their new ballpark.

Twins’ rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks struck out three times in five at bats in his major league debut Monday against the Tigers. Hicks totaled 112, 110 and 116 strikeouts the last three seasons in the minor leagues. He struck out almost 25 percent of the time during plate appearances last season at Double-A New Britain.

Twins’ reliever Casey Fien, who struck out the three Tigers he faced in the seventh inning on Monday, was originally signed to a contract with Detroit in 2006. Fien, who had a 2.06 ERA in 35 games last season with the Twins, might be one of the team’s more effective bullpen pitchers in his second season with Minnesota.

The Twins play their second game of the season today starting at 3:10 p.m. at Target Field against the Tigers. The high temperature for the day is predicted to be about 50 degrees in Minneapolis, while the forecasted high in Detroit is several degrees cooler.

When is there too much basketball? When a player like Tyus Jones finishes his high school season with a state championship at Target Center on a Saturday night, and reports for AAU tryouts the next day.

It will be interesting to see if the Apple Valley point guard can play during coming months without back problems. Jones is among the most coveted recruits in the country in the class of 2014.

A college athletics administrator who asked to remain anonymous told Sports Headliners the Gophers’ basketball coaching job has multiple pluses including the high school talent in the state. “I think you can win with Minnesota kids,” he said.

Although a new practice facility is needed and will happen, 85-year-old Williams Arena is unique in college basketball. “I really believe Williams Arena is as good at it gets,” the administrator said.

He also described the fan base as “real strong” including the 400,000 University of Minnesota alumni, many who live in the state.

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Time to Change Boys’ Tournament

Posted on March 20, 2013March 20, 2013 by David Shama

The State Boys’ Basketball Tournament is stale.

The tournament is mired in mediocrity and greeted with a certain amount of apathy each year by the public — even by those who love amateur hoops. Four classes and 32 teams ensure plenty of trophies but the commitment to mass participation doesn’t stir much excitement for some of us.

Why not combine Class 1A and 2A? Do the same with Class 3A and 4A. Two tournaments with eight teams each could be played in three days instead of the four-day format that begins today. Fewer teams, less games and more focus means a revitalized overall tournament and image with two state champions instead of four.

A slimmed down tournament offers potential for more intriguing matchups. I want to see Anders Broman — who averages 41.7 points per game on 58.1 percent shooting for his Class 1A Lakeview Christian Academy team — play against rivals from Class 2A.

How about a game between powerhouses Apple Valley and DeLaSalle? That won’t happen this year because the two schools are in separate classes, 4A and 3A.

There is something else that could be considered after creating two classes and reducing the field to 16 teams. Determine an overall state champion on the Tuesday following the two championship games on Saturday. Defenders of the status quo will scream the smaller schools can’t compete against the bigger schools but let’s find out. Coaches and players — regardless of where they are from — are competitors and want to test themselves. Schools should welcome the challenge.

If the game results are too lopsided after a three year trial run, try something different. For example, have a tournament with 16 total teams from schools with all sizes of enrollment. Then seed those teams in two different but equal groups, and start play on a Thursday. By Saturday night two teams from each group are playing in a Minnesota prep version of the Final Four, with winners advancing to the state championship game on Tuesday night.

I know others have ideas about tournament changes but the point is the boys’ state tournament needs a shakeup. The crowds are small and there is nowhere near the anticipation about the tournament as was true years ago when it had only eight teams and was the highlight on the sports calendar for many Minnesotans.

The tournament today is mostly for inside followers like parents, students and teachers. It should be that but the tourney also belongs to the greater public including passionate fans who want to see some flexibility and creativity in the format. And the byproduct could be more young kids interested in playing basketball.

A matchup like Apple Valley, 28-1, against DeLaSalle, 27-1, is the kind of attraction we’re missing out on. Although the Islanders are in Class 3A, they just might be the best team in the state but we won’t find out. A matchup between the teams would include two of the most talked about junior players in the state, Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones and DeLaSalle forward Reid Travis.

Another outcome that won’t happen is seeing Grand Rapids from Class 3A play against a Class 4A team. The Thunderhawks are led by sophomore forward Alex Illikainen who averages 27 points and 15.2 rebounds per game. It would be fun to see Illikainen — a player who has been compared to Kevin McHale — be on the floor against Edina senior center Reggie Lynch who holds the school record for blocked shots averaging six per game.

And what about those start times for the No. 1 seeds? No. 1 Apple Valley plays Brainerd today at 10 a.m. at Target Center. No. 1 DeLaSalle opens against Sartell-St. Stephen at the same time. Why not play those games closer to the noon hour or end of the day to afford more fans the opportunity to leave the office and catch some hoops. Better yet start the tournament with the most attractive teams playing at night.

Worth Noting

The only player in the tournament who has a Big Ten scholarship for next fall is Edina senior guard Graham Woodward. The school’s all-time leading scorer averaged 26.3 points per game this season and is headed to Penn State.

Woodward wasn’t recruited by the Gophers who probably will have only one scholarship Minnesotan on the roster next season, junior Joe Coleman. The Gophers’ two recruits for next fall are both from Chicago.

In six seasons at Minnesota coach Tubby Smith has yet to sign a player from outstate Minnesota to a scholarship. The big miss was former St. Cloud Tech guard Nate Wolters, now the Summit League Player of the Year who has helped South Dakota State to two NCAA Tournaments including a tourney game tomorrow against Michigan. Wolters’ outside shooting is just what the erratic shooting Gophers could have used this season to win more games.

Smith has expressed disappointment with his team’s inside defense that could have been helped by either of two former Minnesota high school players who are on NCAA Tournament teams. Ex-Roseville center Mike Muscala is the Patriot League Player of the Year for Bucknell after leading the conference in blocked shots, rebounding and scoring. Wisconsin center Jared Berggren, the Princeton High alum, led the Big Ten in blocked shots.

CBS basketball authorities Greg Anthony, Seth Davis and Doug Gottlieb have No. 1 tournament seed Louisville advancing to the Final Four. Anthony’s picks: Louisville, Georgetown, Gonzaga and Miami. Davis: Louisville, Kansas, Miami and New Mexico. Gottlieb: Louisville, Florida, Indiana and New Mexico.

Strangest pick: ESPN’s Dick Vitale predicting the Gophers are a sleeper team for the Final Four.

Anders Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy, Riley Dearring, Minnetonka, Quinton Hooker, Park Center, Aaron Lien, Moorhead, and Graham Woodward, Edina, are the five finalists for the Mr. Basketball award with the winner to be announced after the state tournament. Broman, Hooker and Woodward are playing in the tourney.

At the request of Sports Headliners, Mr. Basketball president Ken Lien provided his rankings of the best prep boys’ teams in 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. His top eight in big school 4A are Apple Valley, Park Center, Edina, Osseo, Lakeville North, Hopkins, Eden Prairie and Brainerd.

DeLaSalle is No. 1 in 3A followed by Austin, St. Paul Johnson, Marshall, Blake, Delano, Waconia and Grand Rapids.

The top eight in 2A are Minnehaha Academy, Litchfield, Perham, Redwood Valley, Byron, Annandale, Hayfield and Esko.

Upsala is No. 1 in 1A followed by Maranatha Christian Academy, Southwest Christian, Rushford-Peterson, Lakeview Christian Academy, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, Mountain Lake and Battle Lake.

Former Vikings’ quarterback Donovan McNabb will be part of the talent on the new NBC Sports Radio network that begins on April 1. McNabb will team with another former NFL quarterback, Mark Malone, to host a Monday-Friday four hour program from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Minnesota time.

Greg Jennings, the former Packer wide receiver signed by the Vikings last week, made a big impression with team insiders with his positive demeanor.

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ESPN Analyst: U Not Clearing ‘Hurdle’

Posted on January 28, 2013January 28, 2013 by David Shama

ESPN college basketball analyst Dan Dakich told Sports Headliners the slumping Gophers can’t give up on their season but they need to elevate their play against the Big Ten’s best teams.

“You get to a point when making a move from (being) a good team to an upper echelon team, that you gotta expect to win,” Dakich said. “I think that’s the big hurdle for Minnesota to get over. Minnesota has certainly had its chances.”

In the last two weeks the Gophers have lost four consecutive Big Ten games after starting the conference schedule 3-0. Three defeats have been against some of the league’s best teams: Indiana and Michigan, both 6-1, and 5-2 Wisconsin.

How do the Gophers start winning games against the league’s better teams? Dakich said coach Tubby Smith’s team needs to continue “situation work” in practice. That means tasks such as simulating close games in the last few minutes.

With four losses in the first seven games, Dakich believes the Gophers are now an unlikely contender for the league title. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have an extraordinary season including a high finish in the standings and memorable NCAA tournament performance.

“They have enough ability, and (also) leadership from older guys,” said Dakich, a former Indiana Hoosier and head coach at Bowling Green.

Minnesota plays four of its next five games at home after just finishing a portion of the schedule that had the Gophers on the road for four of five games. Nebraska, 2-6, is at Williams Arena to play the Gophers tomorrow night.

Worth Noting

Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners his staff may now have been together longer than any other group in major college football coaching. Kill has the same core of assistants he hired after taking the Gophers job in late 2010.

Many assistants, including offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, also worked for Kill at Northern Illinois where he was head coach from 2008-2010. Limegrover and Claeys have worked for Kill since the 1990s.

The longevity of Kill’s staff is impressive in the job-fragile world of head and assistant coaches. It’s not uncommon for head coaches to be dismissed within a couple of years. And dissatisfied head coaches—under extreme pressure to win now—routinely shake up their coaching staffs, including coordinators.

There were 30 FBS head coaching changes made in recent months, according to a January 7 listing by ESPN.com. But the loyalty between Kill and his assistants, and their longevity together, is a signature difference for Gophers’ football. The stability sends a message to potential recruits that it’s likely they will play for the same coaches throughout their careers. Players already in the program benefit from the continuity of not having to learn new systems and adjust to different personalities.

Gophers’ basketball coach Tubby Smith’s name has been rumored with the USC opening after the Trojans dismissed Kevin O’Neill earlier this month. Shaka Smart and Flip Saunders are names that keep coming up if the Gophers basketball job were to open. Smart, the VCU coach who worked for Gophers’ athletic director Norwood Teague when Teague was at that school, has a Midwest connection having lived in Wisconsin.

Saunders, the former Gophers guard, lives in suburban Minneapolis and is thought to be interested in coaching again after being with three NBA clubs including the Timberwolves. Although Saunders hasn’t coached collegiately since the 1980s, he would be a popular choice with Gophers’ basketball alums and donors.

Saunders was fired by the Wizards on January 24, 2012 with a 2-15 record. Today the Wizards have won 11 games so far this season, tied with the Bobcats for the fewest wins in the NBA.

College basketball needs to adopt the NBA approach of discouraging fouls called on offensive players when defenders flop. Bo Ryan’s Badgers use flopping theatrics as displayed in the last minute of Saturday’s Minnesota game in Madison when Gophers’ point guard Andre Hollins was called for charging when he made minimal contact with a Wisconsin defender.

At Sports Headliners’ request, prep basketball authority Ken Lien sent his rankings of state boys’ teams listed below.

Class 4A: Park Center, Apple Valley, Hopkins, Osseo, Minnetonka, Lakeville North, Roseville, Eden Prairie.

Class 3A: DeLaSalle, Austin, Delano, Waconia, Grand Rapids, Blake, Holy Angels, Hemantown.

Class 2A: Melrose, Hawley, Byron, St. Peter, Pelican Rapids, Litchfield, St. Cloud Cathedral, Hayfield.

Class 1A: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Upsala, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Heritage Christian, Maranatha, Rushford-Peterson, West Lutheran, Browerville.

Lien e-mailed that Osseo’s Bridge Tusler, who had been interested in Northern Iowa, has committed to South Dakota State. He helped lead Osseo to the Class 4A state title last March.

Tyus Jones continues to have a bothersome back. The Apple Valley junior point guard is noncommittal about his college choice but it wouldn’t be surprising if a decision comes before next fall.

Word is national football power USC is very interested in DeLaSalle junior quarterback Reid Travis. He is also highly recruited in basketball.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr., the local newspaper and radio personality, is covering his 35^th Super Bowl in New Orleans this week.

Meaningless statistic for 2013 Super Bowl: the 49ers are 5-0 in previous games.

Ravens’ assistant head coach Jerry Rosburg was the secondary coach for the Gophers in 1996 under head coach Jim Wacker.

The Vikings had seven players selected for yesterday’s Pro Bowl including tight end Kyle Rudolph who won the MVP award playing for the victorious NFC team. Rudolph, Matt Kalil, and Blair Walsh are all 23 years old. The other Vikings selected were Jared Allen, 30; Jerome Felton, 26; Chad Greenway, 30; and Adrian Peterson, 27.

TwinsFest, the three day fan festival that ended yesterday, boosts the Twins’ image and showcases the personalities of the players. The roster has a lot of nice guys, from 2012 newcomers Scott Diamond and Josh Willingham to veterans Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

The Twins go to spring training next month with Morneau in the last year of his contract. At 31 and with a history of injuries, don’t expect to hear much about contract extensions for awhile.

The Twins will keep the advertising revenue on new radio home KTWN, 96.3 FM. The station has the same ownership as the Twins. The hope is that Twins broadcasts will improve KTWN’s minimal ratings, and FM broadcasts will provide a clear sound.

If the Twins are in contention for the AL Central title late in the season, that could drive attendance to near 3 million at Target Field. With a last place division team in 2012, the Twins drew 2,776,354, according to MLB attendance figures from ESPN.com. That was 12^th best among 30 franchises but poor performance on the field is reducing ticket buying interest including for season tickets.

Former reliever Eddie Guardado and ex-public relations director Tom Mee will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony on June 14 at Target Field.

The MIAC had a record number of fall academic all-conference selections. The 329 total exceeded the 305 in 2009 and 2010.

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