Debbie Jones told Sports Headliners her son Tyus remains interested in the Gophers. She also said the highly coveted Apple Valley junior point guard may choose a college as part of a group decision with Jahlil Okafor from Chicago and Justise Winslow from Houston.
Tubby Smith and his staff spent time pursuing Tyus but Smith was fired as Gopher coach in March. During the search process for a new head coach it appeared Flip Saunders might succeed Smith. Saunders, a former point guard who made a career coaching in the NBA, knows Tyus and local recruiting observers thought Saunders might win a recruiting derby for Debbie’s son who could be the best player nationally in the prep class of 2014.
With a new Gopher coach in Richard Pitino, who is only 30 with one year of head coaching experience, are the Gophers behind or ahead where they once were in the recruiting process with Tyus?
“I think they’re the same as they always have been,” Debbie said. “Tyus has it narrowed down to seven schools and Minnesota is one of those seven. They were there kind of regardless of who is coaching there. I think the new coach, coach Pitino he’s reached out and we’ve had a number of conversations. They’re still in the running.”
The seven schools are Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State. Pitino is no power coach like Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self, John Calipari, Tom Izzo and Thad Matta but the Gophers are the hometown team. Coach Scott Drew and Baylor in faraway Waco, Texas might seem like an unusual final seven choice.
On the Baylor staff is former Hopkins High School standout Jared Nuness, a distant cousin of Tyus. He has long admired Nuness. “It’s family and so you know…it’s a consideration,” Debbie said. “It’s always nice to know somebody and stuff like that.”
Does Pitino’s lack of experience as a head coach work against him in eventually convincing Tyus to become a Gopher? “Well, I guess it’s just something you take into consideration as he (Tyus) goes through this process and we’re looking at all the schools,” Debbie said. “You kind of take everything into consideration. I don’t know that that will be a determining factor but you consider all the things when you look at the seven schools.”
In the Rivals.com top 150 for the national high school class of 2014, Okafor, a center, is rated No. 1 while Tyus is No. 3 and Winslow, a forward, is No. 10. If those three decided on the same university, boosters would immediately make airline and lodging reservations in Indianapolis for the 2015 Final Four. How much credibility is there about a possible Tyus-Okafor-Winslow package?
“I know Tyus and Jahlil talk about it frequently and I really believe that that will happen,” Debbie said. “Justise from Texas is another one — that they’ve talked about going somewhere together. I do see that happening. So as we get right down to it and taking some official visits, narrowing things down, I think it’s a real possibility.”
Worth Noting
Tyus Jones’ grandfather, Dennis Deutsch, may have a kidney transplant but must have more tests. Deutsch and Tyus have a close relationship.
Will Rashad Vaughn, the shooting guard who is rated the No. 6 player in the country by Rivals.com for the class of 2014, play his senior year for Robbinsdale Cooper or go elsewhere? Perhaps to a prep school outside Minnesota?
Each Wild home playoff game is worth about $5 million to the franchise, according to a pro hockey source who asked not to be named. The Wild hosts the Blackhawks tomorrow night for their second 2013 home playoff game. Revenue sources include mostly ticket sales but also suites, merchandise and local TV broadcasts.
Another hockey source, FSN’s Kevin Gorg, said the key for the Wild to even the series at two games each tomorrow night will be for Minnesota to “slow down” the pace against the more talented Blackhawks. Gorg said Wild veteran Pierre Marc-Bouchard probably played his best game ever for Minnesota in its win yesterday.
A Timberwolves’ official said new president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will be paid a “mid-market” NBA salary. That might mean compensation in the range of $2.5 to $3.5 million.
Although Saunders has more than 13 years of NBA head coaching experience, he wasn’t hired as a potential emergency replacement for Rick Adelman if the 67-year-old Wolves’ coach abruptly decides to retire because of his wife’s health concerns.
“I think Flip would have the potential of finding us the right coach,” said Wolves’ owner Glen Taylor. “That’s how I really have looked at it. But at this point I have only looked at Rick as our coach. I have a high degree of confidence that he is going to stay. I didn’t ask Flip to come here because he could coach. That was not part of my consideration.”
With a devastating run of injuries that turned the Wolves into a team that had a 31-51 record, the team’s TV ratings for 2012-13 averaged 2.2, a decline from 2.9 the previous season. A Wolves’ spokesman emailed that information and said a playoff contending club could produce numbers two and three times the 2.2.
Vikings’ defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, the team’s first selection in the first round of last month’s NFL draft, said his sleeve length is 31 inches. Draft observers have questioned his ability to pass rush because of short arms but Floyd told Sports Headliners that’s “not a factor at all.”
Floyd, 6-3, 297, has asked for help from retired Vikings’ defensive lineman Pat Williams who played at 6-3, 317. Williams has agreed to mentor Floyd.
Cordarrelle Patterson, another of the team’s first round draft choices, said the playbook has already been more manageable for him than expected because he’s been given time to absorb the material and coaches have been helpful. He’s open to whatever assignments the team gives him as a wide receiver, punt returner or kickoff returner.
Community involved former Viking and St. Paul native Matt Birk is the honoree at the annual Bobby Jones dinner tonight at Interlachen Country Club in Edina.
Murray’s Restaurant owner Tim Murray has another summer baseball trip planned with friends. This year’s itinerary will feature games in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Paul Allen, the radio play-by-play voice of the Vikings, will speak to the C.O.R.E.S. group on Thursday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Author Jim Bruton and former Viking Dave Osborn will autograph copies of Bruton’s book on the Vikings’ 50 greatest players. Anyone interested in attending the luncheon and program should contact Jim Dotseth by Tuesday, dotsethj@comcast.net.
Allen is the track announcer at Canterbury Park where the Shakopee racing facility had an estimated 11,000 patrons on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby and set a simulcast wagering record of more than $1.61 million. The previous record of $1.48 million was set in 2004 on Derby Day.
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