Recruiting – Page 10 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Timberwolves Will Create High Drama in Coming Offseason

Posted on May 31, 2024 by David Shama

The Timberwolves are finished in the playoffs after losing last night to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs won the series 4-1 and embarrassed Minnesota on its home court, jumping off to a big lead in the game and winning 124-103.

That thud last night and losing the series in five games doesn’t tarnish a special year. As time expired Thursday evening, fans chanted: “Let’s go Wolves!” The shout out was in appreciation for a 56-26 regular season, No. 3 seeding in the postseason and deep playoff run.

This team produced one of the best years in franchise history dating back to 1989-1990. That success has also set up an intriguing offseason. Among the drama will be the following:

Who is going to have majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA Lynx? Arbitration and later a vote by the NBA’s owners will settle the issue. That vote will be very interesting not only because Glen Taylor has a long time relationships with the league’s other 29 owners that could favor him in the outcome. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are trying to close on a sales price of $1.5 billion for the Wolves and Lynx that was agreed to in 2021. With NBA franchises now valued at $3 billion and more, do the owners want to see a club sold for $1.5 billion? Prediction here: Taylor will emerge from the legal dispute with Lore and Rodriguez as the controlling owner.

President of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who took over as the front office basketball boss in 2022, reportedly has an opt out now in his contract. Will the architect who put the pieces together elevating the team from mediocre to championship contender want to leave? The push to bring Connelly to Minneapolis from Denver was led by Lore and Rodriquez but the opinion here is the valued decision maker will stay on working for Taylor and wanting to further build on his work.

How will ownership and Connelly approach an expensive player payroll that as constructed now will put them way over the NBA salary cap? Speculation is ownership will have to pay over $25 million in luxury tax to keep an expensive core together led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and others. Spotrac.com projects the payroll at over $190 million for next season, one of the highest figures in the league.

But if all the key players return the Wolves will be sitting on a box office and marketing bonanza with fans. Presumably they could generate revenues from varied sources to cover the luxury tax expense while driving up the value of the franchise if success duplicates or exceeds last season. Taylor, 83, has never seen his team win an NBA title and might have a “let’s go for the ring” approach this offseason.

How does this team get better? Significant improvement will come organically from a roster mostly of young players led by Anthony Edwards, 22, Jaden McDaniels, 23, and Naz Reid, 24. It requires experience to win championships and these players have big upsides on a roster that potentially has its top six guys returning.

New pieces? The Wolves need a plan that sooner or later will replace valued 36-year-old veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. Other wants should be to add more consistent and clutching scoring, ideally from a big-time veteran or prospect (possible Towns trade?), and develop a deeper bench to go along with NBA Sixth Man of the Year Reid.

Those needs will go through Connelly’s mind in a rare NBA Draft where the Wolves haven’t mortgaged away their selections. Minnesota has the No. 27 and 37 picks in next month’s draft.

In some towns just the approaching draft, free agent signings and trades would provide the offseason focus but not here there is even more anticipation about what’s next.

Roles for U Frosh Koi Perich in 2024 Might Be Multiple

Koi Perich is the face of the 2024 Golden Gophers football recruiting class. Expectations by fans are considerable for the former Esko star and consensus four-star recruit ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Minnesota by On3, 247Sports and ESPN last year. On3 ranked him as the No. 3 safety in the nation and the No. 53 overall recruit in the country.

As a senior last fall Perich played defense, offense and special teams while leading Esko to a 10-1 record. He accounted for 27 touchdowns, including five on defense.

Perich showed he could perform not only against small town Minnesota competition but also on the national stage. Playing in the All-American Bowl against some of the better prep talent in the country last January, Perich was named MVP. He had an interception, broke up two passes, made a tackle for a loss, and blocked and recovered a punt.

Perich tantalizes fan enthusiasm beyond his talent because of his loyalty to the home state school. Ohio State, a favorite to win the 2024 national championship, put a December recruiting rush on the teenager with head coach Ryan Day visiting him. He could have not only become a Buckeye but chosen to any number of other marquee programs.

That kind of “he’s one of us” feeling fuels curiosity about Perich who also excelled in basketball at Esko and won the 2022 Class A state long jump championship. Among the questions is how soon will he play for the Gophers and where?

Ryan Burns, the recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated, predicts Perich isn’t likely to start right away. “It’s not a knock on Koi’s talent. It’s a knock on him getting here in June (summer school starts Monday). If he would have been here in January, I think the likelihood of him having a much bigger role this fall would have been exponentially higher.

“It’s just so tough for—in my eyes at least—for a true freshman that comes in in the summer to really make a giant impact in the fall. It’s not unheard of to see it happen. We’ve seen guys where it happened like Antoine Winfield Jr. . …”

As of late, there’s a developing tradition of great safeties at Minnesota. Winfield was named a unanimous All-American in 2019. Tyler Nubin was honored as a first and second team All-American in 2023.

Perich has a legacy to follow and although he may not be a starting safety in 2024, Burns sees potential roles on the field including the possibility of playing nickel on passing downs. That could have the hyped freshman on the field for 200 to 300 snaps next season.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

At Esko Perich returned three punts for touchdowns and one kickoff for a score last season. Given how prolific Perich was at returning punts and kickoffs in high school, Burns would “love to see” the fan favorite have a chance at those roles with the Gophers.

“As you know, my bar for (head coach) P.J. Fleck’s return game is incredibly low,” said Burns who noted the Gophers haven’t returned a kickoff for a TD since 2017, nor taken a punt back for a score since 2018. A poor kickoff return game last year, he said, resulted in consistent bad field position and added to problems for aa challenged offense.

So, nickel back, returning punts and kickoffs, and even time at safety could be on the table for Perich. The Gophers do have to replace their starting safeties from 2023 and sooner or later that could create an opening for you-know-who.

The conclusion? No one should be shocked if Perich contributes to Minnesota’s success in 2024 with probably bigger things coming in 2025.

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Ex-Vikings GM: Team Got Best Rusher in NFL Draft

Posted on April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column.

Former Vikings GM Rick Spielman praised his former team’s aggressiveness in moving up the draft board and early players chosen. Minnesota’s first three picks were quarterback J.J. McCarthy and outside linebacker Dallas Turner, both first rounders at No. 10 and 17, and cornerback Khyree Jackson, No. 108 in the fourth round.

The Vikings, of course, are hoping they found their franchise quarterback in McCarthy. Defensively, having lost edge rushing talents Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum to free agency, and also needing help in the secondary, the Vikings may have filled significant needs for highly regarded defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

“…In Brian Flores’ defense you have to have pressure on the quarterback which can alleviate some of the pressure on the secondary—which they needed to address as well—which they did with the Oregon kid (Jackson),” Spielman said recently on CBS Sports HQ. “So I think they did a great job, especially in the first round making sure that they got the quarterback. They couldn’t come out of this draft without a quarterback, and they got a legit pass rusher who I thought was the best pass rusher coming out. That’s why I think it was an A (draft grade for Minnesota).”

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t hold back in his praise of Turner either (he was the second edge rusher drafted after the Colts selected Laiatu Latu from UCLA). O’Connell described Turner, the 6-3, 247-pound former Alabama star, as a “great fit in Flo’s defense, incredibly versatile, huge traits and skill set to be a dominant player on the edge for us.”

On the plus side, too, from this draft is the club didn’t sacrifice it’s 2025 first round pick. Speculation was GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might offer his two first round picks in 2024 and his 2025 first rounder to move up to No. 2 or 3 on the NFL Draft board, allowing Minnesota to choose North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

Here are four expectations about McCarthy:

Fans are giddy about the 21-year-old former Michigan national championship quarterback. Interest will be intense, and his summer debut will create must-see viewing for the usually “ho-hum” preseason games. There will be a clamoring for tickets to training camp to get the earliest of looks at McCarthy and demand to buy his jersey seems likely to be exceeded in sales only by that of the other J.J.— wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

McCarthy knows he landed in an ideal situation where he is surrounded by talented offensive teammates starting with Jefferson. Also important is learning from O’Connell, a QB whisperer, and his position coach Josh McCown who played 18 seasons of quarterback in the NFL. Teammates and teachers probably will make McCarthy comfortable, and likely the envy of quarterbacks drafted before him who landed in less ideal environments.

Among the many parts of the learning curve that won’t come overnight is McCarthy becoming totally in synch with his receivers. Successful NFL quarterbacks and receivers have a familiarity with one another that doesn’t happen right away. It can take a year or more for everyone to completely know the nuances of each other. How effectively and how fast McCarthy and the key receivers click, will be a key measurement in his development.

How much will McCarthy play during the regular season? O’Connell has said his rookie quarterback won’t be rushed but there is a lot of time between now and next October or November. An injury to presumed veteran starter Sam Darnold, or poor performance for too many weeks by Darnold, might send McCarthy off the bench and into the game. Remember, the NFL is a win now league.

The Timberwolves, who closed out their first-round playoff series Sunday night with a 4-0 sweep of the favored Suns, might be undervalued by oddsmakers who have made the Celtics, Nuggets and Thunder bigger favorites than Minnesota to win the NBA championship. The Wolves are going to be a “heavy lift” for any team as long as the defense remains among the best in the league (anchored by Rudy Gobert) and Anthony Edwards continues to be the premier clutch shooter in franchise history.

Meanwhile, mediation regarding franchise ownership is expected this week. It appears almost certain the contested sale of majority ownership between Glen Taylor and the Marc Lore-Alex Rodriguez two-some will later go to arbitration and eventually be resolved by NBA leadership and league owners. My guess is when the dust settles Taylor prevails—at least partially because of his successful track record with the franchise in meeting financial obligations.

Bustingbrackets.com ranks the Gophers’ Ben Johnson No. 17 in its listing this month of the 18 Big Ten men’s basketball coaches. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is No. 1 with USC’s Eric Musselman, son of former Minnesota coach Bill Musselman, ranked the fourth best coach.

Elevate the Arches is the new collective supporting St. Thomas athletics. Both Dinkytown Athletes (supports Gophers athletics) and Elevate the Arches are limited liability companies, not charitable organizations.

The football Tommies host their annual spring game Saturday starting at 12:04 p.m. in O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Admission is free. The Tommies, 7-1 in Pioneer League games last season, haven’t lost at home since 2016. They have an NCAA-leading home winning streak of 31 consecutive games.

The Twins have struggled all spring trying to develop a five-man rotation. Sonny Gray, who the Twins lost through free agency last offseason, would be the staff ace if he had been retained. With the Cardinals, he is 3-1 and has a 1.16 ERA.

Lance Lynn, Gray’s teammate with the Cardinals and another former Twins starter, is 1-0 with a 2.64 ERA. Other Twins alums and former starters off to impressive starts are the Blue Jays’ Jose Berrios, 4-1 with a 1.23 ERA, and the Pirates’ Martin Perez, 1-1 and a 2.86 ERA.

It was 30 years ago last Saturday that Twins’ starter Scott Erickson threw a no-hitter, walking four and striking out five in a 6-0 April 27, 1994, win over the Brewers. Francisco Liriano threw the last no-hitter for the club in 2011.

Each year the Twin Cities Dunkers stage a Dunkers Fund Dinner to raise money for the athletic programs at the 14 Minneapolis and St. Paul public high schools. The Fund has generated over $1 million in the last few years and this year’s members-only dinner is Thursday.

There is a silent auction to generate more funding and you don’t have to be a Dunker member to bid. Click on the attached https://bidpartner.net/dunkersfunddinner/silent-auction/ to preview auction items including a trip to watch the Gophers play UCLA in the Rose Bowl on October 12 and golf outings at Wayzata, North Oaks, Minikahda, Woodhill, Stone Ridge, Spring Hill, Bearpath, Burl Oaks, Somerset, Hazeltine and other courses.

Bloomington-based Vintage Sports Authentics’ spring auction includes memorabilia of former Twins Jim Kaat, Joe Mauer and Kirby Puckett with bidding open now. www.VSAauctions.com

Chase Brixius, the linebacker from Benilde-St. Margaret’s who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 17 state prospect for the class of 2025, is the grandson of Frank Brixius, the Academic-All-American tackle on the Gophers’ 1960 national championship team. Among Chase’s college offers, per 247, are North Dakota State and Buffalo.

I worked for the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980s and never heard a bad word then or since about legendary radio voice Al Shaver who passed away last week at age 96. Son Wally has been calling Gophers’ hockey on radio since 2001 and his son Jason Shaver is the broadcast voice of the Chicago Wolves (American Hockey League) for 13 seasons. Condolences to family and friends of Al, a gentleman and great announcer.

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Jerry Kill Healthy, Happy, Cheering for Golden Gophers

Posted on April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 by David Shama

Beloved former Golden Gophers head football coach Jerry Kill, 62, now calls Nashville home where he works on Clark Lea’s staff. His title is senior offensive advisor and chief consultant to the head coach.

Kill admirers might shorten it to “miracle worker.”

The Commodores were 0-8 in the mighty Southeastern Conference last season. That kind of record is nothing new for Vandy, a private school that has long been familiar with the bottom of the league standings.

Kill recalled that before he came to Vandy in January, Lea told him it “seems like you got a knack for helping people turn things around.”

The rest of the message: Why not come join the Commodores where offensive coordinator Tim Beck has been a Kill friend for about 40 years?

Kill was sitting on a beach in Mexico drinking margaritas when he received the phone call from Vandy. “Basically, coach (Lea) has pretty much said, hey, come in and do what you do,” Kill told Sports Headliners in a phone interview. “And he said, you know, come in and tell me what we need to do and what we need to do to get better and what we need to do to win from ground up.

“It’s really no different from what I’ve been doing my (whole) career. I just don’t have to deal with all the other problems (of a head coach). I just get to kind of help rebuild the program.”

Can things turn around at Vanderbilt where Lea is 9-27 overall? Kill believes so and he’s enthused about where he is working and living. “There’s a lot of work, catchup and so forth but I am enjoying it. I am only two and half hours (away) from my granddaughter (Emery). Nashville is a great place to live. I like country music—and still get to do a large part of what I want to do—but I can leave the office and I don’t have to carry the head coaching duties with me. That’s a good thing. In my time and where I am at in my career it’s a good thing. “

When discussing improvement at Vandy, Kill makes the point that if a coach can win at New Mexico State then success can be achieved just about any place. Before Kill was hired in late 2021, authorities referred to the Aggies as the worst college football program in the country.

The Aggies had won more than three games in a season just once since 2010 before Kill came to Las Cruces. He won a bowl game in his first season (2022, 7-6 record) and last season State’s 10 victories were the most since 1960. Among the wins was a stunning road victory at Auburn, the first win by the Aggies against an SEC team in 28 tries.

Kill credits “the kids” for the success in Las Cruces. He didn’t envision the miracle, but the players bought in and the results brought national attention to the Aggies.

Why step away? Kill said there were a lot of things, both personal and professional, involved with the decision. “You get to a certain age, you go, hey, I missed out on a lot of things, and maybe I don’t want to do that anymore (be a head coach). But it was good. I tell you what, had a great time there. We did things they will never do there again. I mean it’s too hard.

“And going up and beating Auburn and winning 10 games. Man, we did stuff they hadn’t done ever. And the rest of it since 1960. So it was fun.”

The challenge of the program, with limited resources including for Name, Image and Likeness, can wear on any coach and fatigue weighed on Kill whose history with cancer and epilepsy is well documented. “In life you know when it’s time and (I) knew it was time. I don’t regret the decision one bit. I had a great time there. Great people. Loved it there.”

Why is Kill still coaching? “That’s a good question,” he answered. “I don’t know how to do anything else. I want to prove I can do it one more time. …”

Even after all the health challenges and decades of coaching Kill hedges about ever completely divorcing himself from the profession. “I don’t know if I’ll ever completely get out of it. I’ll slow down when it’s time.

“As long as I can still be a difference being around kids, I’ll do it. There will be a time where I want to travel and do some things of that nature. …Right now, just being a part of it in a different way, I am enjoying it.”

Epilepsy forced Kill out of the Gophers job during the 2015 season after he had rebuilt the program that was in dire shape in December of 2010 when he took over. He was 2014 Big Ten Football Coach of the Year after a season that included a rare win at Michigan and a 51-14 beat down of Iowa.

Kill’s success, including taking the Gophers to their first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962, didn’t surprise Dave Mona who assisted athletic director Joel Maturi with the coaching search to replace Tim Brewster. Mona recalled asking Kill for insights about a game where his Northern Illinois team defeated Minnesota and receiving about a 25-minute answer. “This guy really gets football,” was Mona’s reaction.

Kill has learned to take better care of himself since he left Minnesota. At New Mexico State the Aggies practiced in the mornings and that was part of a strategy to deal more effectively with his workload. Yet more than anything success in handling his seizures is “getting on the right cocktail” of medicine, he said.

“I’ve only had about four seizures the last two years, maybe three years. So I’ve limited those a bunch and I think I am different. I don’t think relaxed is the right word. Maybe more self-control of what I am doing from a day-to-day basis. Then, I know if I don’t do that then I know I ‘ll have problems.”

There is a major difference in Kill’s health now compared with when he was at Minnesota. “It’s a deal where I am like 90 percent better than when I was there from a physical capacity as far as what I was battling. Yeah, I am doing really good.”

With competitive football teams and a country boy’s charm, the Kansas native was a big hit with Gophers fans. Minnesotans saw his genuineness and connected with their head coach.

Mona remembers emceeing an event in Wilmar where Kill was running late, and the audience was becoming restless. Kill arrived about 10 minutes late but had an excuse that connected to his audience. He told the crowd that on the drive he saw the blackest farm dirt he had ever seen. “He’s got them eating out of his hand (with that story),” Mona said.

Kill made and kept so many friends in Minnesota. He was close with former Gophers 1969 football captain Jim Carter who just like the coach had a “little orneriness” to him. The two talked just a few days before Carter died from cancer last November.

“He’s a guy that a lot of people don’t understand and so forth, but I will tell you there was nobody more loyal and good and took care of Jerry Kill. You know, Jim is what they call old school and that’s what I call good school. And so my heart has gone out to their family and so forth but Jim will always be a part of the old ball coach’s family. He will always be a part of me.”

Leading the Gophers was the only Power Five head coaching job Kill ever had. He loved the opportunity, the community and the people. It was beyond difficult to walk away.

“No, I never have recovered from that completely. Have I lived a great life? Heck, yes. Have I been able to do things nobody else gets a chance to do? You bet. You know, I love Minnesota. It was devastating at the time…It was tough, and it was tough on our family. It’s been tough on everybody.”

It’s been speculated that perhaps Kill should have taken a leave of absence rather than just walking away from the job because of his health. Kill said placing the program in limbo wouldn’t have been fair to the players.

“I gave every ounce I could to the program. I never cheated anybody how I work and what I do. I wasn’t going to cheat the kids… I wasn’t going to get paid money and not be there, take leave, all that. I don’t believe in that, whether it’s right or wrong. …I walked away from about $8 million (on his contract) if I remember right.”

Kill looks back at his program and knows it would have been helpful to have the state-of-art football facilities that are now part of the Athletes Village, a project he pushed for. He thinks the Gopher job is a good one and doesn’t buy into the long-held argument it’s difficult to win at Minnesota because the state high schools don’t produce a lot of Division I recruits.

“To be honest with you, I think that’s an excuse,” Kill said.

Making recruiting easier in-state, per Kill, is that the Gophers are the only Division I program and also have first class facilities. NIL is another positive and the Gophers’ success in that area is growing.

“You just gotta find a way to get it done,” Kill said about Gopher recruiting. “People will come to Minnesota. I mean, shoot, we got kids from the south that came to Minnesota, and they were all starters for us. They played well, and I think P.J. (Fleck) has done some of the same thing. And kids want to get away from home anyway. …It’s hard to keep kids in your own state for anybody.”

Kill has been critical about Fleck in the past, bothered by Fleck comments that to him didn’t validate the culture already in place at Minnesota and questioning the young coach’s relationship with players. But Kill calls that “water underneath the bridge now.”

”I’ve always cheered for the Gophers and always will,” Kill said. “Coach has done a good job. There’s no doubt about that. Minnesota has won. My personal feelings—one way or another—coach has done a good job.”

With the college football playoff field expanding to 12 teams, Kill believes the Gophers might be a contender in future years. “Do I think they could? Yeah, I do. But it comes down to recruiting and hitting that (transfer) portal right.”

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