Preps – Page 129 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Shortell Feels on ‘Different Level’

Posted on August 21, 2012August 23, 2012 by David Shama

When cramps forced quarterback MarQueis Gray to the sidelines in the Gophers opener last year against USC, true freshman Max Shortell had to enter the game in the fabled Los Angeles Coliseum. Shortell would later start two games for the Gophers.

Looking back at last year, Shortell said he realizes how inexperienced he was. If called upon to replace Gray this season he will be much more comfortable.

“Last year I was almost just trying to make it through,” he said last week. “This year I feel like I am on a whole different level.”

Shortell, who completed 26 of 54 passes while throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions, acknowledged that for a backup quarterback to watch from the sidelines in games not knowing when he will play presents a challenge.

“It’s hard the whole game to be focused (while) on the sidelines,” he said. “Coming into the game you know you’re not going to play but you have to be in every snap all week mentally. You have to be prepared to play.

“As far as staying loose on the sidelines, that’s really hard to do. Especially when it’s cold out. …It’s real tough just to be waiting.”

Gray is a senior and could be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Shortell’s playing time might be even less than last season when he participated in eight games.

“I hope I can play,” Shortell said. “I hope I can push MarQueis and step in when I need to.”

Shortell said the Gophers offense, now in its second season with a new coaching staff, is “light years” ahead of where it was in August of 2011. “We’re making plays that we just missed last year. In games we just missed plays and now out here on the practice field we’re making these plays.”

Gophers football notes and other items:

A priority for the Gophers in practice during August is special teams. Coach Jerry Kill and his staff came to Minnesota from Northern Illinois with a reputation for producing results with special teams. Minnesota won only three games last season but the recovery of a fourth quarter onside kickoff was a big play in a 22-21 win over Iowa and a fourth quarter blocked punt turned into a touchdown produced the final Gophers points in a 29-23 victory against Miami (Ohio).

Punting, kickoffs, coverages and returns receive Kill’s attention and it’s a good bet the Gophers will turn another game or two their way in 2012 with special teams. “I think you always win in the kicking game,” Kill said last week. “If you go look at NFL—at college football—the good teams gotta be good on special teams. Because you’re gonna win some games on special teams, or you gonna lose some games. And we’ve spent a heck of a lot of time on trying to win, and we’ve always been pretty good at it everywhere we’ve been. …”

Look for Kill to announce his starters for the UNLV game (August 30) in six days or so. Regardless, in certain position units like the defensive line Kill will play subs, not just starters, in game action.

Sports Illustrated’s college football issue ranks Alabama No. 1 with two Big Ten teams in the publication’s preseason top 10—No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 8 Michigan State. Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 are No. 13 Michigan, No. 19 Nebraska and No. 22 Ohio State. The magazine lists seven Heisman Trophy favorites including Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Wisconsin’s Montee Ball.

The Universityof Minnesota Alumni Association is partnering with Creative Charters to promote a fan trip to the Gophers-UNLV game in Las Vegas. The alumni association is also promoting a tailgate party before the game with a discount available for early registration. More at www.minnesotaalumni.org

Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said yesterday that backup quarterback Joe Webb looked better in his second preseason game than in the first. The coach said Webb is making progress including understanding defenses.

“Well, Joe is making strides every day,” Musgrave said. “The other night he missed on a couple throws that he would like to have back, but he did some good things for us too. He made some plays with his legs when we spread him out and got everybody out of the backfield. That is definitely one of his strengths.”

Fritz Waldvogel, the former St. Thomas star, has scored 27 touchdowns in nine games playing in the German Football League, according to www.tommiesports.com.

Gophers assistant coach Saul Smith told Sports Headliners Maurice Walker, who missed all of last season, is healthy and playing summer basketball. Smith said the Gophers need the 6-10, 289-pound Walker’s presence in the low post. “We’ll need him in Atlantis,” Smith said about the November 22 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas where the Gophers will play Duke.

Smith’s dad, Tubby Smith, starts his sixth season at Minnesota this fall. Saul said this could be the best Gophers team so far but Minnesota “will have to prove it” in the Big Ten.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that DeLaSalle forward Reid Travis, ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 31 player nationally in the prep class of 2014, has been offered a scholarship by Boston College.

Lien also reported that Cooper guard Rashad Vaughn said Baylor, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Texas are showing strong interest in recruiting him.

ESPN ranks Vaughn the No. 12 prospect in the class of 2014 while Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones is No. 2.

NBC’s coverage of the USA men’s gold medal basketball game had 12.5 million viewers, while the USA women’s title game had 10.2 million, according to NBA.com.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor left the states last week for China to participate in a mission with the Starkey Hearing Foundation.

The St. Cloud State men’s basketball team will play an exhibition game on November 2 at Michigan State. Kevin Levandoski, a 6-1 sophomore guard from Appleton, Wisconsin, is on the Huskies roster and is MSU coach Tom Izzo’s nephew. Levandoski suggested the game to Izzo, according to online reports.

About.com ranked the greatest baseball players of all time last week. Among catchers, the Twins Joe Mauer didn’t receive a mention among the top 15. Harmon Killebrew ranked No. 6 among first basemen and Jim Thome No. 10.

The Gophers volleyball team is ranked No. 16 in the country in a preseason poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. In a poll of Big Ten coaches Minnesota is picked to finish No. 4 in the league with Nebraska the title favorite.

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Class A Likely Again for Miguel Sano

Posted on August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 by David Shama

Twins phenom Miguel Sano is likely to play in Class A baseball again next season – just at a higher level. Twins farm system executive Jim Rantz told Sports Headliners the 19-year-old slugger, now with Beloit in the Midwest League, is probably headed to Fort Myers in the Florida State League.

Sano is the most publicized prospect in the Twins organization. Signed in the Dominican Republic for a reported $3.15 million bonus when he was 16, Sano is featured in the recently released movie Pelotero. He’s been ranked as the Twins top prospect and power hitter by Baseball America.

Sano leads the Midwest League in home runs at 22 and RBI with 84. He’s struggled, though, with his batting average, .254, and fielding at third base.

Rantz said the batting average is predictable because Sano is “very aggressive at the plate and still trying to learn the strike zone.” He is seeing a lot of breaking balls and changeups from pitchers.

“It’s pretty awesome with his home runs and RBI,” Rantz said. “He still has work to do defensively.”

Rantz said Sano’s Beloit teammate Eddie Rosario, among the organization’s better prospects, has made a successful transition this season from the outfield to second base. Rosario was injured in mid-June and was out of the lineup until the end of last month. He’s another promising hitter and has a .310 average, with seven home runs in 259 at bats.

Twins & Other Notes:

Max Kepler, also drafted by the Twins at age 16 three years ago, is maturing playing for Elizabethton, Rantz said. Rantz said the native of Germany has “grown into his body.” Kepler is hitting .275 with seven home runs in 145 at bats.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who was a bust as a rookie last season with the Twins hitting .226, “has made a lot of improvement with the bat” playing for AAA Rochester, Rantz said. Nishioka was playing both second base and shortstop for the Red Wings before being recalled yesterday by the Twins. Instead of media throngs from Japan following Nishioka as they did last year in Minneapolis, Rantz said one or two reporters might have followed him in Rochester.

Rantz watched Twins leading pitcher Scott Diamond in the minor leagues and said he isn’t that surprised to see Diamond’s success in his first full season of major league baseball. “He’s improved on his breaking ball and his command has been very good,” Rantz said.

New Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko, 31, will be one of the franchise’s better defenders ever if healthy. Kirilenko has three times been an all-NBA first or second team defender playing for Utah. At 6-9, with long arms and athleticism, Kirilenko is a potential stopper for a Wolves team that lacks exceptional defenders among its top players. Physical problems have kept Kirilenko from playing full seasons in recent years.

David Kahn, the Wolves president of basketball operations, talked to Sports Headliners about Kirilenko’s potential impact on defense. “I am hopeful it will be really good. We didn’t have anybody who we could really put on some of these wing players, and in our conference especially there are some really big threes. There’s (Kevin) Durant, there’s Rudy Gay. There’s several of those. (Nicolas) Batum in Portland.

“So this allows us to have a really long, athletic guy to match up with them. Not that he can necessarily stop them but I think at least with Andrei’s experience and with his characteristics we can maybe at least slow them down.”

Apple Valley junior point guard Tyus Jones now has a scholarship offer fromNorth Carolina. That gives him offers that include national powerhouses Duke, Kentucky and the Tar Heels. In the last 12 months I haven’t talked to any sources who are convinced Jones will play for the Gophers.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that Minnesota native Kyle Washington, a high school senior next season, has recent offers from Illinois, North Carolina State and Ohio State.

Brian Bobek, the Ohio State center transfer, hasn’t arrived on campus at Minnesota. He will be eligible in 2013 and have three seasons to play for the Gophers. Minnesota coach Jerry Kill recruited Bobek when Kill was head coach at Northern Illinois. “He’s a kid that grew up in Chicago and wanted to stay in the Midwest,” Kill said.

Bobek is a former Parade, Rivals and Scout high school All-American and his father played linebacker at Iowa.

The Big Ten Network sends a crew to cover all the Big Ten football programs during August. The group will be in Minneapolis on August 11 and BTN’s Gophers coverage will air beginning at 9 a.m. August 12.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf after being asked about his team expectations: “I expect to be division champs. I want to be able to fight for the division as we always do every year, and get better for years to come. That’s always been our goal. That’s been the goal since the first day I came here.”

Bethel’s Erik Smith, Saint John’s Stephen Johnson and St. Thomas’ Michael Valesano are nominees for the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Nominees are players who have made a difference for their communities in off-field activities.

Compughterratings.com’s Division III preseason rankings include three MIAC teams in the top 20: Bethel, No. 12; St. Thomas, No. 13 and Saint John’s No. 19. MIAC schools begin nonconference games on September 1 and league games start September 15.

World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, 62, asked about all the advisors used by many PGA golfers these days including sports psychologists: “…My sports psychologist is the bartender every week. They’re a lot more reliable. You know where they’re going to be.”

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Big 3 Make 2014 Prep Class Special

Posted on July 25, 2012July 25, 2012 by David Shama

Among developments about the state’s coveted Big 3 prep basketball prospects for the class of 2014 is news that DeLaSalle forward Reid Travis now has scholarship offers from USC and Penn State.

High school basketball authority Ken Lien informed Sports Headliners that Travis also has offers from the Gophers, Iowa State, Colorado, Northwestern and Washington State. “He’s very athletic, a good shot blocker and can shoot the ball well,” Lien said. “He hasn’t given a verbal commitment to anyone.”

Nor have the other two members of the Big 3, Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones and Cooper forward Rashad Vaughn. The three are being recruited by a who’s who of college basketball programs including Michigan State, a school often drawing speculation about being at the top of Jones’ list.

The Spartans’ interest doesn’t stop with Jones. “I know Michigan State has looked at Vaughn quite a bit,” Lien said.

Lien, who operates the Mr. Basketball program that each year honors a Minnesota senior, said the class of 2014 has to compare with the best in state history for star power. That means the Gophers recruiters, who are in pursuit of Jones, Travis and Vaughn, are on the spot.

“There’s a chance they (the Gophers) might get all three, and there’s also the chance they may not get any of them,” Lien said.

Meanwhile, Minnetonka’s Riley Dearring, a player that Lien will be following for the 2013 Mr. Basketball award, has committed to Wisconsin. He’s an off-guard who doesn’t fit the defense-first stereotype fans have about Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

“His (Dearring’s) strengths are more offensive than defensive, but that’s typical of a lot of kids coming out of high school,” Lien said.

Lien said Edina point guard Graham Woodward, a senior next season, has an offer from Vermont. He also said Minnesota native Kyle Washington, a senior in 2013 who is deciding on where to play his last season of prep basketball, has a lot of potential and is interested in the Gophers.

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