Timberwolves – Page 97 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Women’s Team Needs Tourney Run

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by David Shama

Although apathy characterizes the attitude of many fans toward Gophers women’s basketball, there is anticipation and curiosity about the team that begins play in the Big Ten Tournament tomorrow night as the No. 6 seed.

Coach Pam Borton’s team finished 8-8 during the regular season, the program’s best showing since 2009 and the last year Minnesota was invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers won six of their final eight league games, and a win over No. 11 seed Wisconsin tomorrow evening would almost certainly guarantee an NCAA invite. Minnesota is 19-11 overall and may qualify for the NCAA Tournament even if the Gophers can’t win a game in the conference tourney in Indianapolis.

But Borton and her team need to build momentum in the program by not only winning a couple of NCAA tourney games this month, but also earn major success in the future with plus-.500 Big Ten records. The program has faltered since the glory days of 2003, 2004 and 2005 when Minnesota played in the Sweet 16 twice and Final Four once. The Gophers were 6^th in the conference standings this season, certainly an improvement over the previous four years of 11^th, 9^th and two 8^th place finishes.

The Gophers averaged 9,800 fans per game in 2003-2004, and 9,200 and 8,329 the following seasons, ranking in the top five or six nationally for women’s college basketball attendance. The last three seasons the Gophers have averaged 2,835, 3,277 and 3,178 fans per game.

The Gophers can do better on the court and at the box office than the results of more recent seasons. The program has the potential to be a revenue producer for the athletic department and no doubt athletic director Norwood Teague wants to see home attendance more comparable with Big Ten leaders like Purdue and Michigan State who averaged 8,031 and 7,145 fans per game this season.

Teague’s reputation is that of a basketball authority. He hired nationally respected Shaka Smart as men’s coach at VCU. Last year he dismissed Tubby Smith as Gophers men’s coach and hired Richard Pitino who has impressed with his teaching skills while working with minimal talent compared to the Big Ten’s best teams.

Teague also hired Beth Goetz last year as his department’s senior women’s administrator. Before coming to the Gophers, Goetz was at Butler where she earned praise from Bulldogs’ renowned head basketball coach Brad Stevens. Her responsibilities at Minnesota include women’s basketball and it seems likely she will play a key role in evaluating Borton after this season.

Borton has been Minnesota’s head coach since 2002. The athletic department invested significantly in her despite struggles on the court and large financial losses with the program. (Example: a May 4, 2013 Star Tribune story reported a 2011-2012 “deficit of almost $2 million.”) Borton has received over $400,000 annually since the 2008-2009 season and at that time was in the top one-third of the Big Ten’s best paid women’s coaches. Her contract extends through the 2016 season.

Among the positives Goetz could mention in an evaluation of the coach are two of Borton’s best recruits ever, junior guard Rachel Banham who led the Big Ten in scoring at 23.3 points per game and freshman center Amanda Zahui B., the conference’s top rebounder at 11.5 per game. Both players were chosen all-Big Ten first team by the media. The media and coaches chose Zahui B. as Freshman of the Year.

If Banham and Zahui B. could lead the Gophers to a couple of wins in the Big Ten tournament and two more in the NCAA, the momentum going into next season will be noticeable and that apathy bandwagon would have fewer passengers.

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves, 30-29, wouldn’t earn a spot in the NBA Western Conference playoffs if the season ended now but Minnesota can’t be counted out. Starting tonight at Target Center against the Knicks (21-40), the Wolves face six opponents in the next seven games with records at least a half dozen wins under .500. Six of the games are at home for the Wolves who have a realistic chance to earn the eighth and final playoff spot before the season ends on April 16.

Another opportunity awaits later this month when the club has games at Dallas and Memphis, and home against Phoenix. The Mavericks, Grizzlies, Suns and Warriors are the teams most immediately ahead of the Wolves in playoff positioning.

The possibility of the Wolves earning a playoff spot this year and next is expected to have a lot to do with whether All-Star forward Kevin Love opts out of his contract in the 2015 offseason. In his five previous seasons in Minneapolis the team has yet to make the playoffs. Winning is something Love knew at UCLA and as a pro with the 2012 gold medal U.S. Olympic team.

Although the lure of playing for a better team (perhaps in a warm weather climate) is worth worrying about, Love could decide to stay here if the Wolves become a legitimate top 10 NBA team with more promise ahead. He might not find another point guard who sets him up better for open shots than Ricky Rubio. Also, don’t discount the relationship between Love and Flip Saunders, the team’s president of basketball operations who has made it a priority to develop rapport with the 25-year-old superstar.

Former Vikings coach Bud Grant will speak at the March 13 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Grant, who was one of the Gophers greatest athletes ever and played two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers, coached 11 championship teams with the Vikings. Grant, who turns 87 on May 20, will have copies of his book, I Did It My Way, on sale at the luncheon. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations (by March 10) for the lunch and program can be made by contacting dotsethj@comcast.net.

Grant’s buddy Sid Hartman, the Star Tribune columnist and WCCO Radio personality, will be 94 on March 15.

Defensive end Everson Griffen never won a starting job with the Vikings but figures to create some stir as a free agent because of his strong pass rushing skills.

No doubt former Gophers offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, now the OC with the NFL’s Jags, has to be anticipating Jacksonville taking one of the top college quarterbacks with the No. 3 selection in the NFL Draft’s first round.

Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, in his first spring training camp with the Rockies, is hitless in two at bats.

Baseball America’s top 10 Twins prospects (in order) are Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, Kohl Stewart, Jose Berrios, Eddie Rosario, Lewis Thorpe, Trevor May, Danny Santana and Jorge Polanco. Five of those prospects are pitchers including Thorpe who is among the least familiar names to some Twins fans. Thorpe, 18 and from Australia, signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent last July. He led the Gulf Coast League in strikeouts with 64 in 44 innings pitched, starting eight games, relieving in four and compiling a 4-1 record with a 2.05 ERA.

FOX Sports 1, the nation’s new sports channel trying to rival ESPN, makes its major league baseball programming debut April 5 with a doubleheader that includes the Twins at Indians game. The other telecast will be the Giants at the Dodgers.

Former Vikings safety Darren Sharper, who faces multiple rape charges, has been fired by the NFL Network.

St. Olaf men’s basketball coach Dan Kosmoski, a former Gophers assistant, made his 20^th season memorable. The Oles are MIAC playoff champs for the first time in school history and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament where they play Central College (Iowa) on Friday in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. St. Thomas, the team that lost to St. Olaf last weekend in the title playoff game, is also in the NCAA Tournament with a game on Friday against Augustana (Illinois) in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

St. Olaf’s Sam Daly and St. Thomas’ Courtney Pahl have won with the MIAC Elite 22 Award for men’s and women’s basketball. The elite 22 awards program recognizes MIAC athletes in various sports for high academic and athletic achievement. Daly, a senior with a 3.65 GPA, has a double-major in chemistry and psychology. Pahl, a sophomore with a 4.0 GPA, has a double-major in biochemistry and biology.

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Flip: Rubio to Become ‘Decent’ Shooter

Posted on January 6, 2014January 6, 2014 by David Shama

Don’t expect Flip Saunders to join those who criticize the shooting of Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio.

Rubio is making 0.351 percent of his field goals, the lowest percentage among the team’s starters. As a group the Wolves are converting 0.434 percent of their field goal attempts.

Rubio averages 9 points per game, not much better than his backup Jose Barea at 8.3 who plays fewer minutes. Rubio’s scoring average is the lowest among starters on a team with a 16-17 record and may not fulfill its potential of going to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The Wolves have lost nine games by four points or less including last Saturday’s 115-111 game against the Thunder. They haven’t been able to close out games and a better shooting Rubio would have made a difference but Saunders, the Wolves president of basketball operations, emphasizes the strengths of the third year point guard.

“You gotta look at his impact on the game,” Saunders told Sports Headliners last week. “He’s one of the few guys in our league that can have an impact on a game without scoring a lot of points. He’s had nights where he’s scored seven, eight points, but we’ve had big blowout wins because he’s had 10 assists, four steals, (and) a lot of rebounds.

“What goes unnoticed is he’s either (the) first or second highest rebounding point guard in the league at 4.6 rebounds. He’s fourth in the league in assists and he’s leading the league in steals.”

Rubio is making 0.339 percent of his three point attempts, similar to the team average of 0.337 and certainly a respectable figure. And Saunders said fans may not be aware how much Rubio wants to improve his overall shooting.

“I think the misconception (is) people don’t think he works at it. He works harder than anybody on our team in shooting. He’s 23. In time he’ll become a decent shooter.”

Rubio puts pressure on himself to improve and help the team win including the frustration of trying to push the season record above .500. Does he care too much?

“I always say that your greatest strength is your greatest weakness because you can’t control it,” Saunders said. “His greatest strength is his competiveness and his will to win. He’s a perfectionist but he doesn’t fail quickly. Sometimes if he makes a mistake or if he misses a shot, he’ll be thinking about that shot instead of forgetting about it and worrying about the next one.”

Rubio is making 0.853 percent of his foul shots, second best among the starters and No. 19 in the NBA. Saunders mentioned the 85 percent and predicted better field goal percentages in the future for Rubio.

“You look at the history of the league, most guys that shoot 86 percent from the free throw line end up being pretty good (field goal) shooters. In time he’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna shoot I think in the 45 percent and above (range), and over 40 percent from the three point line.”

Worth Noting

In last year’s NBA draft Saunders chose Michigan point guard Trey Burke, then traded him immediately to the Jazz for two later first round picks, swingman Shabazz Muhammad and center Gorgui Dieng who have played minimal minutes and games for the Wolves. Burke is averaging 13.3 points and 5.2 assists for the Jazz, establishing himself as a starter and key contributor to the team’s success.

Saunders said Burke is a good player but the Wolves had “five point guards” on the roster at draft time, including Rubio. “It’s tough to take a guy that’s not a high lottery pick that duplicates one of your best players,” Saunders said.

Saunders said playing in the Western Conference against so many of the NBA’s best teams could mean the Wolves “win 46 games and not make the playoffs.” The team was 31-51 last season.

The Wolves have superstar forward Kevin Love who leads the league in rebounds per game and is second in scoring average. Rubio’s passing and dribbling can be worthy of top 10 highlights on ESPN. “No matter what, we play entertaining basketball,” Saunders said. “We’re a team that a lot of people when they turn on NBA League Pass…want to watch.”

It looks like a long season for former Gophers coach Tubby Smith at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders first year coach is 8-6 with losses against the better teams on his schedule including Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State and Pittsburgh. In their home Big 12 opener on Saturday, the Raiders lost to Iowa State 73-62 before 5,861 fans.

Jeff Jones, the Washburn running back who was a team MVP last week in the nationally televised Under Armour All-America Game, was only invited to the national prep all-star event because another player couldn’t participate, according to Millers head coach Giovan Jenkins. He also said Jones will make an official visit to Florida later this month but has yet to schedule visits to Missouri and Michigan State. The Gophers still could be Jones’ college choice.

Twins spring training tickets go on sale Saturday. On January 24 single game ticket sales begin for the April 7 home opener in Minneapolis against the A’s. Single game tickets for the rest of the season will be available starting February 22. Tickets remain on sale for TwinsFest January 24-26 at Target Field. All tickets are available for purchase via Twinsbaseball.com, or by telephoning 612-33-TWINS.

The extreme cold has postponed St. Thomas and Bethel men’s and women’s basketball games scheduled for tonight until next Monday evening. Those are anticipated games because all four teams are off to successful starts in the MIAC. The St. Thomas men are 4-0, the women 6-0, while Bethel’s men’s team is 3-2 and the women 5-0.

Let’s Play Hockey magazine had a January 3 feature on 93-year-old Norb Robertson, a former Gophers hockey player and the father of ex-Wild executive Billy Robertson. The older Robertson also participated in baseball and football at Minnesota, and played all three sports at St. Thomas College, too.

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Dutcher Won’t Judge Pitino Too Soon

Posted on January 3, 2014January 3, 2014 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher is impressed with Richard Pitino but told Sports Headliners not to completely judge the first-year Gophers coach for a couple of years until results of his recruiting will be apparent.

Dutcher, the 1982 Minnesota Big Ten championship coach, said Pitino and his staff “did everything right” when the Gophers were a surprising 11-2 during the nonconference season. Last night in their Big Ten opener the Gophers impressed with their energy and rebounding (38 to 24 advantage) but couldn’t make enough plays late in the game against Michigan, losing 63-60.

“He’s done everything you could hope for,” Dutcher said prior to the Michigan game. “There’s a reason to be optimistic but it’s too early to be really optimistic. We don’t know. Tubby had undefeated (and one loss) nonconference seasons. Then the conference was a whole different deal.”

Pitino wasn’t hired to replace Gophers coach Tubby Smith until early April of last year. It was a surprise move by athletic director Norwood Teague because the then 30-year-old Pitino had only one year of college head coaching experience — with low profile Florida International of the Sun Belt Conference.

Pitino didn’t seem like a logical choice to skeptical fans. Doubts surfaced because Pitino looked like an afterthought with established coaches like Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams and Flip Saunders reportedly turning the job down.

Was hiring Pitino a good decision? “I’ll tell you after he’s had two recruiting classes,” Dutcher answered. “The secret to winning in any program is getting good players. I don’t care how good a coach you are, if you don’t have good players you’re not going to do well. Whether this staff can recruit, we won’t know that for a couple (or) three years. We won’t know how successful they’re going to be.”

Smith was hired after a long run of success at Kentucky including a national championship. Both his coaching and recruiting, though, faltered over six seasons at Minnesota. He was fired after compiling a 46-62 regular season Big Ten record.

“The jury is definitely out (on Pitino),” Dutcher said. “When people ask me, I say we don’t know. They were having parades and putting up banners when Tubby was hired, and you know where it was five years later.”

And then there is this: Pitino was asked about building his program during the postgame news conference last night. “I think it’s all about recruiting,” he said.

Worth Noting

The Gophers reported 11,800 tickets sold as of this morning for Sunday’s Purdue home game. Williams Arena capacity is 14,625.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders was at last night’s Minnesota-Michigan game to watch his twin daughters, Kim and Rachel, perform for the Gophers national championship dance team.

The new Vikings stadium scheduled to open in 2016 will have many enhancements compared to the Metrodome but for the general public none may be appreciated more than the restrooms. The new stadium will have 979 restroom fixtures compared with 435 at the dome.

Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin all lost bowl games because of ineffective passing games and not being able to come from behind at halftimes. Gophers coach Jerry Kill is rebuilding the Gophers the way he planned, making defense priority No.1. Since the 2011 season the Gophers are 0-21 in games when trailing at halftime. Look for that to change next fall.

Washburn running back Jeff Jones was the MVP for Team Nitro in yesterday’s Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown, according to Espn.com. Team Highlight defeated Team Nitro 31-21 in the prep all-star game. Jones has verbally committed to Minnesota although he is drawing more attention from college recruiters and was offered a scholarship this week by Florida.

Eric Curry, who is both a college basketball referee and VP of sales at Sun Country Airlines, is engaged to Gophers assistant women’s basketball coach Kelly Roysland. The two became engaged late last year and are finalizing a wedding date.

The 18^th annual Timberwolves Shootout’s first game tomorrow (9:15 a.m.) matches the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks against the Lakeville North Panthers. Lakeville is led by senior J.P. Macura, a Xavier recruit who has been averaging 37.4 points per game. The Thunderhawks’ starters include junior Alex Illikainen who could finish his high school career as the state’s all-time leading rebounder.

The Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders and Bettendorf (Iowa) Bulldogs will play in the second game at 11 a.m. Then at 12:45 p.m. the DeLaSalle Islanders meet the St. Rita Mustangs from Chicago. The Islanders’ Reid Travis, who averaged 26.1 points per game last year, has yet to play this season because of a broken bone in his foot. The Mustangs are led by Victor Law, a Northwestern signee who is ranked No. 66 by ESPN in the class of 2014 and junior Charles Matthews, ranked No. 11 in the 2015 class, and has received offers from Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State.

The Shootout’s last game matches the Apple Valley Eagles against the Blue Valley Northwest Huskies from Overland Park, Kansas starting at 2:30 p.m. Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones has been averaging 28.8 points per game this season. The Huskies’ starters include Clayton Custer, an Iowa State signee and two-time first team Class 6A selectee.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien thinks the final game of the day could be the best with two teams that are defending state champions. “Blue Valley really has a traditionally strong program,” he said.

All Shootout games are at Target Center. Fans with tickets to watch the Timberwolves versus Oklahoma City game at 7 p.m. tomorrow night are admitted free to the Shootout. Otherwise, tickets to watch all four games are available tomorrow for $15 at the Target Center box office.

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