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Target Center to Host Hall of Fame

Posted on August 20, 2017August 20, 2017 by David Shama

A group led by former Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi is establishing the Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame and will announce the first class of inductees in the coming months.

Maturi told Sports Headliners he’s been involved with the project for four-plus years and there will soon be a Hall of Fame display in the renovated Target Center that re-opens in October. “The inaugural (Hall of Fame) event will be some time this fall, or early winter in conjunction with a Wolves game,” he said.

The Hall of Fame will honor the accomplishments of not just former great high school players in Minnesota, but other contributors to prep basketball including coaches, media and referees. The inaugural class of inductees is expected to total a dozen or so individuals. “The first class is the hardest because there are so many deserving people,” Maturi said.

Maturi, who chairs a board of volunteers for the project, played high school basketball at Chisholm High School for the legendary Bob McDonald. That experience is part of what provides Maturi motivation for the Hall of Fame.

The Minnesota shrine will be one of the few, if not the first in the country, to honor men and women with varied accomplishments and contributions to the state’s rich basketball history. Halls of Fame in other states for prep basketball honor only coaches.

Maturi was the Gophers athletics director from 2002-2012. The University of Minnesota will soon officially rename the school’s Sports Pavilion in his honor. As of September 2, the formal name for the facility will be the Joel Maturi University Sports Pavilion and the building’s exterior will bear the name “Maturi Pavilion.”

Maturi was more than surprised when school officials approached him about renaming the facility that hosts more intercollegiate events than any other at the U. “That would be an understatement,” he said. “Surprised is too soft a word. Stunned, shocked and overwhelmed. I was humbled and honored. I am really appreciative that the U is recognizing a decade of transition.”

Maturi was the Athletic Department’s first-ever director for both the men’s and women’s programs—bringing together what had been two separate and sometimes adversarial departments. During the Maturi era football returned to campus with the building of TCF Bank Stadium, teams won five national championships, academics improved, and the department became more unified.

The U will honor Maturi prior to the Gophers’ volleyball match against Tennessee on September 2. The ceremony will be part of what has been a memorable year for the 72-year-old, who had prostate surgery in April and is now cancer free.

Worth Noting

Myron Medcalf, the former Star Tribune sportswriter now on the college basketball beat for Espn.com, has the Gophers at No. 15 in his most recent “Way-too-Early” top 25 rankings posted Thursday. Michigan State, who he ranks No. 4, is the only Big Ten Conference team ahead of the Gophers. He writes the Spartans are the conference favorite for a title, but cautions not to overlook Minnesota.

Medcalf moved Duke to No. 1 in his latest rankings, noting the Blue Devils have so much talent that Minnesota native Gary Trent Jr., projected as one of the top freshmen in the country, may come off the bench rather than start.

The Twins beat the Diamondbacks 12-5 today, winning their 11th game in the last 14 and remaining a contender for the playoffs. In their three-game series sweep the Twins out scored Arizona 27-8.

The Twins had a nine run first inning in today’s game at Target Field, the most runs they have scored in one inning since 2014. Eddie Rosario received the loudest applause with his second career grand slam, but Max Kepler had a key role in the big inning too. Kepler, who has struggled against left-handed pitching, got a hit off Arizona lefty starter T.J. McFarland to increase Minnesota’s lead from 2-0 to 4-0.

Joe Mauer, who didn’t play today, is hitting .500 in his last nine games with nine RBI. He has raised his average to .290 for the season.

The Vikings added former Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner to their roster today. After practice this afternoon Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said his organization liked Leidner’s past workouts but that the Lakeville South alum has struggled with passing accuracy.

Leidner wasn’t drafted by an NFL team after the 2016 season with the Gophers. He attended the Ravens rookie minicamp but didn’t sign with the team.

Zimmer also said he liked the performance of rookie center Pat Elflein in Friday night’s preseason loss to the Seahawks, but he hasn’t decided who will be his starter in 2017.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association will relocate its men’s and women’s office staffs from Edina to Bloomington next week, moving into new space near Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport.

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Zimmer Weighs How Much to Use Starters

Posted on August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column beginning with the Vikings.

The Vikings have their second of four preseason games Friday night at Seattle against the Seahawks. Traditionally, teams play their starters the most in the third exhibition game, which this year is August 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium against the 49ers. “Honestly, I am really weighing that a lot,” Mike Zimmer said this morning about how much to use his regulars in game three and before the season starts.

In the third game starters often play the entire first half and even part of the third quarter. What gives the Vikings head coach pause is potential injuries. He knows the capabilities of many regulars and wants to protect their bodies in the preseason, but he also needs to know they are in game shape for the season opener September 11 against the Saints in Minneapolis.

Zimmer said he’s competitive and wants to win at just about anything but he also has perspective on the preseason and sees it as a time to teach and evaluate. “We know what the record is but we don’t really go out of our way to win,” he said.

Is four the right number of preseason gam? “Yeah, I don’t have a problem,” Zimmer said. “Preseason is a lot less stressful to me. I am not as nervous on gamedays.”

The performance of the offensive line, with some new personnel and presumably good health, might have more to do with determining the success of the 2016 season than any other unit. Last year was a dark time for the group, with too many injuries and shuffling players in and out. The Vikings had a disappointing 8-8 record and third place finish in the NFC North.

Alex Boone (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Guard Alex Boone, who started 14 games last season, said the line will be improved. Despite injuries, players trying out at different spots and Zimmer still sorting out who his starting five during training camp will be, Boone believes the offensive line will be better.

Boone added, the “biggest thing is getting continuity—you have so many new guys in there and guys are kind of getting shuffled around.” By the opening game next month the goal is to have a unit where everyone is on the same page with how they approach assignments and react.

“Sometimes guys are stubborn,” Boone said. “I am stubborn sometimes. I don’t want to do things everybody else’s way. At the end of the day you gotta look at it as a collective (goal) and say, ‘Is this good for the group?’

“Right now I don’ t think we have any problems with anything. Everybody is kind of on the same board. It’s really getting footwork together and jelling together. How do you see this? How do you see that? How do you want this set? Every day we’re taking steps to get better—and that’s the key to this camp and that’s the key to this league. As long as we keep doing that, we’ll be all right.”

Boone is one of the more interesting and even entertaining Vikings to interview. During the offseason he and his wife Dana took their three young children on a driving trip in a 50-foot RV. They drove from Minneapolis to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, down to Ohio and back to Minnesota.

“It was the greatest time of my life,” Boone said. “I had so much driving for like 18 hours straight.”

Did the kids bother him? “They had an amazing time in the back, just breaking everything. Awesome.”

There’s an assumption that rookie Dalvin Cook will be the starting running back for the Vikings, replacing future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. While that’s likely to be true, Jerick McKinnon, with three years of experience and a reputation as one of the NFL’s more effective pass receivers in the backfield, wants more than a third down role for himself.

“…That’s what it’s all about. If you’re not here to compete, then I don’t know why you’re here,” McKinnon said.

Moritz Bohringer, the 23-year-old German native and wide receiver who is trying to make the Vikings gameday roster after spending last year on the practice team, has only been playing American football since 2013. Playing for teams in Germany for three seasons and 40 games, he caught 164 passes for 4,327 yards, averaging 26.4 yards per reception and scoring 57 receiving touchdowns.

The Gophers have football practices open to the public Tuesday (today) and Thursday at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Both practices begin at 3:30 p.m.

Trevor Hildenberger, the Twins rookie side-armer who got his first Major League save on Sunday in a win over the Tigers, has a 1.57 career ERA in four seasons as a relief pitcher in the minors. Drafted by the Twins in the 23rd round in 2014, the right-handed Hildenberger was even a relief specialist in college where he tied a Cal-Berkley school record with 10 saves in a season.

The Twins are 5-8 so far this season against the Indians, the team they trail by five games in the American League Central Division. With three games this week at Target Field against the Indians, a Minnesota sweep could tighten the division race fast.

It’s likely the Twins will sell a lot of last minute tickets for the series, including tonight’s crowd that perhaps could exceed 32,000.

Former Twins World Series manager Tom Kelly, recently honored with a statue outside Target Field, has his 67th birthday today.

The “clock” is moving fast on first baseman-DH Byung Ho Park, the South Korean slugger who turned 31 last month and is struggling to impress the Twins who acquired him in a much hyped free agent signing in December of 2015. Park is hitting .260 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 342 at bats playing for Triple-A Rochester. He has played the entire season with the Red Wings after a part-time showing with Minnesota in 2016 when he hit .191 with 12 home runs and 24 RBI.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association is reminding prep coaches that annual membership in their organization and the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association makes coaches and players eligible for MFCA post-season awards.

Erik Haula, the former Wild forward now with the expansion Golden Knights, is among the NHL players participating in the summer Da Beauty League in Edina. He will be back in Minnesota November 30 when his Las Vegas team plays the Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild, in partnership with Minnesota Hockey and the National Sports Center, will host the Mite Fall Jamboree presented by Xcel Energy on September 15-17 at the Center in Blaine. Discounted single game tickets are offered to jamboree participants and families for Wild home preseason games September 21 and 30. More at Wild.com/mites.

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P.J. Fleck Talks QB, Team Record

Posted on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column kicking off with Gophers football.

The Gophers start practices today without a No. 1 quarterback but redshirt senior Conor Rhoda and junior Demry Croft are the presumed leading candidates to win the job sometime before Minnesota’s opening game August 31. A quarterback question was the first one asked during a media Q&A session with head coach P.J. Fleck yesterday.

“The quarterback question is one I’m sure you all have on your minds,” Fleck said. “I have it on my mind—I’ll be honest with you—every single day, every single night.

“What I’m looking for is somebody to take ownership of our football team. (Florida State coach) Jimbo Fisher had a question from ACC Media Days, (and said) you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough team.

“We have to find out how tough the quarterbacks are. They both played minimum snaps, the minimum of one game. So you have to put them through rigorous, high-stress, high-pressure—(and also) easy, relaxed, type of situations—all throughout the spectrum to see how they respond to that. Decisive decision-making in everything that they do.”

Fleck won’t put a deadline on naming a quarterback this month. He said “…eventually we have to make a decision and be able to train that quarterback, so he gets a little bit more reps than everybody else.”

The Gophers were 9-4 last season but most media don’t see that many wins for Minnesota this fall. The team not only has uncertainty at quarterback but in the offensive line and other areas including lack of depth at key spots on defense. The program’s strongest unit on either side of the ball is the linebackers.

Fleck isn’t predicting the team’s final record this season. “I think we have 42, 43 lettermen coming back, which makes us one of the least experienced teams in the country,” he said. “We have a new offense, new defense, new special teams, completely new culture, new way of doing things. Twenty-two (injured) guys who (can) have an impact that are out and we still haven’t seen what they can do, or how they implement with our system.

“Those aren’t excuses, those are just facts. We could go 12-0, or 0-12. I’m not worried about the ‘W’ or the ‘L’—what that looks like. I’m worried about this team doing everything they can to become their best and reach their maximum potential.”

Fleck and the staff take a comprehensive approach to educating their players in subjects that go far beyond the fundamentals of football. Those topics range from dating to yoga to Pilates.

True to his energetic style, Fleck stood at a podium when he talked to the media yesterday. Former Gophers head coaches Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys sat at a table as they made remarks and answered questions.

Fans can attend six practices scheduled at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex: August 4, 6 p.m.; August 5, 3:30 p.m.; August 8, 3:30 p.m.; August 11, 4:15 p.m.; August 15, 3:30 p.m.; August 17, 3:30 p.m. (Practice dates, times and locations are subject to change).

Jeff Jones, the 2013 prep Mr. Football in Minnesota and ex-Gopher running back and wide receiver, is headed to Fullerton College, a California community college, according to Giovan Jenkins who was his head coach at Washburn High School. Jenkins told Sports Headliners he spoke to Jones recently about his plan.

Casey O’Brien, son of former Gophers defensive backfield coach and athletic department administrator Dan O’Brien, is a freshman walk-on holder for Minnesota. Casey, who beat cancer twice in his teen years, was a holder and golfer at Cretin-Derham Hall, and won the 2016 Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award.

The Twin Cities Pro Am basketball league has four teams remaining in the playoffs. Tonight’s games at DeLaSalle High School include Team Jones against Diggs Team starting at 5:45 p.m. The Team Jones roster features Jones brothers Tyus, Tre and Jadee. Finer Way Inc. plays EC Playaz at 7 p.m.

Gophers sophomore forward Michael Hurt will play overseas this month on a amateur team for legendary coach Larry Brown. Hurt will be one of 12 players, mostly from Power Five conferences, who will play for the East Coast Team against squads from Japan, Mexico, Senegal and Venezuela in Madrid, Spain. The American team will have games against those countries on August 8, 9, 10 and 11.

The Twins acquired relief pitcher Gabriel Moya from the Diamondbacks last week and he could be a name to watch for in 2018. Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Moya is expected to go with the big league club to spring training, with an opportunity to make the team.

At the time of the trade, Moya had pitched in 34 games for Double-A Jackson, with a 4-1 record and 0.82 ERA. He was 17-for-17 in save opportunities. With the Twins Double-A Chattanooga team he is 1-0, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one hit and no runs.

The Twins gave up minor league catcher John Ryan Murphy who had been a disappointment offensively since the Twins acquired him from the Yankees in 2015 for centerfielder Aaron Hicks. Murphy is exceptional defensively.

VSAauctions.com is offering sports memorabilia including a Ted Harris-signed early 1970s era North Stars jersey, and a team signed 1980 U.S. Olympic jersey.

The late Herb Brooks, who coached that Olympic team to the gold medal and won three national titles leading the Gophers, would have turned 80 this Saturday.

The “Breakfast with Leroy” group will have former Gophers All-American basketball player and now Minneapolis Director of Athletics Trent Tucker as its speaker September 9 at the Bloomington Knights of Columbus, 1114 American Blvd. West. The public is welcome, with more information available by contacting Pat Rickert at 612-861-3981.

The local Wood Bat Little League Baseball Tournament is August 3-6 and will raise funds to assist youth baseball in Benin, a small and impoverished nation in West Africa. More at Baseballinbenin.org.

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