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

U Waits for Summer to Find Burner

Posted on April 12, 2013April 12, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers are working their way through 15 spring practices but one of the team’s potentially most explosive playmakers won’t arrive until summer. Freshman running back Berkley Edwards, 5-9, 190 pounds from Novi, Michigan, is already on the minds of head coach Jerry Kill and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover.

Edwards has game changing speed, the kind of attribute otherwise absent on the Gophers’ running backs roster. “He’s one of (the) top 10, 12 sprinters in the country,” Kill said in February when he announced Edwards will play for Minnesota. “Those things we need. And he’s a great fit for us at running back because we got some big backs, but we’d like to have one just to hand it off and it’s over. Goodnight. And he can do that because he’s got that kind of speed.”

The longest run from scrimmage by a Gophers’ running back last season was 38 yards by Donnell Kirkwood. In some games the Gophers didn’t have a running back with a run longer than 15 yards.

Limegrover is diplomatic about the running backs he has now and said he’s “very excited” about what they can do but he knows Edwards will complement the punishing style of Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams, the team’s two leading rushers from last year after now departed quarterback MarQueis Gray.

“I think the great thing about Berkley is that he truly can bring that change of pace over what we have right now,” Limegrover said. “The more weapons you have…the better off you’re going to be because every time you do that, it makes defensive coaches stand up and take notice, and be aware of, ‘Okay, they have a tailback in but which one is it?’

“So having a guy like Berkley with his speed and the things he can do getting the ball to the perimeter I think is going to be just a fantastic complement to what we already have in place.”

Limegrover won’t have to be envious of a team like Wisconsin if Edwards comes through for the Gophers. The famed Badgers’ running game pounds away for yards over and over…and then a speedy Wisconsin back darts through a hole, or jets outside for a long run.

Limegrover said it’s difficult for an offense to just rely on long drives for touchdowns. “Every once in a while you need to have that two play, 80-yard drive. …That’s what we’re working towards and that’s what we need, and Berkley is that kind of kid.”

Worth Noting

Limegrover said he isn’t set on naming the starting quarterback after spring practice ends later this month. “Not really. I think that what it comes down to is I think the offense is kind of bigger than who the starting quarterback is going to be.”

Kill emphasizes competition at all positions. “I think it shows up every day with the way kids compete,” Limegrover said.

Two of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award are Minnesotans for the first time in the award’s history, spokesman Wally Shaver told Sports Headliners. The winner of the 33^rd annual award will be announced tonight with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. CDT on the NHL Network.

Finalists are Boston College sophomore Johnny Gaudreau from Carneys Point, New Jersey; Quinnipiac senior goalie Eric Hartzell from White Bear Lake; and St. Cloud State senior forward Drew LeBlanc from Hermantown.

A Minnesotan, UMD’s Jack Connolly who attended Duluth’s Marshall High School, won the award last year. The last Gopher to win was Jordan Leopold in 2002.

With recent announcements that five juniors will be leaving school early, plus the end of eligibility for senior Seth Helgeson, the Gophers’ hockey program has lost more than 25 percent of its roster.

Two football games will be played at sites within walking distance of one another on Thursday, August 29. That evening the Gophers host UNLV in a nonconference game at TCF Bank Stadium while the Vikings play their final preseason game against the Titans at Mall of America Field.

The Vikings’ other home preseason game will be August 9 against the Texans.

Last Sunday in Atlanta Lewis Garrison, the former Gophers football player, officiated the Division II men’s college basketball championship game for a second consecutive season.

This is a big weekend for the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund with a benefit tonight at the Metropolitan in Golden Valley, and a community celebration tomorrow at the Martin Luther King Center in Minneapolis. Pro Bowl wide receiver and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. will be at both events and sign autographs at a fundraising session on Saturday. Other guests at the Metropolitan event will include Jamecia Bennett, Cris Carter, and Big Sy Huff. The fund supports multiple causes and honors Carol Fitzgerald who passed away from breast cancer in 2003.

A local source told Sports Headliners assistant basketball coach Ben Johnson interviewed on Monday for a position on Minnesota coach Richard Pitino’s new staff. Johnson, a former Gopher player, joined the Nebraska staff last year.

The 2013 Division I men’s basketball tournament, televised on four networks, was the most-watched NCAA tourney in 19 years, according to a Wednesday story by Sportsmedianews.com, attributing viewership statistics to Nielsen. “The tournament averaged 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million total viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament in 19 years (11.2 million, 1994),” Sportsmedia.com reported.

The story also said Monday night’s title game between Louisville and Michigan had 23.4 million viewers, an increase of 12 percent from the 2012 game.

The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation will host a jersey auction after tomorrow night’s game against the Suns at Target Center. Fans can bid on jerseys worn by Timberwolves players during the game. The winning bidders will have jerseys signed and photos taken with players.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer, who led the Tommies to a 30-2 record and the NCAA tournament semifinals, is the Basketball Times Division III Coach of the Year.

Vance Worley (0-1, 5.73 ERA), acquired in the offseason from the Phillies, makes his third start of the season tonight for the Twins against the Mets and Jonathon Niese (1-0, 2.13 ERA) at Target Field. Worley has a 3-3 career record with a 5.17 ERA against the Mets.

Yesterday was the 52^nd anniversary of the first Twins’ regular season game ever, a 6-0 win in New York against the Yankees. Pedro Ramos was the winning pitcher, Whitey Ford the loser in that 1961 game.

Oswaldo Arcia, the Twins Minor League Player of the Year in 2012, is hitting .458 with three home runs and eight RBI in 24 at bats for Triple-A Rochester.

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Hallelujah! Gophers Find Their Chemistry

Posted on February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers went to church on Sunday. Last night their prayers were answered.

Coach Tubby Smith took his players to a church service, part of a plan to bring the team closer together. Who could argue with the strategy after a 77-73 upset win over No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena last evening?

Before last night the public’s memory of the Gophers was a disinterested performance in Columbus on February 20 when Ohio State embarrassed Minnesota 71-45. The Gophers lacked confidence, cohesiveness and energy in defeat, their third loss in the last four games.

But against the 24-3 Hoosiers the Gophers were reborn. Is there no wonder to what a morning in church, tutoring from a sports psychologist and a new found commitment will do?

Smith resurrected his team, now 7-8 in the Big Ten and 19-9 overall, for at least one night. Give him credit for bringing in the psychologist and using team building activities to shake off the Gophers’ malaise.

Smith said even before the game he saw a “calm” in his players not witnessed before. “It was good to see them having fun (last night),” the coach said.

Reserve forward Oto Osenieks said the psychologist helped a Gophers team that is now intent on starting a new winning streak and playing like the group rated among the nation’s 10 best last month. “We had a team meeting,” Osenieks said. “We talked to each other (and) with him. We just kind of found how to play together more and not blame each other for mistakes. Just be accountable.”

On Sunday the Gophers not only went to church, but had lunch together. “We’ve done a lot of stuff to build the team chemistry,” Osenieks said. “That was a big part of it (the success last night.)”

This was a game that had an observer believing in the second half that it was the Gophers night to win. Andre Ingram, a .333 percent free throw shooter, made two foul line shots including one that made a strange landing on the rim. Later Andre Hollins, the team’s best free throw shooter, threw up a foul shot that looked like a miss until fate gave the ball a friendly bounce.

But make no mistake, the Gophers earned this win with skill and pluck. And maybe Hollins was right when he said he thought the Gophers “wanted” the victory more than the Hoosiers. No one defined Minnesota’s night and effort more than senior center Trevor Mbakwe who had a blocked shot for the ages against Indiana center Cody Zeller, and led all scorers with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Mbawke’s performance and that of his teammates got the Gophers their biggest win of the season, improved the likelihood of an NCAA Tournament invite next month, and set off a pandemonium not seen in Williams Arena for a long time—maybe ever. Fans rushed the court after the game, swallowing up the players despite their superior size and letting loose the frustrations that have dogged both the Gophers and their followers.

In a mostly empty arena late last night a fan walked past Mbakwe in the concourse. “You’ll never forget this night,” the fan said.

Mbakwe beamed.

Amen.

Worth Noting

Smith said Sunday on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” he once thought his team could win 12 to 15 Big Ten games.

The Gophers’ Mbakwe and Rodney Williams are projected to be the No. 33 and 36 picks in the June NBA draft by Nbadraft.net.

Former Gopher basketball All-American Mychal Thompson’s son, Klay Thompson, has been an important contributor to a surprisingly successful season for the NBA’s Warriors. The second-year shooting guard is third on the team in scoring average at 16.3 points per game.

Klay was recruited by the Gophers and Smith out of high school but preferred to stay on the West Coast and never made a recruiting visit to Minnesota. At Washington State his play improved, as it has with the Warriors (averaged 12.5 points his rookie season) and he believes his “best basketball” is still ahead.

Klay said his dad, who is a radio commentator for the Lakers, gives him “advice all the time.” A consistent message is “don’t take a night off” and be aggressive in his play.

“He says if I do that on both ends I will play a long time in this league,” Klay said.

Warriors’ rookie starting forward Harrison Barnes played high school basketball in Ames, Iowa and likes Smith, who recruited him. But Barnes, who was highly recruited and chose North Carolina, said the Gophers weren’t on his final list of 10 potential colleges.

Barnes and Thompson were in Minneapolis on Sunday when the Warriors, who trailed the Wolves by 16 points in the first quarter, defeated Minnesota 100-99. The Wolves frequently can’t win close games because they don’t have an elite finisher.

Their closer, All-Star forward Kevin Love, has been sidelined with a broken hand since early January and he is unsure when he will return. He hasn’t started “basketball related stuff” as he rehabs after surgery but he hopes to have medical clearance to play in the team’s last 15 to 20 games.

Love said it’s important to participate in the final games with his teammates rather than wait until training camp next fall. Love has been working out with another injured Wolves player, small forward Chase Budinger.

A reporter questioned whether Love has everyday restrictions such as “pouring” with his injured right hand. Love teased with his response: “I do a lot of pouring.”

He said LeBron James is not only the NBA MVP but “at least in our generation you’ve never seen somebody play at that level before and win.” The two players were teammates on the 2012 Olympic team and Love admires James’ work ethic.

Love said James’ leadership style made an impression, too, and it’s something he wants to continue with the Wolves. “Just to be vocal,” Love said. “I am a guy that is always vocal and playful, and always around my teammates. …”

Apparently the performance of the Vikings’ special teams made an impression on Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Last week he hired Chris White, who was an assistant special teams coach with the Vikings, to coordinate special teams for the Hawkeyes and coach running backs. White had been on the Vikings staff since 2009 but his previous coaching experience had been college and high school jobs.

With a need at cornerback and past willingness to take chances on draft choices, would the Vikings in the later rounds select controversial LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu?

McKinley Boston was the first African-American athletic director in the Big Ten. The former Gophers AD is featured this month on the Big Ten Network’s salute to Black History Month. Boston is now AD at New Mexico State.

With three games between now and next Monday, the Wild won’t practice today after last night’s 2-1 win over the Flames. The Wild are at Phoenix tomorrow night and Anaheim Friday evening—looking for their first wins of the season against the Coyotes and Ducks. The Wild are 1-0 against the Oilers who are at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

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Wolves to Lose $5 Million or More in 2013

Posted on February 25, 2013February 25, 2013 by David Shama

Glen Taylor expects his Timberwolves franchise to lose $5 million to $10 million this season but hopes to “break-even” financially in 2013-14. During an interview with Sports Headliners the Mankato billionaire and Wolves owner also said he’s not close to selling the team, looks forward to having Kevin Love on the roster for many years and isn’t ready to evaluate general manager David Kahn’s expiring contract.

The franchise has been losing money for years but those deficits have apparently been reduced. In 2010, for example, there was speculation the Wolves would lose $25 million.

Taylor has seen the value of his franchise increase over the years from when he purchased it in 1995 for a reported $88 million. Forbes.com valued the Wolves at $364 million last month.

Taylor, 71, has been shopping the team for awhile. Taylor’s proposal has him remaining as the majority owner for “sometime” with a limited partner eventually taking over the franchise. Some prospective buyers desire control immediately but that’s not what Taylor wants.

“I am not close to anything,” he said. “I continue to talk to people who have shown interest.”

Love, the Wolves Olympian and All-Star forward, made national headlines earlier this season in a Yahoo! Sports article expressing frustration with the franchise. Taylor said the story conveyed the message Love doesn’t like his teammates and the fans, and doesn’t want to play here, but Taylor explained that’s not correct.

“Well, he does regret it (the story),” Taylor said. “He’s expressed that. He didn’t quite anticipate it would come out the way it did. …”

Taylor and Love have talked about the future. He expects Love to be with the franchise even beyond the remaining three seasons on his contract starting next fall.

“Yeah, that’s what he indicated to me, that he’s looking long run,” Taylor said. “I think he knows of Ricky’s (Rubio) potential. …He likes some of the other players on the team. He can see we’re building a good nucleus. He certainly likes the coach (Rick Adelman).”

Love hasn’t played since January 3 because of injury. Taylor said it’s been a frustrating season for the 24-year-old who missed the start of the season with a similar hand injury but that’s not a reason to bring him back on the court until the medical staff determines it’s the right decision. Whether Love will play again before the season ends next month is in doubt.

Kahn has been the team’s general manager since 2009. He and Taylor talk frequently including about how to manage the roster regarding personnel and salaries. During Kahn’s watch the team has added impact players in Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved and Chase Budinger but has yet to make the playoffs and almost for certain will miss again this spring.

Also frustrating is that except for Rubio, Kahn and his scouting staff has regularly misfired on their first and second round draft choices. Among first and second round picks since 2009, only Rubio and Derrick Williams are still with the team. Williams, the second pick in the first round of the 2011 draft, has teased with his potential as both a small and power forward but shown no consistency.

Taylor admitted he is “disappointed” with the first round draft results but said Kahn has “done a lot of things we’ve asked him to do.” And Taylor said he can’t hold Kahn responsible for a bizarre number of injuries that have at times sidelined many of the team’s most important players including starters and subs.

The Wolves have an option on Kahn’s contract. “We evaluate everything at the end of the year,” Taylor said. “To say that we haven’t done very well on the draft choices is a correct statement. Is that all of his responsibility? It’s certainly part of his responsibility.”

Worth Noting

Gophers coach Tubby Smith criticized the senior leadership on his team during the 1500 ESPN postgame show following last week’s 71-45 loss to Ohio State. Commentator Spencer Tollackson prompted the remark while talking about the importance of senior leadership late in the season and implying how that’s needed when a team is struggling. “Unfortunately we don’t have that type of leadership within our seniors. So it’s got to come from me and obviously I’ve done a poor job of doing that,” Smith said.

The Gophers had 24 turnovers in the game. “I have to admit obviously we’re not having as competitive practices as we have to have in order for us to get better because obviously we haven’t gotten better,” Smith said in the interview. “Our ball-handling has gone backwards. …Everybody kind of contributed to turning the ball over, especially our post players with 10 between Mo (Walker) and Trevor (Mbawke). Just baffling, to be honest with you.”

The Gophers, who have lost four of their last five games, are 6-8 in the Big Ten and 18-9 overall. Minnesota plays No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena tomorrow night.

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in Chicago March 14-17 is a sellout.

At Sports Headliners’ request, prep basketball authority Ken Lien prepared the following rankings of Minnesota high school boys’ teams.

Class 4A: Apple Valley, Osseo, Park Center, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Lakeville North, Brainerd.

Class 3A: DeLaSalle, Austin, Marshall, Delano, Blake, Holy Angels, Waconia, Hermantown.

Class 2A: Melrose, Hawley, Fairmont, Maple River, St. Peter, Byron, Braham, Redwood Valley.

Class 1A: Upsala, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrose, Maranatha Christian Academy, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Rushford-Peterson, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Browerville, Ada-Borup.

The MIAC announced last week that in 2012 the conference led all Division III leagues in football attendance for the seventh time in eight years. The conference’s nine teams hosted 48 games with attendance of 161,870, averaging 3,372 per game.

For the 15^th time in 20 years Saint John’s led all Division III schools in attendance, averaging 7,948 per game and a total of 39,741. Concordia finished No. 5 with total attendance of 24,197, averaging 4,839 fans. Concordia has been in the top five two years in a row and in the top 10 seven of the last eight years.

Patrick Klinger & Company is presenting a seminar titled “Using Sports to Drive Your Business” on Tuesday, March 19 at the University of St. Thomas. The seminar’s intent is to help businesses identify the right sponsorships to maximize investments and produce measurable results. Prior to establishing his company, Patrick Klinger was Twins vice president of marketing for more than a decade. More information about the seminar is available at klingercompany.com or by calling 612-366-0419.

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