Recruiting – Page 102 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on May 16, 2012May 16, 2012 by David Shama

Saunders coached the Wolves to the 2004 Western Conference Finals. He also coached the Pistons to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. He had an NBA worst 2-15 record when the Wizards fired him last January. “One thing the NBA will do is bring you humility,” he said.

There are no Gophers recruits or Minnesota natives among Rivals.com’s top 150 high school basketball seniors. Listed from Wisconsin and Iowa are No. 13 Sam Dekker, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (college choice: Wisconsin); No. 34 Marcus Paige, Marion, Iowa (North Carolina); No. 45 J.P. Tokoto, Menomonee, Wisconsin (North Carolina); No. 50 Adam Woodbury, Sioux City, Iowa (Iowa); No. 100 Mike Gesell, Sioux City, Iowa (Iowa); No. 118 Phillip Nolan, Milwaukee (Connecticut); and No. 135 Kale Abrahmson, West De Moines, Iowa (Northwestern).

The Gophers are ranked No. 25 in ESPN.com’s preseason top 25 for college basketball teams. Andy Katz predicts the Gophers can be a contender for a “top-four finish in the Big Ten.”

The Gophers play at Florida State on November 27 in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Big Ten looks like a basketball (not football) league in 2012-13. Katz has Indiana No. 1 in the country with No. 5 Michigan, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan State also in his top 10. Meanwhile Sports Illustrated’s online post-spring practice national top 10 lists only two Big Ten football teams, Wisconsin at No. 6 and Michigan State, No. 10.

Third baseman Danny Valencia, demoted by the Twins to Class AAA Rochester last week, is hitting .125 in 16 at bats for the Red Wings.

The Twins play only their fifth game of the season against a Central Division team when they meet the Tigers in Detroit tonight. The Twins, who lost a two-game series to the Indians on Monday and Tuesday, are playing back-to-back series against Central Division teams for the first time this season. Minnesota plays about 50 percent of its remaining 2012 games against division teams.

Vikings All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson talking about wanting to be the best: “It’s just the way I’m wired. I’ve been this way since I was young, since I started playing this game at age seven. I always wanted to be the best at whatever I did, whether it was sprints, lifting, whatever.”

The Tapemark Charity Pro-Am, known as the longest running charity golf event in the Upper Midwest, announced a new Women’s Pro-Am and Women’s Professional Championship earlier this year. The women’s golf will be June 5 and 10, while the annual men’s Pro-Am will take place June 8-10. www.tapemarkgolf.org

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Worth Noting

Posted on May 2, 2012May 2, 2012 by David Shama

In recent espn.com power rankings for MLB, the NBA, NFL and NHL, the Twins are No. 30, the Wolves No. 22, the Vikings No. 31 and the Wild No. 25 in their respective listings. The NFL has 32 teams, the others 30 each.

The Vikings roster lists 11 rookies and nine other players who could be in their first NFL seasons if they make the 2012 team. The roster has 19 players beginning their second NFL seasons, six starting the third year and eight in the fourth. There are also six fifth year players, four sixth year, four seventh year, two eighth year, three ninth year and one player each heading into 10, 12, 14 and 16 years of NFL experience.

Vikings players are participating in their offseason conditioning program today, and on Friday the team opens its Rookie Minicamp.

The Gophers MarQueis Gray, a senior, may earn Big Ten post-season recognition this fall but he’s one of nine returning starting quarterbacks in the conference so he will have a lot of experienced competition.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien, who is also the Mr. Basketball chair, emailed that Lakeview Christian Academy junior guard Anders Broman has received scholarship offers from several schools including Holy Cross and Ohio.

Royce White is preparing for the NBA draft in Ames, Iowa and still attending classes at Iowa State, according to his grandfather Frank White. The younger White is lifting weights, doing yoga and receiving instruction from Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, the former Timberwolves guard and executive.

Frank coordinates the Twins Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program that is part of Major League Baseball’s international RBI organization. White said Target Field will host the RBI’s World Series on Sunday, August 5 with boys’ championships being decided in ages 13-15 and 16-18. The latter championship will be televised on the MLB Network.

The ninth annual Harmon Killebrew Classic, a two-day event June 27-28, will benefit the Twins Community Fund and Miracle League of Minnesota. Former Killebrew teammates Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and Frank Quilici are involved. A dinner and auction will be held inside Target Field beginning at 6 p.m. on June 27. A celebrity golf tournament at the Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake will take place June 28. The public can find more information at www.harmonkillebrewfoundation.org.

Bill “Moose” Skowron, who played on the great Yankees teams of the Mickey Mantle era, died last week at age 81. He was a former resident of Austin, Minnesota.

The Timberwolves Luke Ridnour is one of six finalists for the NBA Sportsmanship Award. A vote by NBA players will determine which player they believe displays the best on-court sportsmanship.

Canterbury Park, whose live racing season opens on May 18, will be busy Saturday with Kentucky Derby wagering. Races from Churchill Downs begin at 9:30 a.m. Minneapolis time and lead up to the Derby at 5:24 p.m.

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Worth Noting

Posted on April 13, 2012April 13, 2012 by David Shama

Smalley will be among the substitute analysts for Bert Blyeven on Twins telecasts this season. Smalley’s first assignment will be the series here against the Royals April 27-29. Then he will work road games in Anaheim and Seattle.

Josh Willingham, who has four home runs in six games, has hit more than 20 home runs four times in the big leagues since 2006. In the first five games this season he hit three home runs and drove in six of the team’s 12 runs. The Twins new left fielder has played first base and catcher during his professional career, but has primarily been an outfielder.

Joe Mauer homered at home yesterday for the first time since August 18, 2010. He and Justin Morneau homered together for the first time since July 6, 2010.

Ex-Gophers football players are responding to Minnesota coach Jerry Kill’s request to assist with costs associated with the funeral of former linebacker Gary Tinsley and the expense of flying the team to Florida. Kill reached out to ex-players asking them to consider making a donation to the University of Minnesota Foundation – Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund.

Kill’s willingness to fly the entire Gophers team to Jacksonville for tomorrow’s funeral is yet another example of the character he’s demonstrated since being named head coach in December of 2010. The Gophers will catch an early morning flight and fly back after the funeral.

It looks like the state legislature and University of Minnesota will agree on a policy to serve alcohol in suites and also have a beer garden available to all fans at TCF Bank Stadium for Gophers football games next season.

Minnesota prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that Nebraska coach Tim Miles has offered 6-9 Alex Illikainen, the Grand Rapids High School freshman, a scholarship.

Hopkins High School basketball coach Ken Novak told Sports Headliners his former player Trent Lockett has been considering Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State and Marquette. Lockett, who led Arizona State in scoring average last season at 13 points per game, is leaving the Sun Devils. Novak said the 6-5 guard earned his undergraduate degree in three years at Arizona State, and will be eligible next fall to play one season for his new college team.

Hopkins senior forward Zach Stahl has offers from Northeastern University in Boston and the University of Hawaii, according to Novak.

Novak’s dad, Ken Sr., celebrated his 83^rd birthday last month and is expected to be a Hopkins assistant coach again next season. “If he’s out, I am out,” his son joked.

The older Novak is known for his energy and friendliness. Ken Jr. said when he returned from Hawaii during spring break he found his entire yard had been raked by his father.

Kevin Thompson, a 6-1 sophomore wing who played high school basketball at Minneapolis North, has been named Dakota County Technical College’s first ever National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-American.

1500 ESPN talk show host Patrick Reusse discussed the shooting ability of Gophers forward Rodney Williams on the air Monday and said he could beat Williams in a game of H-O-R-S-E with a week’s practice to prepare.

Former Gophers basketball coach Dan Monson, whose Long Beach State team won the Big West regular season and conference titles, turned down head coaching interest this spring from Colorado State and SMU.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will honor outstanding individuals from professional and amateur football in Minnesota at the Chapter’s annual awards dinner on Sunday, April 22 at the University of St. Thomas. Two-time Gophers All-American defensive tackle Bobby Bell will give the keynote address, and Bell’s 1960 national championship team will be honored with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award.

The Bobby Bell College Impact Player of the Year Award will be presented to Fritz Waldvogel, a two-time All-American who started a school record 50 games at St. Thomas. There will be other award recipients including Bruce Kruckeberg from Gustavus (scholar athlete award) and Derek Klinkner from Southwest Minnesota State (courage award), and also seven high school players for their academic-football achievements: Beau Bates (Minnetonka), Adam Bungum (Triton), David Holien (Cotter), Cavonte Johnson (Edina), Zack Moheban (Bloomington Kennedy), Sean Murphy (Nicollet) and Matthew Suek (Fergus Falls). The event is open to the public and begins at 6 p.m. in the Anderson Student Center at St. Thomas. Ticket information is available on the chapter’s website, nffminesota.org.

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