Recruiting – Page 41 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

D-1 NCAA Vote on Tommies Next Week

Posted on June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 by David Shama

Phil Esten, vice president and director of athletics at the University of St. Thomas, told Sports Headliners Monday the NCAA will vote next week whether to approve the Tommies’ request to participate in Division I sports starting with the 2021-2022 school year.

That vote was to have happened in April but got postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tommies are requesting a transition from Division III status to Division I after involuntarily being removed from the D-3 MIAC starting in 2021-2022.

Historically, the NCAA does not allow immediate transition from D-3 to D-1 but for various reasons it’s believed the Tommies are a likely exception. “I remain optimistic (about approval),” Esten said.

Playing at the D-1 level would allow St. Thomas athletes to test themselves against far better competition. After the MIAC’s decision to ask the Tommies to find another home (conference presidents thought UST was too dominant in athletics), school leadership contemplated whether to remain at D-3, or transition to a higher level. The D-1 alternative became more realistic when the Summit League extended an invitation to the Tommies last fall.

The Summit not only provides a home for 19 of the Tommies’ 22 sports (football and men’s and women’s hockey excluded) but the NCAA can also look at other favorable factors encouraging a vote of approval for D-1 status. While the private school has a small undergraduate enrollment of about 6,000, it has a prominent history of academic and athletic success, with generous funding including alumni support. Unlike many states Minnesota only has one D-1 program with the University of Minnesota, so the big time college sports platform here is not crowded.

The Twin Cities media market has to be attractive to the NCAA and Summit League whose full participation schools (all sports offered) in 2019-2020 were Denver, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Omaha, Oral Roberts, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. St. Thomas’ presence in the revenue producing sport of men’s basketball is a plus for future Summit League TV and corporate sponsorship deals. The recruiting base of Twin Cities athletes is also a major asset for Summit League schools.

The COVID-19 epidemic has made the major college athletics landscape uncertain in regard to future revenues. There is plenty of speculation about drastically reducing athletic department budgets including travel. More regional (less national) travel seems all but certain, and that is another reason why Esten believes a D-1 program in the Upper Midwest could benefit not just the Tommies but other schools looking for shorter travel distances with their schedules.

With the Summit League not an option, Esten said he is still “sorting” through where his hockey programs will find new conference homes, but the plan is for the Tommies to be part of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League whose 10-members last fall consisted of Butler, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Jacksonville, Marist, Morehead State, San Diego, Stetson, and Valparaiso.

Some of those schools are not exactly located just around the corner from the St. Thomas campus, and travel along with the usual expenses associated with the sport of football will certainly contribute to an overall UST athletics budget expected to jump from about $5 million annually to perhaps $10 million.

Esten declined to offer specifics on budgets but the foreseeable future will have St. Thomas subsidizing its athletics budget as in the past, with revenues not matching expenses. On the fields and courts the Tommies will face more difficult opposition and there could be one-sided results for awhile, with Esten saying the school goes into D-1 territory with “eyes wide open.”

St. Thomas coaches already have and are recruiting D-1 caliber athletes. The Tommies are accustomed to winning championships, and even on the national stage coaches like John Tauer from men’s basketball and football’s Glenn Caruso have had their teams in the news as NCAA D-3 championship contenders.

St. Thomas president Julie Sullivan wrote about the Division I process in an October, 2019 article on the school’s website last fall. In that article she expressed what the school sees as the value of transitioning to D-1 status. “This decision is about more than athletics – it’s about advancing our vision to be a leading Catholic university recognized at the national level. An important outcome of increasing St. Thomas’ visibility, for example, is an ability to attract a more geographically diverse cross section of students who are accomplished in and out of the classroom.

“This additional representation would add value to classroom discussions, campus life, co-curricular activities and virtually every aspect of St. Thomas while providing St. Thomas with the opportunity to extend the reach of our mission and impact. The presence of Division I sports teams will also build on the strong Tommie fan loyalty and provide the campus and alumni with more engaging fan experiences.”

St. Thomas has the internal commitment to become D-1, and now all it needs is NCAA approval next week.

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Gophers’ Meyer Ranks with Glen Perkins

Posted on June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column…

The Minnesota Twins, selecting at No. 27 in next week’s MLB Draft, aren’t positioned to acquire University of Minnesota pitcher Max Meyer from Woodbury. Speculation this spring is the sophomore right-hander will be selected among the first 10 picks, and Gophers coach John Anderson told Sports Headliners Meyer “may be top five.”

Anderson, the Gopher coach since 1981, ranks Meyer and Glen Perkins his two best pitchers ever. The St. Paul-born Perkins was selected No. 22 in the first round by the Twins in June of 2004, and later became a big time reliever for Minnesota.

Anderson said Meyer has a superb work ethic and trained hard to achieve his success as both a reliever and starter for the Gophers. Meyer caught the attention of scouts this spring with a slider moving at an impressive spin rate. His other top pitches are a changeup and fast ball that has reached 100 miles per hour, Anderson added.

Meyer finished his Gopher career with a lifetime 2.07 ERA (fourth best all-time in the program), with 187 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. His 18 saves are the third-most in 132 seasons of the program’s history.

Jerry Kline Jr. told Sports Headliners yesterday there have been “no conversations” with Treyton Thompson or his family this spring about transferring to Cretin-Derham Hall. Conjecture in recent weeks has Thompson, a top 100 prep player for the class of 2021 and a verbal commit to the Gophers, playing his senior season for coach Kline.

Thompson, a native of Alexandria, Minnesota and a power forward, played as a junior at La Lumiere School in Indiana last year. He and his family inquired more than 12 months ago about a transfer to CDH but that wasn’t possible because metro area residence is required. It’s not known if Thompson is looking at other options than La Lumiere for his senior season.

The Raiders lose four starters from last season’s team but return Trejuan Holloman, a junior point guard drawing national attention from recruiters. He is an unselfish playmaker who consistently gets others involved. “He’s a fun player to play with, and he’s a fun kid to coach, and he’s all about team,” Kline said.

No high school player from the state will be the object of more attention next winter than Minnehaha Academy 7-footer Chet Holmgren, who both ESPN and 247Sports rank as the No. 2 prep player nationally in the class of 2021. Despite his size, he has extraordinary versatility including ball handling. Holmgren’s shooting and shot blocking are also among his most noticeable skills.

Kline refers to him as unique. “He’s just a phenomenal player and he’s only going to get better,” Kline said.

Chet weighs less than 200 pounds and is similar in size to his father David Holmgren who played four seasons as a reserve for the Gophers from 1984-1988. “He hadn’t really filled out yet when I had him,” said Jim Dutcher, who coached David his first two seasons.

A scholarship player, David played in 57 games, starting three times during his Gopher career. He averaged 1 point and .08 rebounds per game in limited minutes during at Minnesota after being a standout center at Prior Lake High School.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) was originally supposed to be the last day college basketball players could withdraw their names from the NBA Draft and still be eligible for next season. The NCAA nixed the June 3 date awhile ago and has yet to announce a new deadline. That gives Marcus Carr, Minnesota’s best player if he returns to the team, more time to contemplate whether his immediate future is with the Gophers or pros.

My guess as to Carr’s draft appeal to NBA clubs? At best, mid to late second round.

Happy birthday to Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne who turns 79 today.

It was eight years ago yesterday that media icon Dark Star (real name George Chapple) died at his home in Minnetonka. A character among characters, Dark loved sports including horse racing and is a member of Canterbury Park’s Hall of Fame.

The current issue of Sports Illustrated devotes its cover and 10 inside pages to the financial “crisis” facing minor league baseball. The article begins with this: “In response to an SI survey on the effects of the pandemic, three-quarters of teams express serious concerns over either their survival or that of fellow clubs.”

College football is second only to the NFL in “core fans,” per a news release last week from the National Football Foundation. The release cited a Gallup poll that reported college football’s popularity surpassed the American professional sports of baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer.

The Gophers had the third largest jump in attendance among FBS schools in 2019, with an average of 8,275 more in average announced attendance for seven home games. Minnesota’s average for the season was 46,190 versus 37,915 in 2018.

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Message Seems Clear to Vikes GM, Coach

Posted on May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by David Shama

Enjoy a Thursday notes column that even includes Montana travel.

The Vikings’ Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer are believed to be the only general manager and head coach combo in the 32-team NFL working on one-year contracts.

It appears ownership wants to see how the 2020 season plays out before deciding on the futures of Spielman who has been the GM since 2012 and Zimmer who was hired in 2014. The two have led Minnesota to two division championships, two playoff wins, and one NFC title game appearance in six years.

While the Vikings have done some offseason payroll trimming to create cap space, it’s unlikely money is preventing ownership from making extended contract commitments to their longtime leaders. The Wilf family, including Zygi Wilf, wants excellence on the field including the biggest prize—a Super Bowl appearance for their franchise which last appeared in the big game in 1977.

Former Viking defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema first met Zygi when he played in New York for the Giants. He quickly learned Zygi is a passionate pro football fan. Lurtsema said this week: “Money is not an obstacle (with the Vikings). He will do anything to have a winner. He’s a fan.”

Lurtsema isn’t surprised the Vikings haven’t re-signed defensive end Everson Griffen this offseason. He said Griffen, who played 10 seasons with Minnesota before declaring free agency earlier this year, became preoccupied with sacks in 2019 and made too many “critical mistakes.” Lurtsema believes Griffen sometimes was not in position to make the correct move coming off the line of scrimmage. “I wouldn’t have signed him (again),” Lurtsema said.

Numerous sources are praising the work ethic of Vikings 2020 first round draft choice Justin Jefferson, who is expected to replace departed star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. “He (Jefferson) sounds like an old-time player with his attitude,” Lurtsema said.

The Vikings will have a changed wide receiver roster in training camp that also includes fifth round draft choice K.J. Osborn and free agent signee Tajaé Sharpe.

Adam Thielen, who in 2020 starts his seventh season as a standout WR with the Vikings, can be a leader and he said this week the first step is to earn trust with newcomers. “I know that I’ve been able to learn from some veterans that have come before me of how they handled…things, and how they helped me become the player that I am,” Thielen said.

Thielen acknowledged it takes time for a quarterback and receivers to become most comfortable with each other. This will be quarterback Kirk Cousins’ third season with Minnesota. “He has a better understanding of where I am going to be, and how I am going to run my routes, and I have a better understanding of how he likes certain things done,” Thielen said.

Hopkins boys’ basketball coach Ken Novak told Sports Headliners it was he who first made the connection between Jeff Mailhot and Gophers head coach Richard Pitino. Earlier this spring Mailhot, who is a Minneapolis native and was an assistant coach last season at Iona, asked Novak to contact Pitino about the opening on the Minnesota staff created by the departure of Rob Jeter to Western Illinois. “Jeff was interested in the job,” Novak said.

Pitino announced Monday he had hired Mailhot, who has over a decade of college coaching experience including junior college teams. CoachStat.net once named him the top junior college assistant coach. Mailhot played for Novak at Hopkins and later was an assistant coach for the Royals. Word is Mailhot found himself looking for another opportunity when Pitino’s father, Rick Pitino, took over this spring at Iona, and wanted his own assistants.

As a Minnesota native, Mailhot presumably will have a focus on recruiting the state. Novak believes his protégé will be a high-level recruiter. “First of all, he gets along with everybody,” Novak said. “He does well with relationships. He’s got a work ethic. He loves the game of basketball.”

Novak has seen a number of his Royals players go on to play for the Gophers, but none for awhile. He hopes the Mailhot hire will re-ignite the Hopkins-Gophers connection. “I will encourage them (Hopkins players) but I won’t push them,” Novak said.

Chet Holmgren, the five-star basketball player at Minnehaha Academy who is among the most coveted college recruits in the country for the class of 2021, lives in the Hopkins school district but Novak said there has never been discussion about him playing for the Royals. The 7-foot Holmgren has a sister, Alexandra Holmgren, who is over 6-foot-5 and played volleyball for the Royals last season as a sophomore.

It was 20 years ago this week that the Timberwolves’ Malik Sealy died in a car crash after leaving Kevin Garnett’s birthday party. In Sealy’s honor, the team retired his No. 2 jersey.

Steve Erban’s Stillwater based Creative Charters, organizers of Gophers, Kentucky Derby and other fan trips for decades, has a new offering of a Montana experience featuring fly fishing, golf and more this summer. Early Bird specials with a May 25 deadline are available. More at Creativecharter.com., or by calling 612-801-7141.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible the Lynx, Timberwolves, Twins, United, Vikings and Wild could all be playing games this summer, and causing a logjam on local television. Because of virus concerns, broadcasters might be describing road games from television monitors away from the playing venues.

With parts of the country having different infection rates and policies on containing the virus, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer could use neutral playing sites instead of scheduling games in all cities with franchises. The Twin Cities, with its proven support for hockey and numerous indoor rinks and practice facilities, along with the Xcel Energy Center as a site for games, might be a hub for NHL scheduling this summer.

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