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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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Ex-Coach Dutcher: U Season ‘Up for Grabs’

Posted on March 1, 2013March 2, 2013 by David Shama

Jim Dutcher led the Gophers to the Big Ten championship in 1982, and although he has been out of coaching for more than two decades he’s admired for his basketball wisdom and fairness. He talked with Sports Headliners on Wednesday about what may develop next for the 2013 Gophers and the future of coach Tubby Smith at Minnesota.

Dutcher believes even if the Gophers were to do the improbable and lose their last three Big Ten regular season games, they are likely to receive an NCAA Tournament invitation later this month. Minnesota’s remaining games are tomorrow at home against Penn State, 1-14 in the Big Ten, and on the road versus Nebraska, 4-11, and Purdue, 6-9.

The Gophers are 19-9 overall and 7-8 in the Big Ten. Their roller coaster season includes five wins against top 20 teams, with the latest and most newsworthy Tuesday night’s 77-73 upset of No. 1 ranked Indiana. Lows include road losses to 4-12 Northwestern and defeats at Iowa and Ohio State by a combined 47 points.

Despite losing eight of their last 12 games the Gophers, who in January were ranked among the top 10 teams in the country, are virtually guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament because of quality wins and strength of schedule. Minnesota, Dutcher believes, could be a four or five seed in the tournament.

“They’re going to be favored in their next three games,” the former Gophers coach said. “They play the ninth, 11^th and 12^th place teams. Penn State is playing better but they’re not as good as the Gophers. Nebraska—we played volleyball with them here (17 more rebounds)—we got second and third shots almost every possession, and I don’t see how that’s going to change. Purdue will be a handful because Purdue will be desperate. They need some wins if they’re gonna have a chance of the tournament. Historically we have not played well at Purdue. So that game I think will be up for grabs.”

Dutcher praised the Gophers’ performance in upsetting Indiana, including the physical play of Minnesota, scoring inside on the Hoosiers and out rebounding them (44-30 with a 23-10 advantage in offensive rebounds)). He also offered “props” to Smith for allocating substantial minutes to the starters and limiting the use of subs.

“He shortened the bench,” Dutcher said. “I think that gave the team a little more rhythm. I think it gave them some confidence.”

Pre-Big Ten season expectations were high for Minnesota, and the team’s failings have caused media and fans to chastise Smith. The Gophers have faltered in the past too, including late season nosedives. In six seasons Smith has a losing record in conference games, winning 45 games while losing 60. He has no finishes in the Big Ten above sixth place.

Critics want a coaching change. How does Dutcher respond?

“It’s been frustrating the way they’ve been blown out of some games. They’re too good to lose to Iowa by 20 some and Ohio State by 20 some, but he (Smith) still has time to turn a disappointing season around. He took the first step to that (against Indiana) but now he’s gotta complete the journey. Win these last three games.

“You can’t describe their Big Ten (record now)…as anything but disappointing. But the season is still up for grabs. The final chapter hasn’t been written on this team.”

Dutcher acknowledges athletic director Minnesota Norwood Teague has been deluged with critical communications about Smith. But when asked if Smith deserves to keep his job, Dutcher responded affirmatively.

“As of today I would say yes, but it’s still a work in progress. I think at the end of the year Norwood and his group (will) do a complete evaluation of the year. It’s hard to do in midstream, to make those kinds of decisions.

“And to Norwood’s credit, I am sure there was pressure on him to make a change after Iowa and Ohio State. But they didn’t panic. They said let’s let this season play out and let’s do an evaluation at the end of the year. Which was good. That’s what I would have done. So the jury is out.”

Worth Noting

University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler was asked this week about the Gophers basketball coaching situation. “We will do what we always do…look at the end of the season and make some decisions. Norwood will make those decisions. I don’t like to talk about that team situation during the course of the season—distracts the team and the coaches.”

Kaler acknowledged to Sports Headliners he will have input on a decision.

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will speak to high school coaches at a Nike clinic in Philadelphia tomorrow. Asked if his talk has a title, Kill said it’s about “being a football coach for 30 years.”

On Sunday Kill will meet the public at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show in the Minneapolis Convention Center. Vikings players Everson Griffin (tonight), Kyle Rudolph and Toby Gerhart (Saturday), and Joe Webb (Sunday) are also scheduled.

I guess ESPN college football analyst Mark May put Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and other NFL personnel experts on notice this week. May said any general manager who drafts Notre Dame linebacker Manti T’eo in the first round should be “fired.” The Vikings’ draft needs include help at linebacker.

Among players Twins personnel decision makers will be rooting for in the 2013 World Baseball Classic is pitcher Deolis Guerra with the Venezuela team. He is the last player remaining in the Twins organization from the 2008 deal that sent Johan Santana to the Mets. The 6-5, 245-pound Guerra turns 24 in April and although his strikes to innings ratio is impressive he has yet to prove he can excel in Triple-A where he seems likely to begin the season for the Twins’ Rochester farm team.

The World Baseball Classic starts tomorrow with Pool A and B games in Japan and Taiwan. Venezuela (Pool C) doesn’t begin play until next Thursday in Puerto Rico. The United States (Pool A) has its first game against Mexico a week from tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix. WBC games are televised by the MLB Network.

Twins on the USA team are catcher Joe Mauer and reliever Glen Perkins who turns 30 tomorrow. Perkins will be in his first full season as the Twins’ closer. Perkins, 3-1 last season with a 2.56 ERA and 16 saves, had the second most saves for a left-hander in major league baseball. The Reds’ Aroldis Chapman had 38 saves.

Former Twins third baseman Danny Valencia, now with the Orioles, has played in three spring training games and has two hits in nine at bats.

The No. 1 ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball team has seven players including center Tommy Hannon and guard John Nance who were on the roster of the 2011 Division III national champs. Hannon was a starter and Nance a key reserve. “That (experience) doesn’t give you any points but it gives you confidence,” said head coach John Tauer who was an assistant on the 2011 team.

The Tommies host Aurora (Illinois) tomorrow night in an opening NCAA playoff game and have dreams of playing in Atlanta next month for another national title. Hannon is the team’s second leading scorer after guard Will DeBerg, another returnee from the 2011 champions. Nance, the team’s third leading scorer, is a name familiar to Gophers football fans who followed him at Minnesota. All three players are 2013 All-MIAC selections.

Nance leads the team in steals and blocks. Tauer said the former Cretin-Derham Hall athlete has made a lot of progress since arriving at UST as a freshman. “I am so proud of him. Frankly, he was a little rusty with basketball. He had some bad habits. I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy improve so consistently over four years. He could score 20 a game if we needed him to. He’s become one of the best defenders in the country. You couldn’t say that last year.”

The game tomorrow night at St. Thomas begins at 7 p.m. Adult admission is $7 and student $4.

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Kill Last in Big Ten Head Coaches’ Pay

Posted on February 20, 2013February 20, 2013 by David Shama

A list of notes including a few compiled during vacations the last two weeks.

The Gophers Jerry Kill is the lowest paid football coach in the Big Ten. Purdue’s Danny Hope, who reportedly earned $970,000 last season, was at the bottom in annual earnings but he’s been replaced by Darrell Hazell who will be paid about $2 million. Published reports have Kill’s annual pay at $1.2 million.

Hazell has only two years of head coaching experience while Kill has 18 including two at Minnesota. Hazell had an overall record of 16-10 in two seasons coaching Kent State in the Mid-American Conference. Kill was 23-16 in three seasons at Northern Illinois, another MAC member.

Dave Doeren, Kill’s successor at Northern Illinois, was paid $420,000 there but will make $1.8 million at North Carolina State, according to a February 12 article on college football coaches’ compensation in USA Today.

If the Gophers have a winning season in 2013, look for Kill’s salary to become a major news item in Minnesota.

It seemed like Fort Myers media gave the Twins secondary coverage after the Red Sox last week when spring training opened. As one of baseball’s flagship franchises, it’s no surprise to see the Red Sox receive more publicity in the Fort Myers area where both Boston and Minnesota are preparing for the MLB season.

Fox Sports North will televise seven Twins spring training games starting with a game against the Red Sox on March 8 (6 p.m. Minneapolis time).

The Twins have 15 home games in April when the Minneapolis weather is unpredictable. They have 16 games at Target Field after Labor Day when the club is likely to be out of playoff contention. That’s 31 games or 38 percent of the home schedule on problematic dates.

NFL free agency begins March 12 and the world knows the Vikings covet a speedy wide receiver. The Packers’ Greg Jennings draws most of the speculation about joining the Vikings but the Steelers’ Mike Wallace could also help. He has averaged as much as 21 yards per catch during his four-season NFL career.

Have to wonder if Vikings’ wide receiver Percy Harvin is envious of the prime role Adrian Peterson receives in the offense, and wants to play for another team that makes him the featured player. General manager Rick Spielman said the team doesn’t plan to trade Harvin but there are skeptics.

I haven’t seen the financial figures but with some games having announced attendance of less than 60,000 fans, gate receipts for 2012 home Vikings games had to be down from 2011 when the team always played before crowds of 62,000 or more.

Vikings executive Lester Bagley will speak to the Minnesota Men’s Breakfast group in Naples, Florida on Friday. Attendees include prominent Minnesotans who during the winter months hear from Minnesota business and other leaders.

Ted Mondale, executive director of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, will be the speaker on Thursday, March 14 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. Mondale will provide an update on the new Vikings stadium. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Prep basketball juniors Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn are top 15 players nationally in the class of 2014, according to Rivals.com. Apple Valley High School’s Jones, a point guard, is the No. 3 player while Cooper High School’s Vaughn, a shooting guard, is ranked No. 12.

Here’s another perspective on the two: each has the potential to be an All-Big Ten player. Two Minnesota natives playing for the Gophers have never been named first team All-Big Ten in the same season.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien e-mailed on Monday that 6-9 Osseo High School junior Ian Theisen has offers from Cal Poly, Drake, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State and Vermont.

The basketball Gophers, at Ohio State tonight, have only one Big Ten road win so far, a victory over Illinois on January 9. The Buckeyes are 8-5 in Big Ten games and ranked No. 18 nationally.

With only five regular season games remaining, the best guess is the 6-7 Gophers will finish 7-11 or 8-10 in the final Big Ten standings. In addition to tonight’s game in Columbus, the Gophers have home games remaining against 11-2 Indiana and 0-13 Penn State, and play at 3-10 Nebraska and 5-8 Purdue. Minnesota was ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams in the Associated Press poll last month.

Former Gophers basketball starters Al Nuness, 67, and Jim Petersen, 51, celebrate birthdays this week.

As of Monday morning the St. Thomas men’s basketball team field goal percentage of .529 was the best in the nation for Divisions I, II and III. The Tommies were No. 1 among more than 400 Division III teams in scoring margin, winning percentage and assists-turnovers ratio.

The Tommies, 24-1, are No. 1 in the nation, according to the D3Hoops.com poll. St. Thomas will host an MIAC semifinal playoff game starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. If the Tommies win, they host the league playoff title game at 2 p.m. on Sunday. NCAA Division III tournament pairings will be announced Monday.

The Hamline women’s basketball team lost to St. Benedict 85-79 in an MIAC opening playoff game last night. Winners of only seven games last season, the Pipers started their schedule 0-5 but finished the year 14-12. Senior Steph Pilgrim leads conference scorers at 16.3 points per game.

Looking for a local sports hero? Mine is Wild goalie Josh Harding who has multiple sclerosis, and has been an advocate for years in the fight against breast cancer.

Mistaken identity: last time I visited Walmart a customer thought I was the greeter.

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