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Gophers Don’t Need Game Now Against Crosstown Tommies

Posted on March 29, 2025March 29, 2025 by David Shama

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Niko Medved should ignore suggestions he schedule a game with St. Thomas. There is no upside for his program in scheduling the St. Paul school that is only a few miles from Dinkytown.

Asked about the Tommies at his presser earlier this week, Medved was gracious about the suggestion and said it’s a possibility without giving a time commitment. Good response but behind closed doors Niko and his boss Mark Coyle should develop amnesia about St. Thomas.

The Tommies, only four seasons into Division I competition, play in the mid-major Summit League. Members are certainly not marquee names in college hoops with the likes of schools from the Dakotas and those pesky Kangaroos from Kansas City.

The Tommies, though, are already a Summit League power and a terrific mid-level program under coaching guru Johnny Tauer. They would walk through a snowstorm to play the role of “David” at Williams Arena against the Gophers.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Gopher basketball brand is so tarnished right now it would be foolish to play “Goliath” by giving the Tommies the opportunity to take down a team from the mighty Big Ten on its home floor. In that match up, Medved and company are in a no-win drama for them.

A blow-out Minnesota win? The public response is, “What do you expect from a Big Ten team playing at home?”

A close Gopher victory? The chorus says, “See the Tommies could have won. They’re just as good as Minnesota.”

A Tommies triumph? Critics crow: “The Gophers can’t even defeat a good mid-major program.”

The Tommies played road games last season at Oklahoma State and Arizona State, two teams from the Big 12 Conference. The scrappy Tommies lost both games by a combined 24 points.

Ask the marketers at those Power Four schools if the games against the Tommies did anything to boost their brand and credibility with fans, donors and potential recruits.

Avoiding the Tommies shouldn’t prompt a “game of chicken” mentality from fans who follow either program. It’s just savvy business for the Gophers to take awhile to build up their product and continue their tradition of cushy non-conference scheduling against the likes of “Hopscotch State” and “Gulf of America University.”

There is speculation that the prestigious Big East, drawn to the TV size of the Twin Cities market, may one day ask the Tommies to join that powerhouse league. That would surely be the time to schedule the Minneapolis versus St. Paul matchup—our version of Marquette against Wisconsin.

In the meantime, the Gophers need to be aware the Tommies are their competition even if the two teams don’t play on the court against one another. As the two Division I programs in the state, there is a budding rivalry for high school recruits, media attention and fans.

BTW both programs have lots of potential to build fan followings and home attendances. The Tommies, 24-10 overall last season, attracted only 20,117 total fans for 14 home games at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies averaged 1,437 fans per game, playing to 65 percent of capacity, per stats.ncaa.org. St. Thomas will play in the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena next fall with a basketball capacity of about 5,500.

The Gophers, whose public season ticket sales have dipped under 5,000, continued their trend of poor attendance in 2025. Minnesota averaged 8,923 fans, playing to 61 percent capacity in 14,625 seat Williams Arena.

Worth Noting

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t agree the No. 1 thing that will determine the Twins fate for 2025 is collective health. The Twins announced the following Injured List on Thursday, opening day.

Position players Brooks Lee (10-days, retroactive to March 24; lumbar strain) and Royce Lewis (10-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain), and right-handed pitchers Brock Stewart (15-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain) and Michael Tonkin (15-days, retroactive to March 24; right shoulder strain).

How much has the Twins Opening Day roster changed in four years? There are four players on the 2025 roster who were Twins in 2021: pitchers Jorge Alcala and Randy Dobnak, catcher Ryan Jeffers and outfielder Byron Buxton.

The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Twins who in Forbes annual evaluation of MLB franchises posted a few days ago values the club at $1.5 billion, a three percent increase over last year. Carl Pohlad purchased the team for a reported $44 million in 1984.

The average MLB club is now worth an average of $2.6 billion, per Forbes who ranked the Twins No. 23 among the 30 franchises in value. The Yankees are No. 1 at $8.1 billion valuation, while the Marlins are last at $1.05 billion.

While the Twins are up for sale, Sports Headliners has no reason to believe longtime Timberwolves-Lynx owner Glen Taylor, or Wild owner Craig Leipold, have interest in buying the local baseball franchise.

Word is the Wolves Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, is not expected to exercise his contract opt out after this season and will stay with the franchise.

Cheryl Reeve, head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers April 8 at Norway House in Minneapolis. Winner of four WNBA titles with the Lynx, Reeve has been a headliner three previous times at Dunkers.

Storyteller extraordinaire Jay Pivec is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” which can be viewed on YouTube and is co-hosted by Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. A Minneapolis native, Pivec is a basketball lifer whose coaching stops over the decades include in his home state and beyond where he forged relationships and memories that entertain in his new book. The Book of Piv, available through Amazon, is his memoir from 40 years of coaching and is billed: “All stories as true as they need to be.” https://youtu.be/6jzxnB10Src

The Football Film Federation is promoting a two-day coaches technology convention at the Mall of America on April 26 and 27. The event is for those from high schools and colleges interested in film knowledge and excellence. Top vendors and key speakers will be present.

Two schools will receive the Bob Marcus Film Excellence Award which is named after the successful former Gopher and Viking video expert. More including information is available at footballfilmconference@gmail.com.

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Sources Surface on Minnesota Twins Ownership Sale

Posted on March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 by David Shama

(Updated 3:25 p.m. March 19, 2025)

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column.

A sports industry source who has been in Fort Myers this winter told Sports Headliners he believes there are two entities offering $1.65 billion to buy the Twins franchise from the Pohlad family.

If so, that means Twins representatives have leverage with competing potential buyers. It’s been thought for some time ownership wants more than $1.65 billion to sell the MLB franchise they have owned since 1984.

The asking price might be $1.8 billion. Forbes valued the Twins at $1.46 billion early last year, but that number will increase when new valuations come out soon.

The Orioles sold for a reported $1.7 billion last year. It could be argued the Twins are the more valuable franchise because the Baltimore-based Orioles are less than 40 miles away from another MLB franchise, the Washington Nationals.

The source described the competing entities as “very much interested” in acquiring the franchise. He predicted a sale of the club, which relocated to Minnesota from Washington D.C. in 1960, could happen by July, although it’s also been made clear the Pohlads won’t sell for anything less than their desired price range.

Another source outside the organization, who has passionately followed the club for years and knows Twins authorities, said he is told there are more than two potential entities, probably three or four. “At least one is local, I believe,” he said.

That source expressed some confidence that a change in ownership could happen in the next 60 days.

It was widely reported last month that Chicago-based billionaire Mat Ishbia is no longer interested in buying the Twins. He has a minority interest in the White Sox and the thought is he could be poised to become the majority.

BTW, what’s the over-under for the Twins often frequently injured trio of Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis playing in a combined 300 games or more this season? Prediction here is a cautious yes!

Qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring could have implications for the Wild next summer. The Wild will have about $22 million more in salary cap space for next season starting July 1 when NHL free agency begins. Minnesota wants to present the image of a winner to free agents and after missing the playoffs in 2024 has to be hoping for a successful run in the postseason.

Winning at least one playoff series could make the franchise more appealing to free agents. So, too, would word next summer that the team’s superstar, forward Kirill Kaprizov, is signing an extension on his five-year contract that runs through 2025-2026.

The Wild, currently positioned as a wild card entry, is 4-5-1 in the last 10 games but got an important win Monday night at home, 3-1 over the Kings.

Wild owner Craig Leipold ranks No. 11 overall among the 32 NHL owners, per a survey of fans done by The Athletic. In an article by James Mirtle on Monday he wrote: “Leipold was ranked sixth for his willingness to spend on the team and eighth for treatment of the fan base, although he ranked middle-of-the-pack in organizational stability and franchise vision.”

Mirtle noted that Wild patrons had the most responses to the survey of any fan base.

St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter, with his last name on the back of a Wild jersey, walked in the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade on Monday. Green Wild jerseys were everywhere among the crowd watching the parade near Rice Park.

The transfer portal opens for college basketball players on Monday. More than ever where a player lands is about opportunity to play right away and earn significant money. With the Big Ten and other power conferences expected to budget more than $20 million in revenue sharing to be used on football, men’s basketball and a few other sports, athletes will enrich themselves way beyond just NIL earnings.

Potentially this is a win for the Gophers and their new coach (expected to be Niko Medved, see March 15 Sports Headliners). In a bidding war with a historical blue-blood program, Minnesota may be able to offer more playing time and money than a Michigan State, Kansas or Kentucky.

Medved’s Colorado State Rams are about a 2.5 points favorite to win their NCAA Tournament opener Friday against Memphis State in Seattle. TBS will televise the 1 p.m. Minneapolis time game.

Auburn, former college basketball coaches tell Sports Headliners, is the most talented team in the NCAA Men’s Tournament.

Bobby Jackson was in town earlier this month as an assistant coach for the NBA 76ers and the presence of the former University of Minnesota superstar prompted reflection about the all-time starting five for the Golden Gophers. Here’s the Sports Headliners lineup:

Guards, Jackson and Voshon Lenard. Forwards, Kevin McHale and Lou Hudson. Center, Mychal Thompson.

How about the all-time state boys’ basketball tournament team?

Guards, Khalid El-Amin and Tyus Jones. Forwards, Mark Olberding and Chet Holmgren. Center, Randy Breuer.

P.J. Fleck and others with the Golden Gophers meet with the media tomorrow to preview the opening of spring practice that day. The Gophers aren’t planning a Spring Game, following the trend of other programs to cancel the traditional gathering.

The public is welcome to attend the 4:15 p.m. practice April 15 at the team’s indoor facility at the Athletes Village. Dinkytown Athletes members may also attend the 4:15 p.m. practice March 26 at the same location.

Parker Knoll, the senior outfielder transfer from Lawrence University who was a D-III All-American last year, is sixth on the baseball Gophers in batting average at .259 while playing in 16 games and starting 14.

Minnesota, 8-10 overall, hosts 9-6 St. Thomas in a 6 p.m. game tonight at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Gophers are averaging about 17 fans per game in six home games at the bank this winter, per stats.ncaa.org.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team that finished second in both the Summit League regular season standings and the conference tournament attracted only 20,117 total fans for 14 home games at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies averaged 1,437 fans per game, playing to 65 percent of capacity, per stats.ncaa.org.

The Tommies, with a 24-10 overall record and 12-4 in league games, will play in the new Lee and Penny Anderson facility next fall with a basketball capacity of about 5,500. Despite the program’s winning legacy, dating back to Division III national championships, sell-outs have been rare at Schoenecker.

Remarkable and much-admired Tom Swain passed away earlier this month at age 103. He was a great advocate for the University of Minnesota and held various leadership positions starting with ticket manager for the Golden Gophers in the 1940s. He was a gentleman’s gentleman and much admired for how he related to people.

A Minneapolis native and Gopher fan, Tom told Sports Headliners in 2021 that he or his family had owned U football season tickets every year except one since 1921. “The year of my birth,” he said.

Regarding becoming a centenarian, Tom said in the column: “There are such few people that get there (to 100), I feel very gratified. I am very fortunate to have made it this far because growing old is a privilege denied to many. I am not sure why I deserve to get to 100 but I am very grateful.”

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Gopher Hoops Hire of John Tauer Screams with Logic, But…

Posted on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by David Shama

The Ben Johnson era is over as University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach. After checking with sources and evaluating the facts, this space made a guess last Saturday that Johnson would be terminated soon.

Early today athletic director Mark Coyle made the announcement that after four seasons that included no winning Big Ten records, zero NCAA Tournament invitations, and dwindling fan interest from an already apathetic fan base, Johnson was out. Now comes the speculation about who Coyle will hire to revive a program that has been deteriorating for more than 25 years.

To be clear, this will be Coyle’s hire, not the choice of his boss. Multiple sources have told Sports Headliners it was then U president Joan Gable who pushed for the Johnson hire in 2021. This won’t be the case now for Coyle, who has been the AD since 2016. His selection is expected to be approved by the current U president, Rebecca Cunningham.

The ideal next coach is Johnny Tauer from St. Thomas. The Gophers need a gold-standard winner who is already established in this region, and a person who possesses knowledge and wisdom about the basketball and cultural landscape here.

Tauer is that person. He is revered by those who know basketball and what he’s done for the small school Tommies.

The Gopher job cries out for a savior who could match the success of the neighboring Wisconsin Badgers. The “Wisconsin Way” is built around elite coaching grounded in savvy recruiting, basketball fundamentals and unselfish attitudes.

The Badgers have earned success this millennium with Final Fours, Big Ten titles and national rankings. Much of that glory was built under the direction of Bo Ryan whose coaching history prior to Madison was as a Division III national championship head coach at Wisconsin-Platteville.

Tauer, 52, won a Division III national title for the Tommies in 2016. For four seasons he has led an ultra-successful transition into Division I with his mid-major program in the Summit League. He’s achieved much of his success with players from Minnesota, or nearby Wisconsin and Illinois. His player development skills and game coaching are extraordinary.

John Tauer photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas

Tauer is a finalist for the Hugh Durham award by CollegeInsider.com, presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball. In 2025 the Tommies finished second both during the regular season and conference tournament to Omaha. His team was 24-10 overall and 12-4 in league play.

The Tommies were at the top or near leaders in a variety of conference stats including best turnover margin, assists, free throw percentage and three-point percentage. The Tommies ranked second in points per game and fourth in defense.

Tauer and Coyle are acquainted, with both being St. Paul residents and connected through Cretin-Derham Hall where their children have attended school. It’s unknown whether Tauer is on Coyle’s list but he should be at the top.

Tauer’s resume and state roots scream for him being the most rational choice to successfully turn around the long slide of Gopher basketball. At Minnesota he would be the most likely of any candidate to replicate the Wisconsin model.

Media speculation on candidates includes Brian Dutcher, Niko Medved, Ben McCollum, Ryan Saunders, Craig Smith and Kimani Young. “There’s no one close to John Tauer,” a college basketball insider told Sports Headliners.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is a long list of hoops authorities who will testify as to how special Tauer is. That list, he offered, will range from Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard to faculty and patrons at St. Thomas, to Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, to the high school coaches who have met Tauer on the recruiting trail.

A perk with hiring Tauer, the source said, is no contract buyout will be required by St. Thomas. Then, too, Tauer is an ideal age to take the rebuild job at Minnesota. Young enough to have the vast energy required for the assignment, but old enough and settled in enough in the Twin Cities to make Dinkytown his last stop.

Would Tauer take the Minnesota job if offered? “No,” said the source.

He didn’t answer the question on a whim. He is familiar with Tauer and is also knowledgeable about the St. Thomas and Minnesota programs.

The authority said Tauer loves St. Thomas where he was a player and has been not only an assistant and head coach but a faculty member. Friends and colleagues know that Tauer (who holds a doctorate degree in social psychology) bleeds St. Thomas purple, and he doesn’t define his life by money.

Tauer’s compensation at St. Thomas is believed to be less than $400,000 a year. Minnesota could offer $4 million and more over a five-year deal.

The money couldn’t be better invested by the U, but the day might not be too far into the future when Tauer is earning seven-figures at St. Thomas. It’s believed the vision for Tommies basketball is joining the Big East Conference within maybe five years. Playing in a power basketball conference with the likes of other Catholic schools could be a coup for both the Tommies and the league, including an athletic department windfall.

The Tommies go into a new 5,500 on-campus arena next fall. If the Tommies become a member of the Big East and a top 25 ranked team, that building won’t even be big enough with all the fan interest in the Twin Cities. The Xcel Energy Center could be home for some of the Tommies’ biggest games.

There are a couple of other reasons the source is pessimistic about Tauer’s interest in the Gophers. Despite growing up in Minnesota, Tauer has no particular passion for the Gophers.

And more to the point, the source said, the U basketball gig is a “bad job.” The perception, he believes, is the U is a loser program. A program that has struggled for decades to win, and is characterized by fan apathy and minimal support from donors.

Coyle, of course, has a different view. In a statement released earlier today he said: “This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court. We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything that is needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men’s basketball coach.”

The source, who believes Tauer would be a better Big Ten coach than Wisconsin’s Gard, also questions whether the St. Thomas Hall of Famer would be comfortable with the early years and the miseries expected with reviving the program.

He would be stunned if Tauer wants to coach the Gophers, while noting the opportunity to receive “generational wealth” now could be the one factor that lights up his interest. “They (St. Thomas) are not in a position to pay him millions of dollars,” the authority said. “Their faculty would go berserk.”

If Tauer were to leave St. Thomas, there would be lots of grieving on campus and with alumni. The feeling would be no one can replace him.

The feeling here is Tommie world won’t have to experience a devastating change.

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