Twins – Page 180 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Two ‘Hot Seats’ at U-Bruins Game Tonight

Posted on March 22, 2013March 22, 2013 by David Shama

“One and done” is a cliché that has characterized the NCAA Tournament for decades. The single elimination tournament sends losing teams home to wonder what might have been. That will include the loser of tonight’s South Region game in Austin, Texas between the Gophers and UCLA.

But there’s speculation that “one and done” also applies to Minnesota coach Tubby Smith and Bruins coach Ben Howland. Will the loser in tonight’s game be out of a job?

At storied UCLA, expectations are about competing in Final Fours and winning national titles. Howland hasn’t had the Bruins in the finals since 2008. UCLA is also criticized for not being exciting, and attendance at home games is an issue.

Among the candidates rumored as a potential successor to Howland is VCU coach Shaka Smart whose name is frequently linked to the Minnesota job. Howland may need a Final Four appearance this spring to continue working at UCLA.

Smith may need an Elite Eight finish to hang on at Minnesota. The sixth-year Gophers’ coach has many critics after never winning an NCAA Tournament game at Minnesota and compiling an overall Big Ten regular season record of 46-62 (best conference finish is sixth place).

The coach set high expectations for this year’s team, telling Sports Headliners before the season he had three potential first round NBA draft choices (Andre Hollins, Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams). In January, Minnesota was a top 10 ranked team with a 15-1 record. Since then the Gophers, 20-12 overall this season, have won only five games.

Sources close to the University of Minnesota and Gophers basketball have told Sports Headliners they believe a change in coaches is likely. But as expected, athletic director Norwood Teague and University president Eric Kaler are not saying much so far.

Teague said on WCCO Radio Wednesday morning that all the athletic department coaches are evaluated at the end of their seasons. Kaler told Sports Headliners the same in late February. But if asked, I wonder if Teague would say exactly the same about Don Lucia — the Gophers hockey coach whose team tied for the WCHA title and is a prominent contender for a national championship.

A source said the cost of the reported $2.5 million buyout for Smith won’t deter a change in coaches if that is what administrators want. The department could receive a loan from the University to finance the buyout. Also, television dollars paid to Big Ten teams are increasing, including a jump this year, according to the source.

Another factor regarding a decision is the financial impact of retaining Smith. After multiple disappointing seasons including the free fall of 2013, basketball revenues will decline next fall and winter — and maybe dramatically. Potential areas of impact include season tickets, single game tickets, parking, concessions, arena advertising, corporate sponsorships, merchandising and donations.

And then there is the image of the University. Administrators talk about high profile sports such as basketball being the “front porch” to their colleges. What do Minnesota school officials want the eye test to say about their heavily criticized basketball program?

Worth Noting

The Gophers-Bruins game, with a 9 p.m. tipoff CDT tonight, caused a radio scheduling problem on 1500 ESPN which broadcasts Gophers basketball and hockey. Minnesota’s WCHA Final Five game will be on 1500 ESPN while the basketball game will air on FM 107.1.

Despite the Gophers’ slump, NBAdraft.net projects Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe as second round picks in June. The website has Williams at No. 40 going to the 76ers with Mbakwe chosen by the Bucks at No. 45. In the 2014 draft Gophers point guard Andre Hollins is projected as the 21^st pick by the Warriors while shooting guard Austin Hollins is the No. 37 choice of the Cavs.

The Gophers’ hockey team is 23-1-1 this season when sophomore forward Kyle Rau scores a point. He has seven game winning goals this season — best in the nation.

Tonight in the WCHA Final Five the Gophers play Colorado College coached by Scott Owens who is a former assistant under Minnesota coach Don Lucia. Two other head coaches in the tournament, Bob Motzko from St. Cloud State and Mike Hastings from Minnesota State, are former Lucia assistants.

Minnesota, 26-7-5 overall, has won five consecutive games and is among the favorites to play in the Frozen Four next month. The Gophers haven’t lost consecutive games all season. The 2003 national championship team was the last Gophers team to accomplish that.

All-session ticket packages go on sale Monday for the 2014 first ever Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament to be held March 20-22 at Xcel Energy Center. Ticket sources include Ticketmaster and Xcel.

The Wild, who have won four consecutive games and are in first place in the Northwest Division, have a chance for payback on Monday night in Dallas against the Stars. Minnesota hasn’t won there since 2003 – 16 consecutive losses.

Gophers’ spring football practice starts on Tuesday with 15 total sessions scheduled and all are open to the public. Practices begin at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday of next week, and at 10 a.m. on March 30.

Day time highs are expected to be in the upper 30’s next week with a high of 48 predicted for April 1, according to Myforecast.com. The Twins open their regular season with games against the Tigers on April 1, 3 and 4. Despite what you may have heard, the Twins won’t be heading indoors to the Metrodome.

“We are 100 percent focused on playing at Target Field,” Twins president Dave St. Peter wrote in an email to Sports Headliners.

The Twins are adept at preparing for cold weather games and a heating system allows the ground temperatures to be controlled. With commitments to season ticket holders, suite purchasers and stadium advertisers, moving a game is highly unusual in major league baseball. Several years ago snowed forced the Indians to move their early April home series with the Angels to Milwaukee’s retractable roof stadium.

The Twins announced this morning they have sent outfielder Joe Benson and pitcher Pedro Hernandez to Triple-A Rochester. Pitcher Luis Perdomo has been reassigned to the minor league camp. The Twins now have 38 players in camp including 20 pitchers.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team needs to win two more games to play for the Division III national championship in Atlanta on April 7. The Tommies play Williams College (Massachusetts) today at 11 a.m. (CDT) in Salem, Virginia. The winner plays the winner of the St. Mary’s (Maryland) and Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) game on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Tommies’ coach John Tauer said UST, 29-1, will face a Williams team, 26-4, that uses a patient offense. “You can play (defense) 33 seconds and one guy slips up and they’re going to hit you with a back-cut,” Tauer said.

But the Tommies have defined themselves as a special team this season, earning a No. 1 national ranking. “They really believe in themselves,” Tauer said. “I think they feel they can beat anybody in the country if they play well. If they play poorly they can get beat.”

There are seven Tommies on the team that were part of the 2011 national championship team. Tauer, who was an assistant coach on that team, now is within three games of winning his first national championship.

He’s more excited than nervous. “I am not a real nervous guy to begin with,” said Tauer, a psychology professor.

Tauer said new school president Julie Sullivan won’t be in Salem this weekend but told the coach she hopes her schedule will allow a trip to Atlanta.

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Eliason Nebraska Homecoming a Motivator

Posted on March 6, 2013March 7, 2013 by David Shama

Chadron, Nebraska native Elliott Eliason will have his own cheering section when the Gophers play the Cornhuskers in Lincoln tonight. Minnesota’s redshirt sophomore center told Sports Headliners he expects at least 24 friends and family at the game.

Chadron is a small town located in northwest Nebraska, about a six hour drive from Lincoln. Despite the distance, Eliason said students from his old high school may attend the game tonight where his rooting section will include mother Lorna and younger brother Spencer.

Eliason is excited about having the hometown support. “Yeah, it’s very cool. We’re (the Gophers) kind of rolling right now. Added to that, it’s a big motivator to win down there.”

Eliason said Nebraska was the second school to offer him a scholarship but his final college choices were Stanford and Minnesota. He enjoyed his recruiting visit to Minnesota and the Gophers “were the right fit.”

Although he has yet to average 3.0 points per game in two seasons with the Gophers, the 6-foot-11 Eliason has become a valuable contributor. His shot blocking, willingness to take fouls and consistent rebounding have contributed to a sometimes successful Gophers season.

Eliason, who has started 13 games this season, is frequently the first player off the bench. It was as a substitute last week in the upset win against No. 1 Indiana that he may have played his best game as a Gopher, scoring seven points with five rebounds, one block and one steal. In 14 minutes on the floor Eliason made three of four field goals and converted his only free throw. And playing with a cold and only for nine minutes last Saturday in a win over Penn State, Eliason came up with six rebounds.

A visitor suggested to Eliason he looked more comfortable on offense and defense last week. “It just happened in that Indiana game. Everything felt so good. It felt so comfortable. Kind of what I was used to in high school. Still not scoring like I used to back then. …”

As a high school senior Eliason averaged 17.7 points per game and 10.2 rebounds. He was twice chosen the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. But at Minnesota his struggles have included foul trouble and inability to create and make shots near the basket.

How Eliason plays tonight can certainly impact a game the Gophers (8-8 in the Big Ten) want to win and use to build momentum with their two-game winning streak. Minnesota defeated Nebraska in January at Williams Arena, 84-65.

The Cornhuskers are 4-12 in league games but Eliason said the Gophers need to be ready for a challenge. “They play a lot tougher down there. They really feed off the crowd. I think they’ll be ready to play. It will be a game you definitely can’t overlook. It will be tough.”

The Gophers, who had impressive wins at home over Indiana and Penn State last week, have only one road win in the Big Ten. Their last two Big Ten regular season games are away including Purdue on Saturday.

Eliason thinks the Gophers have found a “mental focus” he hopes can help sustain them if and when moments become difficult on the road. And at least in Lincoln tonight he knows there will be emotional support.

Worth Noting

Gophers senior reserve guard Julian Welch said the team has confidence. “We’re definitely in our eyes a Final Four caliber team.”

Welch started last Saturday’s game against Penn State because it was the last at Williams Arena for him and the other seniors. He has been both a shooting guard (2-guard) and point guard (1-guard) during his career at Minnesota. His preference?

“I mean it’s just nice to be out there on the court. If I had to pick, probably the 1, just because I like creating for guys.”

Gophers freshman guard Wally Ellenson grew up playing basketball one-on-one against his brothers. “We’d all try to make each other better. We’d play hard but every once in awhile it would end up in a fistfight. Pretty aggressive but it’s good.”

Ellenson, a native of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, has yet to decide on a major but is considering careers as a high school teacher or architect.

Think the Twins are spending more than a month in spring training just developing players and establishing their roster for the regular season schedule that opens on April 1? That’s part of the mission but the Twins are believed to have turned their spring training weeks in Florida into a profit center.

“It’s a very important economic engine,” a baseball source told Sports Headliners.

There are considerable expenses for the Twins and other teams in spring training. Years ago the endeavor wasn’t profitable but the source said the Twins may now even make a “mid six-figure profit” while in Florida.

Ticket prices for Twins games at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers are priced between $13 and $43 (premium games), according to the club’s website. Obviously, prices of $5 per game are long gone. The Twins frequently draw capacity crowds of about 7,500 at Hammond Stadium.

Merchandise sales in Florida contribute to the Twins’ economic success, too, and the source said the spring training games are a “marketing platform” for the club. All the games are broadcast on radio, and a few on TV, plus the Twins are major news back in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The spring training schedule provides a “jump start on ticket sales,” the source said.

The new radio home of the team is K-TWIN 96.3 FM which will broadcast today’s Twins game against the World Baseball Classic Puerto Rico team starting at 12:05 p.m. Minneapolis time. Fox Sports North will televise the Twins-Red Sox game on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. Both the Twins and K-TWIN are owned by the Pohlad family.

Bob Stein, the former Timberwolves president and 1967 Gophers All-American defensive end, is on the 2013 ballot for election into the College Football Hall of Fame. Also among the 77 former players being considered are ex-Viking running backs Ted Brown and Darrin Nelson who played respectively at North Carolina State and Stanford. Among the five coaches being considered is former Gopher assistant Billy Jack Murphy who is the winningest coach in Memphis history. Announcement of the 2013 class will be May 7.

Starting next Monday former Vikings and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon will be joined by Bruce Murray on the SiriusXM Blitz show on Sirius radio. The program airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Minneapolis time.

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Kill: No Starters Locked in Now

Posted on March 4, 2013March 4, 2013 by David Shama

Gophers football notes following a recent conversation with coach Jerry Kill.

Spring practice begins March 26 and no player, regardless of experience or ability, is a certain starter. The emphasis will be on competition and opportunity at all positions, with nothing guaranteed. “You’re going to put your best players out there (eventually),” Kill said.

The Gophers will have 15 practices including the annual spring game open to the public on April 27. For Kill and his assistants this will be the third spring practice but the coach’s perspective on the program is shaped by recruiting classes. Kill wasn’t hired until December of 2010 so his impact on the 2011 recruiting class was minimal.

“We need about three recruiting classes to get this thing turned around,” he said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

The 2011 Gophers were 3-9 while last fall’s team was 6-7 and played in the program’s first bowl game since 2009. The most improvement was defensively where the Gophers went from allowing 31.7 points per game to 24.7.

The offense was often ineffective but in a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to Texas Tech, Minnesota scored 31 points and had 368 yards total offense. To be better in 2013 than last fall, Kill said the offense needs to play like the bowl game performance.

Going into spring practice later this month Kill not only has most of his players returning, but the entire coaching staff. In the “musical chairs” world of head coaches and assistants changing jobs, that’s an indicator of the stability in the Minnesota program and a plus for the players who don’t have to adjust to new personalities and schemes.

Kill said other programs come after his assistants but he’s been able to keep his staff together at Minnesota. Not long ago another Gopher assistant turned down an opportunity to leave, Kill disclosed.

Today the Gophers are hosting Pro Day. Nine players who were seniors last fall are expected to work out for pro football talent evaluators: Michael Carter, Keanon Cooper, MarQueis Gray, Brandon Green, John Rabe, Mike Rallis, Spencer Reeves, Troy Stoudermire and Jordan Wettstein.

Gray could be the most likely player to be drafted by the NFL but even he might be left out when the league holds its three-day draft next month. The 6-foot-4, 240- pound Gray played quarterback and wide receiver at Minnesota with mixed results despite his athleticism.

While it may surprise fans, Kill said with the new found interest in the read option offense in the NFL some teams could have interest in Gray as a quarterback. NFL teams will consider Gray as a tight end or wide receiver prospect, too, perhaps signing him as a free agent.

Worth Noting

Gophers’ senior center Trevor Mbakwe said he’s been invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament April 10-13 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The tournament provides NBA scouts an opportunity to evaluate college seniors.

Mbakwe was named Big Ten Player of the Week this morning after his performances last week when he made 73.3 percent of his field goals and had two double-doubles in leading the Gophers to wins over No. 1 ranked Indiana and Penn State in his final game at Williams Arena.

Apparently Gophers’ coach Tubby Smith wasn’t planning to celebrate after Saturday’s 73-44 win over Penn State. He reported a sore throat at his news conference and was headed to bed.

A street ticket hawker claimed he sold tickets on Friday for the Penn State-Minnesota game for $125 each. He expected to sell $33 tickets on Saturday for about $65 or $70.

A different ticket peddler thought he could sell $35 tickets for around $60 each prior to Saturday night’s Gophers hockey game against Denver. That was Minnesota’s last ever WCHA regular season game at Mariucci Arena. Zach Budish had four points on two goals and two assists in Minnesota’s 5-1 win over Denver.

At Saturday’s Gophers-Penn State game the athletic department honored Jim Duffy who has been a season ticket holder for 68 years.

If Flip Saunders ends up being the Timberwolves general manager or coach this spring, it won’t be the first time that Gophers boosters will be disappointed he didn’t return to his alma mater as coach. I was told Saunders was approached about coaching the Gophers prior to Dan Monson being hired as Minnesota coach in 1999.

Saunders’ son Ryan, a former Gopher, is an assistant coach for the Wizards who play the Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday night.

Former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi remains a fan of the school’s teams. Since last fall he’s attended all home football games, men’s basketball games, and men’s and women’s hockey games, and most women’s basketball games.

Maturi begins a three-year membership starting July 1 on the NCAA Infractions Committee. Also on the committee is former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr.

When the Twins open their regular season schedule on April 1 at Target Field against the Tigers the starting pitcher might be Vance Worley, the 25-year-old who was acquired during the offseason from the Phillies. The Twins would enjoy seeing the right-hander repeat his April success of last season with the Phillies — 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA in five starts. The rookie pitcher had a 13 inning scoreless streak during the month and career high 11 strikeouts against the Padres.

The Twins and other major league franchises continue to put an emphasis on foreign-born players. In 2012, according to information in the Twins’ 2013 media guide, the organization had 119 foreign-born players including 50 from the Dominican Republic and 31 from Venezuela. In 2011 the total of foreign-born players was 104.

North American Soccer League commissioner Bill Peterson will be in Minneapolis tomorrow joining new Minnesota Stars owner Bill McGuire for a news conference, along with new team president Nick Rogers and coach Manny Lagos. Peterson will talk about the importance of having pro soccer in the state. The Stars will play five of their homes game this season at the Metrodome with the first on April 6 against San Antonio.

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