Recruiting – Page 104 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on February 1, 2012February 1, 2012 by David Shama

Gophers guard Austin Hollins on the Big Ten race: “I think we’re still in it.”

Minnesota, 4-5, has three more losses than conference leader OhioState, 7-2. Gophers coach Tubby Smith regards Ohio State and Michigan State (6-3) as “head of the class” teams. The Buckeyes have the most talent but Michigan State may have the conference Player of the Year in Draymond Green, Smith said last weekend.

The Gophers 2012 football recruiting class will be announced today and the group is ranked last in the Big Ten by Rivals.com. Scout.com ranks Minnesota No. 11 ahead of Illinois. Gophers coach Jerry Kill, interviewed on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle Sunday, said player speed was emphasized in recruiting this class. Several of his recruits are already in school and he said six of them are among the 10 fastest players in the program.

Kill also said 6-5 former quarterback Moses Alipate has been switched to tight end for spring practice.

Kill’s news conference to talk about his 2012 recruiting class will be shown live on Gophersports.com starting at 3 p.m. today.

Don’t be surprised if the Vikings stadium site turns out to be Farmers Market and Hennepin County becomes a major partner in the financing.

Dan Patrick reports in the January 16 issue of Sports Illustrated that Christian Ponder has already been told by the Vikings, who hold the No. 3 pick in the upcoming college draft, that Minnesota won’t select a quarterback. In the same issue Peter King writes the Vikings are “desperate” for help at guard and left tackle “but the biggest trouble by far is at cornerback.”

WCCO Radio’s Eric Nelson is covering his 19^th Super Bowl this week. He said about 5,000 media are expected in Indianapolis for the New England and New York Giants game on Sunday.

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman on the strike-shortened and compacted NBA season. “Even if you’re young (like the Wolves), you get tired.”

Wolves guard Wes Johnson, who has been recovering from pneumonia, said he’s been in the worst shooting slump he can remember. He’s only made 7 of his last 20 field goals and his percentage for the season is .368.

Speculation is Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Love wasn’t happy about not receiving the maximum contract offer for five years and about $80 million but his performance since signing a four year, $61 million deal has been impressive. Love is averaging 27.7 points in games since last Wednesday.

Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio plays flashy but on the court and off he consistently tries to defer to his teammates. Rubio doesn’t seek news media publicity.

Former Gopher Joel Przybilla, who has played 10 seasons in the NBA, is without a club now but his name has been linked with the Celtics and Bulls.

NBA legend Jerry West recalls in his new book, West by West, he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers but soon thereafter the franchise moved to Los Angeles. In the book West writes about a dream NBA game involving him and other NBA greats representing East and West teams. The scroe is tied at 105 with five seconds remaining when Mr. Clutch, despite the presence in the huddle of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, demands the ball. How does the tale end? Read the book.

To help celebrate the 26th National Girls and Women in Sports Day the Lynx will participate in a ceremony at the State Capitol today from noon to 1 p.m. National Girls and Women in Sports Day was first chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1986 and honors female athletic achievement and recognizes the positive influence of sports participation for girls and women.

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No ‘Chance’ McDonald to Drop U

Posted on January 30, 2012January 30, 2012 by David Shama

Gophers coach Jerry Kill received a rare four-star commitment (ESPN.com) late last week when All-State Hopkins High School wide receiver Andre McDonald announced he will sign a national letter of intent with Minnesota on Wednesday. McDonald committed to the Gophers last year, but then changed his pledge to Vanderbilt in the fall.

Will he switch again in the next 48 hours? “I don’t think there’s any chance of that,” said John DenHartog, Hopkins coach. “I think he’s excited about the decision. Minnesota is the best place for him. He can help the program.”

DenHartog said McDonald gave up Vanderbilt this winter after the wide receivers’ coach left to join a new coaching staff at Illinois. Chris Beatty then recruited McDonald aggressively as did Iowa.

The Gophers are neither deep in bodies or talent at wide receiver. McDonald is about 6-3 and 205 pounds, and was a dangerous receiver in high school. “He’s got some unique skills,” DenHartog told Sports Headliners. “He can be a difference maker. He can make moves in tight spaces and make people miss and turn in big gains.”

DenHartog said McDonald “has unlimited potential” but that Kill didn’t promise a starting job. “Andre knows he’s going to have to work hard,” DenHartog said.

The Hopkins coach has been impressed with the forthrightness and caring of Kill. He also likes the longevity Kill and his staff have with one another. DenHartog is optimistic about the downtrodden Gophers program.

“If anyone (a coach) is going to do it, I believe he’s the one,” DenHartog said. “His intensity and honesty are really refreshing. The majority of time people are trying to sell a dream but coach Kill, he’s going to be forthright and the kids appreciate that.”

McDonald is playing in the International Bowl in Austin, Texas on Wednesday night. He’s expected to sign his paper work committing to the Gophers that day.

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Worth Noting

Posted on November 30, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

NBADraft.net last week projected Gophers forward Trevor Mbakwe to be the No. 16 pick in the 2012 NBA draft. A Gophers official emailed that it’s “unknown at this point” whether Mbakwe could be granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA and play next season for Minnesota.

Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi will be in New York next week to attend the College Football Hall of Fame event recognizing former Gophers All-American quarterback Sandy Stephens and others.

Don’t be surprised if Paul Chryst’s name comes up for the Illinois head coaching job. Chryst, the Wisconsin offensive coordinator, drew speculation as a candidate to coach the Gophers in 2007 and 2010.

Big Ten football games drew 6,008,814 fans for an average of 71,534 in 84 games (39 sellouts). The Gophers averaged 47,713 per home game, the lowest in the three year history of TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota’s attendance exceeded Purdue, Indiana and Northwestern.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier talking about his 2-9 team and what he wants to see accomplished in the remaining five games: “Well, you’d like to see improvement across the board, and we have lots of room for improvement in a lot of areas. You’re trying to continue to evaluate players along the way. …Really get some momentum, get some wins and see some improvement along the way.”

Percy Harvin, who had a 104 yard kickoff return for the Vikings against Atlanta last Sunday, returned kicks for 95 yards last season and 101 in 2009. He’s the only athlete in Virginia prep history to win five gold medals at the state track meet.

Gophers marketing executive Jason LaFrenz said there’s no remaining inventory for men’s hockey season tickets. Single game tickets are available for all games.

New Twin Jamey Carroll, who could be the team’s starting shortstop and No. 2 hitter in the batting order, has a career on base percentage of .359. That’s a positive for a No. 2 hitter and a lot better than the on base percentage for last year’s shortstop, Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s .278.

The Wild play in Edmonton tonight and Minnesota already has two wins in three games against the Oilers this season. Goalie Niklas Backstrom has won both games.

The Big Ten Network provides its most extensive coverage ever of Big Ten wrestling this season with 43 regular-season dual-meets, the 2011 Midlands Championships and the 2012 Big Ten Championships. All will be broadcast on the network or streamed online. Thirty-nine events will be shown live either online or on the network.

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