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U Not Alone in Big Ten Rosters Shuffle

Posted on April 14, 2021 by David Shama

University of Minnesota basketball fans are alarmed to see eight players with remaining eligibility announce this winter and spring they won’t return for next season. While Minnesota’s total is worthy of headlines, other Big Ten schools have rosters in limbo, too.

Watching underclassmen opt for the NBA has for a long time changed the status of offseason rosters. More recently the NCAA has made it easier to transfer from one school to another, with this year even college seniors granted another season of eligibility. The transfer portal for men’s basketball has over 1,200 players interested in leaving their programs.

Alex Bozich, from Insidethehall.com, summarized the status of Big Ten rosters in a story Monday. He presented a long list of players who either could be or are in transition at the 14 Big Ten programs, including defending champion Michigan where stars Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner are undecided about the NBA. At Wisconsin Nate Reuvers, from Lakeville North, is in the transfer portal, while Brad Davison, from Maple Grove, is undecided about a return to Madison.

Bozich reports the Gophers, along with Penn State having seven players leaving that program, lead the conference in roster departures. Both Minnesota and Penn State have new coaches in Ben Johnson and Micah Shrewsberry. And that offers insight about the upheaval at their schools.

At Minnesota Johnson isn’t retaining the assistant coaches of his predecessor, Richard Pitino. Assistant coaches are counselors and mentors to players, establishing strong bonds with them. Gophers from last season’s roster are moving on for various reasons including the likelihood of more playing time elsewhere, but not knowing the new coaches has to factor in, too.

Johnson should hire the assistants he wants just weeks into his first experience as a head coach. However, his roster development is being scrutinized as it should, and he only has two noteworthy players apparently returning from last season’s roster, guard Both Gach and forward Brandon Johnson. At Monday’s news conference he said the two have been “awesome from day one,” but he didn’t say with certainty they will be on the team in the fall.

Pitino’s recruiting for the freshman class of 2021 was set earlier this year with signings by centers Treyton Thompson (Alexandria, Minnesota) and Kenny Pohto (Sweden), but Johnson said Pohto’s status is now uncertain. Thompson is part of a developing roster that includes four transfers Johnson reportedly has commitments from.

Those four are Jamison Battle (George Washington); Luke Loewe (William & Mary); E.J. Stephens (Lafayette); and Sean Sutherlin (New Hampshire). Neither the players nor their former schools rouses the Gopher fan base, but their arrival may well indicate the program’s future.

Johnson’s vision for his program is to emphasize player development. His hiring of assistant coaches Jason Kemp and Dave Thorson is consistent with that goal. Both earned reputations at other schools as talented basketball instructors and mentors.

Kemp, most recently at William & Mary, has almost 15 years of assistant coaching experience. He is a native of Madison, Wisconsin and his coaching stops include Midwest assignments at North Dakota State and Minnesota State. He coached Wisconsin native and Gopher transfer Loewe at William & Mary. “There will be a lot of other new faces (coming to the roster),” Kemp said.

Thorson could have the most coaching influence on how the Gophers play defense. That’s been a Thorson specialty at his college assistant coaching assignments and before then as head coach at DeLaSalle where his teams won a record nine state titles. He left Colorado State to rejoin Johnson who played for him at DeLaSalle. Thorson has been following Johnson since he was a seventh grader and praises his former player’s character. “I have so much respect for him as a human being,” Thorson said.

While these are unsettling times for Gophers basketball and even the community, Thorson said Johnson’s “greatest strength” is his ability to address adversity. “He’s the right leader for Minnesota at this time,” Thorson said.

Worth Noting

Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor is in a 30-day window to finish up negotiations with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to sell his franchises. Taylor told Sports Headliners things look pretty much settled. “We haven’t really left very much to do that we would argue about,” he said.

With the deal expected to go through, Lore and Rodriguez will come in as limited partners for two years before having complete control. During the two years Lore and Rodriguez will have the same access to information as Taylor, and input on decisions. As a member of the NBA Board of Governors, Taylor will continue to make decisions on behalf of the Timberwolves.

Taylor has already vetted ecommerce mogul Lore and baseball great turned businessman Rodriguez. Before any ownership agreement is finalized the NBA will also provide a thorough vetting.

Taylor talking about fired coach Ryan Saunders and possibly a future role with the Timberwolves organization: “I think it’s a lot more likely that we will help him get a job with another team.”

On Monday the Minnesota Twins were No. 4 in MLB.com’s first power rankings of the regular season, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees.

Winning both games of a double header is chancy, but it will be interesting to see how the Twins do today and tonight with their two best starters facing the Boston Red Sox. Kenta Maeda, 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA, starts the first game, with Jose Berrios, 2-0 and 1.54, pitching the second.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talking about Xavier Woods, a newly acquired free agent safety and former Dallas Cowboy: “I like bringing guys when other people say they’re probably not good enough somewhere else.”

The Minnesota Football Showcase (the state’s annual prep all-star game) will be played Saturday, June 26 at US Bank Stadium. North and South rosters include 16 all-state players. Ten players are headed for Division I-AA (FCS) programs but none to Division I (FBS). The last 10 years (including 2021) the schools with the most player participation are Totino-Grace with 20, Lakeville North and Mankato West at 16 each, and Eden Prairie, 13.

No word from the football Gophers on open practices for the public, or the annual spring game.

ESPN’s college football power index out this week has Alabama No. 1 in the country, with Minnesota Big Ten West rivals Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern and Nebraska all higher ranked than the Gophers at No. 49. ESPN gives Minnesota a 3.1 percent chance to win the Big Ten West.

New University of St. Thomas hockey coach Rico Blasi comes from Miami (Ohio) where he was hired by Joel Maturi, the athletic director at Miami before he took over as AD at Minnesota. Tommies AD Phil Esten worked for Maturi at Minnesota and they are long time friends.

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U Leaves Spot for Power Forward

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by David Shama

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Ben Johnson has commitments from three transfers so far but interestingly none play the power forward position occupied last season by Brandon Johnson. It’s possible that spot could be filled next season by a state native, with Minnesotans Chet Holmgren, Race Thompson, Nate Reuvers and Dawson Garcia attracting speculation.

College basketball is a fluid landscape like never before with players and coaches frequently changing addresses. It’s evident Holmgren and his father David Holmgren didn’t want to make a commitment last fall during the signing period for high school players. They decided to see who is coming and going this spring, but soon the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2021 will have to choose either a college or an opportunity in the NBA’s development league following Chet’s superlative career at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. (It’s interesting that ongoing internet articles have Chet choosing Gonzaga but offer no definitive sources.)

Ben Johnson is trying to make Chet a Gopher, a task perhaps made easier with his dad being a U alum. Chet is a gifted two-way player who Johnson could offer to build his offense and defense around. At 7-feet, but only about 200 pounds, Holmgren needs physical support from a big center. If center Liam Robbins remains with the Gophers he could be a bargaining chip for Johnson in the recruitment of Holmgren, but Robbins entered the transfer portal as of yesterday.

Coach Johnson could help his team by convincing Robbins to stay, although the Iowa native’s future might be tied to his uncle Ed Conroy, an assistant last season under Richard Pitino but probably moving on to another job. Robbins, a 7-foot, 235-pound transfer last year from Drake, is one of the Big Ten’s better centers after three seasons of college experience. Robbins could lessen the stress and pounding on Holmgren from opponents by using his size and strength, while helping with rebounding, shot blocking and scoring. A versatile scorer, Robbins can move outside the lane on occasion and allow others to post up.

Robbins can be a selling point for any power forward of prominence who might be considering the Gophers. Thompson, who played at Armstrong before becoming an Indiana Hoosier, was one of the Big Ten’s most improved players last winter as a redshirt junior but is now in the transfer portal. He was eighth in the conference in blocked shots at 1.3 per game, and averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. It’s believed he is interested in the Gophers.

While Thompson improved, Reuvers regressed during his senior season at Wisconsin (the NCAA is granting an extra year of eligibility to college seniors in 2021-2022 because of the pandemic). The Lakeville North alum led Wisconsin in scoring as a junior and made third team All-Big Ten on the Badgers’ conference title team. His 6-foot-11 size and shot blocking, combined with Robbins, would give the Gophers a dynamo pair on defense. A business major, Reuvers could position his name with Fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis-St. Paul if he is invited to come home.

Garcia, a five-star recruit at Prior Lake, almost chose the Gophers before committing to Marquette in the fall of 2019. While Garcia hasn’t entered the transfer portal, there are rumors he might leave Milwaukee. The 6-foot-11 former McDonald’s All-American made the Big East All-Freshman team last season. He started all 26 games for Marquette, averaging 6.7 rebounds and 13.2 points.

Brandon Johnson, a senior transfer from Western Michigan last season, was Minnesota’s starting power in 2020-2021 and it’s not clear whether he will return. He averaged 8.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. As a reserve next season, his experience and leadership would be a major asset.

Worth Noting

Anticipate an announcement soon that Rochester, Minnesota native and Duke forward Matthew Hurt will be declaring for the NBA Draft and not returning for his junior season with the Blue Devils.

Sources expect former DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson, now an assistant at Colorado State, to be named one of Johnson’s assistant coaches.

The NCAA champion Baylor roster includes power forward Dain Dainja from Park Center who didn’t play in 2021 while redshirting as a freshman.

Gonzaga freshman point guard Jalen Suggs, from Minnehaha Academy, will be the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, going to the Detroit Pistons, per the mock draft from NBC Sports California. The Minnesota Timberwolves, with the No. 1 selection, will take Oklahoma State freshman guard-forward Cade Cunningham. Word of advice to the Wolves: if available, draft Suggs.

Monday’s column regarding suggestions to make MLB games move faster drew a lot of comment from readers including this from a former baseball executive: “I was in the game for a long time but simply can’t tune in for more than a few innings now because of all the pitching changes and stops in action. Even a well-known former player told me that the game had become too slow for him.”

Hopkins girls basketball legend Paige Bueckers won 2021 national Player of the Year Awards from various sources after her freshman season at Connecticut. Old-timers may compare her with “Pistol” Pete Maravich but that’s at least a little off base. Maravich, while a playmaker for the ages, was a gunner who often thought shoot first, pass second. Not sure I have ever seen the unselfish Bueckers take a bad shot.

Next Sunday, April 11, will be the 60th anniversary of the first game ever played by the Minnesota Twins. On that date the Twins, who had moved from Washington D.C. where the club was known as the Washington Senators, defeated the New York Yankees, 6-0, in Yankee Stadium.

The Twins placed outfielder Brent Rooker on the 10-day Injured List today with a cervical strain. Rooker, who was recalled from the alternate training site last Saturday, played in three games, hitting .091 with one RBI. To replace Rooker the Twins have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell from the Taxi Squad. He pitched in nine games for the Twins in spring training, going 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA.

Brusdar Graterol, the former Twins pitcher who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Kenta Maeda trade, is starting the season on the 10-day Injured List.

Twins 35-year-old third baseman Josh Donaldson, also on the 10-day Injured List, said before the season he expects to have ongoing “conversation” with manager Rocco Baldelli regarding playing time in 2021. Donaldson has a history of injuries including missing most of last season with the Twins.

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on the NFL adding a 17th regular season game that will have his team going west to play the Los Angeles Chargers: “It’s just something else they tell us to do and we do it like good soldiers.”

P.J. Fleck said the Gophers have developed a program to address racism and he wants to be “the most empathetic head coach in America.” Fleck has used speakers such as Tony Dungy and Dr. Harry Edwards to talk about race with his team. Edwards, the famous sociologist and race expert, once took Fleck and his San Francisco 49ers teammates to a California prison.

Minnesota Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov leads NHL first-season players in goals and points. He’s a major contributor to a Minnesota offense that is probably the best since the days of superstar Marian Gaborik.

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Twins Still in Win-Now Window

Posted on March 31, 2021March 31, 2021 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins open their regular season tomorrow (Thursday) in Milwaukee against the Brewers with a roster assembled to compete now and probably for a few more seasons. This is a veteran team with players that should be entering their peak years, plus a couple of bell cows in 40-year-old Nelson Cruz and 35-year-old Josh Donaldson who are trying to make Father Time slow down. There are also nine pitchers who are 30 or older.

In addition to DH Cruz and third baseman Donaldson, here’s the early season projected lineup and ages of players: Mitch Garver, catcher, 30; Miguel Sano, first base, 27; Jorge Polanco, second base, 27; Andrelton Simmons, shortstop, 32; Kyle Garlick, left field, 29; Byron Buxton, center field, 27; Max Kepler, right field, 28.

Starting pitchers look like this: José Berríos, 26; J.A. Happ, 38; Kenta Maeda, 31; Michael Pineda, 32; Matt Shoemaker, 35. In the bullpen are Jorge Alcala, 25; Alex Colomé, 32; Randy Dobnak, 26; Tyler Duffey, 30; Hansel Robles, 30; Taylor Rogers 30; Cody Stashak, 26; and Caleb Thielbar, 34.

Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners his club has the talent, depth and experience to be one of baseball’s better teams. “I wouldn’t describe us as a young team. We certainly have some young players but the core of this team has been together for a long time. …”

That core has produced consecutive AL Central Division titles, and the win-now window continues. “There’s no question the focus now is on 2021 and we think we’re well positioned to win a lot of baseball games,” St. Peter said.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

After a lengthy rebuild with youth, the Chicago White Sox emerged as a division threat to the Twins last year. The White Sox might be a more popular choice in 2021 to win the division than Minnesota. MLB.com authorities are picking the White Sox and so is Sports Illustrated, offering a prediction Minnesota makes the playoffs as a Wild Card entry with a 92-70 record. “The White Sox get a lot of hype and deservedly so with some of the offseason moves they’ve had,” St. Peter said. “The players that they’ve accumulated there, they have a lot of talent.”

Among reasons for liking the White Sox is the bullpen. MLB.com says it’s the best in baseball, with the Twins checking in at No. 10 led by Colomé and Rogers.

The White Sox have not only arrived but there is more talent coming to Chicago. Andrew Vaughn, at DH or first base, and second baseman Nick Madrigal, are early favorites for AL Rookie of the Year. MLB.com ranks the White Sox No. 9 for top farm system pitching prospects, with two other AL Central rivals even higher—the Detroit Tigers at No. 1 and Kansas City Royals No. 5.

The Twins already have an advantage over the White Sox and the long season ahead. St. Peter said his team is collectively healthier coming out of spring training than any in years, while the White Sox will play most or all of the season without injured star outfielder Eloy Jiménez.

Worth Noting

Expected starters for the three-game series in Milwaukee Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are Twins right-handers Maeda, Berríos and Pineda against Brewers righties Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Adrian Houser.

When the Twins open at home April 8 against the Seattle Mariners, the 10,000 fans allowed at Target Field will represent the largest gathering in Minnesota since March of 2020. Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to son Toby Gardenhire, who will manage the Triple-A St. Paul Saints this season.

Gardenhire, 63, retired as the Tigers manager last year. The Twins expect to dialogue with Gardenhire about a future role in the organization. “To be determined, I think would be the answer there,” St. Peter said about rejoining his franchise.

Former Pioneer Press sportswriter Gregg Wong, local book author Stew Thornley and Mayo Clinic physician Kyle Traynor are returning as the official scorers for Twins games at Target Field. They will be back in the press box after scoring games at home in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Wong remembers Kirby Puckett and his big personality as the favorite athlete he ever covered with the newspaper. Before games Puckett would enter a quiet clubhouse and start agitating teammates. “He brought life to everybody,” Wong said.

On the road Wong would go to Puckett’s hotel room and the two ordered room service and played gin rummy. “We would talk about everything except baseball,” Wong said.

Former Twins pitcher and broadcaster Bert Blyleven turns 70 next Monday. He is now a special assistant with the organization, like other Twins greats such as Rod Carew and Tony Oliva.

Brian Cosgriff, who coached Hopkins to seven girls’ state titles in 21 years before retiring last year, is planning a return to coaching while sorting out options. “I definitely missed it,” the 60-year-old Cosgriff said.

Part of the appeal is to reunite with brother Barry Cosgriff who assisted him at Hopkins. “He’s the best assistant in the state,” Brian said.

The overhyped Big Ten not only didn’t place a team in the 2021 men’s Final Four but also has only one NCAA Tournament champion in the last 30 years, Michigan State in 2000.

Wishing the best for New York Times best selling author and former Gophers golfer Harvey Mackay while he continues his recovery from COVID-19. Mackay’s latest book came out in January, “Getting a Job is a Job.”

Gophers hockey forward and captain Sammy Walker talking about his team that almost qualified for the Frozen Four: “Especially the last couple years, we haven’t been where we want to be. I think after this year, we’re definitely taking the steps to getting back where we want to be as a program.”

With Barry Alvarez expected to soon announce his retirement as Wisconsin athletics director, it will be interesting to see if school leaders are savvy enough to let him name his successor.

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