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Big Ten West Division Signals Potential

Posted on May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 by David Shama

It’s looking like the football Gophers could intensify their rivalries with Wisconsin and Iowa in coming years. While it’s unknown when Big Ten football will start its 2020 season, the three programs are having impressive offseason recruiting results after being bunched at the top of the West Division standings in 2019.

Minnesota’s 2021 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 8 nationally by 247Sports, the often quoted college football authority. The Gophers have 16 high school players who have verbally committed to coach P.J. Fleck, including five four-star players.

Iowa’s class is ranked No. 10 and the Hawkeyes have 15 commits, with three of them four-stars. Wisconsin is No. 18 with three four-star commits among its 10 player total.

Recruiting rankings will reshuffle a lot between now and Signing Day in December. Yet the early and impressive ranking of the three programs makes a statement about Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The Gophers are expected to have about four or five more scholarships available for the 2021 class. That means about 75 percent of the class is already in place. If things hold, Fleck will have the most four-stars since he came to Minnesota in January of 2017.

With the momentum of 2019’s 11-2 team record and breakthrough season, and the recruiting success of this winter and spring, Minnesota could add more four-star players to its class of 2021. Five-star recruits are rare but a possibility for Minnesota.

The Gophers, Hawkeyes and Badgers are recruiting various states including nearby Illinois. The University of Illinois program has fallen on hard times, causing state players to have reservations about joining the Illini who have heavily turned to the transfer portal for help.

Five of Minnesota’s 15 players in the 2021 recruiting class are from Illinois, including three four-star commits. So far this year Iowa has two players from Illinois, including a four-star offensive tackle, and the Badgers have one Illinois native.

Last season Minnesota had a 7-2 Big Ten record, tied for best in the West Division with the Badgers. Iowa was right behind at 6-3. All three programs were in the top 15 teams in the final Associated Press national rankings. The Gophers had an impressive bowl win over SEC power Auburn, the Hawkeyes beat USC by 25 points and the Badgers had a one-point loss to Pac-12 power Oregon.

Both Wisconsin and Iowa have consistently fielded winning teams for decades. That isn’t likely to change as long as the present leaders of those programs remain in place. It’s up to Fleck and the Gophers to match that consistency and even exceed it on a path to excellence.

There’s still plenty for Minnesota to prove but each of Fleck’s teams have outdone their predecessors. That’s an encouraging sign, along with the 2021 recruiting and how it appears the Gophers are not only upgrading the talent pool, but building roster depth.

There may be no better example of the latter than the vital quarterback position. The bluebloods of college football didn’t want Kentucky native Tanner Morgan when he was in high school, but Fleck saw his potential. Now looking at his redshirt junior season, Morgan is forecast as an early round NFL Draft choice in 2021. Morgan’s replacement could be redshirt sophomore Zack Annexstad who at one time beat out Morgan as the starter. The QB roster also includes two redshirt scholarship freshmen and 2021 pledge Athan Kaliakmanis, who is one of Minnesota’s four-star commits from Illinois.

In the future the Gophers must contend with not only facing Iowa and Wisconsin, but also Northwestern led by Pat Fitzgerald—a master of getting more from less at the Big Ten’s only private school and a place where fan support is sometimes buried in apathy. Nebraska, with perhaps the Big Ten’s most passionate fan-base, could come alive after two disappointing seasons under state native and head coach Scott Frost, who has recruiting ties not only to his home state but also to Florida. Purdue, too, has potential led by offensive guru and head coach Jeff Brohm.

The Big Ten West has long been a step-child to the Big Ten East Division but the gap could be closing. If Minnesota, and say Nebraska, become annual dynamos, and Iowa and Wisconsin stay strong, look out for the “Wild West.”

Worth Noting

Former Gophers basketball player and assistant coach Al Nuness praised the news yesterday that Minneapolis native Jeff Mailhot is joining coach Richard Pitino’s staff at Minnesota. Mailhot has a detailed resume of college and high school coaching including at Hopkins where he worked for head man Ken Novak, who probably has produced more Division I standouts than any coach in state history. Nuness knows both Mailhot and Novak, and said the two have a close relationship. “That’s a great hire,” Nuness said.

Birthdays: Gophers baseball coach John Anderson and 1991 Twins World Series star Jack Morris both turned 65 last Saturday. Jared Nuness, Al’s son and an assistant basketball coach at Baylor, is 41 today (May 19). Bud Grant, who coached the Vikings to four Super Bowls, will be 93 Wednesday.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor made a savvy decision in 2014 when he decided to purchase the Star Tribune. The paper filed for bankruptcy in 2009 after struggling with debt and declining advertising revenue but has made a big comeback in recent years shifting part of its business strategy to digital subscriptions.

Ex-Chicago Bulls bad boy Dennis Rodman, who has been receiving plenty of attention in the 10-part ESPN series “The Last Dance,” once kicked cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin at a Target Center game against the Timberwolves. Amos litigated and received a $200,000 settlement.

The series, of course, focuses on Bulls superstar Michael Jordan who has been paid $1.3 billion by Nike since 1984, according to the May 7, Forbes Sports Money Playbook.

Although speculation about it has declined, if MLB begins its season with playing sites only in Arizona, Florida and Texas that will be a tax windfall for players. Arizona has a modest state income tax, while Florida and Texas have none at all.

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Interesting Times at Williams Arena

Posted on March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 by David Shama

I headed to Williams Arena Sunday morning hoping to see my friend and Harrison Ford look-a-like Fred Hoiberg, the former Timberwolves guard and first-year coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Traffic was a breeze, and parking in the mostly empty Oak Street Ramp was even easier.

I engaged a Gopher fan on my walk to the arena. I asked him if he thought Richard Pitino would return next season as the University of Minnesota’s men’s basketball coach. “I am not one for firing coaches,” he answered. “I’d give him another year.”

Pitino’s job status is a hot topic of late and the fan’s response surprised me. A Daily Gopher story last week said only six percent of respondents in a fan poll thought the program is headed in the right direction. When it was mentioned to the fan that Pitino’s Big Ten regular season record is 48 wins and 80 losses, he seemed to backtrack in his conviction. Maybe this week’s poll goes to five percent approval.

Seconds after entering the arena, guess who I encountered? Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle. I smiled. We made eye contact. I asked, “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

“Nope,” he answered, adding to my intrigue and that of everyone else regarding the status of Pitino who is finishing up his seventh season leading the Gophers.

I met a media colleague in the concourse who I hadn’t seen in awhile. I told her I had been out of town a couple times, escaping the Minneapolis winter. She said I looked tan and rested, and not frustrated with the Gopher season.

Correct on two counts.

Prior to the game the Gophers honored three seniors and their families with an on- court ceremony. Alihan Demir, Michael Hurt and Brady Rudrud were playing their last home game for the Gophers, who have experienced a disappointing season with under .500 records overall and in the Big Ten.

Demir, a first-year transfer from Drexel, has been a regular but Hurt’s playing time has been spotty during his career, and Rudrud has seldom known game action. Demir and Hurt were in the staring lineup, with the latter scoring a surprising five early points to help the Gophers to a 13-5 lead.

By the 7:40 mark in the first half I was losing focus in the game. The Barn was predictably quiet for a game involving two teams resting at or near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

The lady and kids sitting behind me seemed to be having a good time, though. I suspect they were first time visitors to The Barn. “This is kind of a weird floor,” mom pronounced regarding the famous raised court. “The coaches sit on bar stools.”

Demir had nine points (he was averaging 6.7) with about four minutes to play in the first half. He was Minnesota’s second leading scorer as his team moved to a 41-29 lead in a game the Gophers controlled almost from the beginning.

Daniel Otruru, the sophomore center who likely played his last home game before heading to the NBA Draft this spring, started slow in one of the few games the Gophers didn’t need a dominant performance from him to have a chance to win. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Otruru woke up the crowd late in the half with a dunk and also wowed fans with a behind the back dribble driving to the basket. By halftime the game seemed over, with Minnesota holding a 52-37 lead over the smaller and less talented lads from Lincoln.

In the early minutes of the second half I was most entertained during timeouts when the video screen showed clips of Gophers responding to the question of what planet they would most want to visit. Jarvis Omersa opted for Neptune.

“I don’t know why,” he said. “Just sounds good.”

With 12:20 left in the game, Minnesota led 75-48 and it clearly felt like Rudrud time. As of Sunday morning, he had played a grand total of 3:28 in Minnesota’s 29 games and had yet to score a point.

Nope, Pitino would make us wait for Rudrud’s appearance.

Rudrud finally checked into the game with 5:48 remaining, and almost immediately was urged by fans to “SHOOT!” About a minute later the fans oohed when his three point attempt from the corner almost went down.

But Rudrud wasn’t done because with 3:58 to go in the game the Eden Prairie point guard made a three-pointer. Seconds later the none too bashful crowd favorite let loose with another three point miss. Before going to the bench with about minute left in the game he made a nifty open court pass to freshman forward Isaiah Ihnen for a dunk.

The crowd roared during the closing minutes including when seldom used junior point guard Hunt Conroy entered the game. While he missed on two field goal attempts, he did make a free throw to the crowd’s delight.

After the game Pitino spoke to the fans about his three seniors who had a day they will never forget. Of course he praised all three and referred to Hurt as “the classiest kid I’ve coached.”

Maybe half of the modest crowd (announced attendance of 9,984) stayed after the game ended to hear Pitino and the three seniors speak and express appreciation for their careers. In what sounded like a shout-out to encourage more Minnesota prep players to attend the U, Hurt said, “When we’re winning here with Minnesota kids it makes things special.”

Rudrud played almost five minutes Sunday while Hurt played over 20 and scored five points. Demir, the only starter among the three for most of the season, scored a Minnesota career best 19 points.

Sophomore shooting guard Gabe Kalscheur led the Gophers in scoring with 26 points, tying a school record with eight three-point conversions. Minnesota made a Gopher record 18 three-point field goals in the game.

It was a long day for Hoiberg who is rebuilding the Nebraska program with new players on the way. In the 107-75 defeat, the Huskers lost their 16th consecutive Big Ten game. At the postgame news conference the thoughtful Hoiberg praised both the Gophers and Pitino. Then on his departure from the news conference he said, “It’s good to see you, David.”

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U Trying on Ticket Sales Challenge

Posted on September 12, 2019 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota football team, off to an exciting 2-0 nonconference start after winning one game in the fourth quarter and another in two overtimes, will play its second home game of the season Saturday against Georgia Southern, a team from the Sun Belt Conference and an opponent with the least box office appeal on the seven-game schedule at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Gophers announced a crowd of 49,112 for their home opener August 29 against South Dakota State. The attendance count included thousands of free tickets distributed to U freshmen and 7,150 $10 tickets sold to the public in a 24-hour flash sale. U marketers have been working hard to attract customers not only for appearance and atmosphere at their 50,805 seat stadium, but also because football is the biggest revenue producer in the 23-sports program, and the school’s Athletic Department budget is an annual challenge.

Neither public season tickets nor student season tickets are providing as many guaranteed fans in the stands as the Gophers would like. According to information provided by the U this week after a request by Sports Headliners, the public season tickets total for 2019 is 21,689. Ironically, the total last year was 21,663. The student total is 2,777, a stark contrast to many prior years when the total was thousands of tickets more. Student sales aren’t a significant source of revenue, but it’s interesting that part of the rationale in building an on-campus stadium (opened in 2009) was the argument it would increase attendance by undergraduates.

The U reported 19,170 public season tickets are renewals from last year, meaning close to 90 percent of customers decided to purchase tickets again. The total of new public season tickets is 2,519.

Included in the new sales total is a U innovation this year, The Gopher Pass, which for $199.96 guarantees entry to all seven home dates—even if it’s a standing-room-only space because a game is otherwise sold out. Billed as the “most flexible ticket ever for Gopher football fans,” the U sold 673 of the all-mobile passes.

Marketers are using a strategy of affordability and flexibility in their attempts to attract fans. Public season tickets were promoted this year with prices starting at $35 per game. Mini Plans allowed fans to choose from multi-game ticket packages starting as low as $60. Those sales resulted in 3,310 tickets being sold.

When single game sales were announced in July, the entry price point promoted was $20. The flash sale implemented a week out from the August 29 opener provided even more aggressive single game sales pricing, and although nothing has been announced it could be the U will offer a $10 ticket for a Big Ten game this fall.

With more creativity on flexibility and pricing than ever before, the U is responding to a ticket selling challenge that has been going on for awhile. Football interest has declined since popular head coach Jerry Kill resigned during the 2015 season. The Gophers sold 27,885 public season tickets in 2015, a year when Kill quit after seven games because of health issues. The public season ticket totals in 2016 and 2017 were 22,785 and 22,131 respectively.

A winning team, of course, can bring customers to campus in greater numbers and with more efficiency than discounted tickets and varied marketing efforts. The last two seasons Minnesota’s Big Ten records have been 2-7 and 3-6. The Gophers, however, won two of their last three conference games in 2018 including taking Paul Bunyan’s Axe from Wisconsin. Dating back to 2018 Minnesota has won five of its last six games, with coach P.J. Fleck expected to have his best team in three seasons.

Gaining the public’s attention and attendance is a challenge in this overcrowded sports marketplace with professional sports franchises in baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer. There’s not enough time, interest or money to constantly fill every local venue for those teams, plus Gophers basketball and hockey. That’s why in an age of new and aggressive marketing the time-tested approach is still the best: “Just win, baby!”

Worth Noting

The 1904 Gophers, 13-0, are No. 127 on the list of college football’s 150 greatest teams of all-time, per a Tuesday story on ESPN.com. The 1941 Minnesota team, 8-0, is No. 141.

In an August 15 ESPN.com story the Gophers are ranked No. 27 among the 50 greatest college football programs ever, with St. John’s (Collegeville) No. 18.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on how rookie center Garrett Bradbury performed in his first regular season start against the Falcons last Sunday: “He had some ups and downs. They got him a few times backdoor and things like that. But I think for the first time out, it was a good experience for him. I think he’ll continue to get better. He had some really good plays, and then he had some plays that he needs to correct.”

Tim Knudsen, from Maple Lake High School, won his 100th career football game last week with his team’s 20-7 win over Rockford. His career record is now 100-105 in 21 seasons as the head football coach at St. Cloud Cathedral, St. Cloud Apollo and Maple Lake.

Twins rookie Luis Arraez had two hits last night in the team’s loss to Washington and extended his hitting streak to nine games. His longest streak this season is 12 games.

Patrick Klinger, the former Twins marketing executive, runs his own St. Paul-based marketing company and clients include KLN Family Brands of Perham, Minnesota. The third-generation family-owned business is run by former Gopher baseball player Charlie Nelson, who still holds the program’s all-time stolen base record. Two of KLN’s products, Wiley Wallaby Gourmet Licorice and Nutrisource Pet Foods, are official partners of the Yankees. KLN is also a large donor to the Pinky Swear Foundation, a Minneapolis-based non-profit that provides financial and emotional support to kids with cancer and their families.

Klinger said via email he will again host Pinky Swear Day on September 21 at Yankee Stadium. Over 200 pediatric cancer patients, their families, donors, supporters and Yankees fans will occupy three party suites at the stadium for the Yankees game against the Blue Jays. Guests will enjoy food and beverages along with visits from former Yankees and gifts from KLN, the team and Pinky Swear Foundation.

“It’s my favorite day of the year,” Klinger wrote in his email. “To treat kids dealing with cancer and their families to a day at the ballpark is pretty special. The Yankees do an exceptional job making sure it’s a memorable day for all involved.”

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