Vikings – Page 214 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Pitino to Boost Garden Party in New York

Posted on March 26, 2014March 26, 2014 by David Shama

Richard Pitino is returning to his “roots” next week.

The Gophers 31-year-old head coach will bring his team to New York City and Madison Square Garden to play in the NIT semifinals on Tuesday night. Minnesota defeated Southern Mississippi 81-73 last evening at Williams Arena for its third win in the NIT Tournament. The Pitino family connections to New York are part of the anticipation the first year coach is feeling about going to Gotham.

Rick Pitino, the legendary Louisville coach, was born in New York. When Richard was a grade schooler his dad was head coach for the New York Knicks. Later when Richard was a teenager his dad’s Celtics teams played against the Knicks in New York. As his father’s assistant coach at Louisville, Richard and the Cardinals made memories playing in Madison Square Garden as part of the Big East Tournament.

Rick and his wife Joanne still have an apartment in New York, and one of their sons, Ryan, is a financial professional in the city.

Even when Richard’s dad wasn’t employed in New York the city was still part of the Pitino calendar. “Growing up we always would go to New York for the summers,” Richard said. “My uncle Bill, who we lost in 9-11, was like a second father to me. We would spend time together as a family.

“My roots are really there. I know my mother is excited because she just wants to get back to New York. Any excuse she can get, she’s going there.

“My brother lives there downtown. I’ve got aunts. I’ve got uncles. So it’s exciting for me.

“I’ve been part of some great teams as an assistant coach in the Garden. We’re going to play in New York next year (in the Preseason NIT) but there is something about earning a spot to get to the Garden that is pretty special.”

NIT organizers and the New York media have to be pleased with the Gophers earning their way to Manhattan. Selling tickets to the semifinals and finals is always a challenge. The NIT made hometown team St. John’s one of the tournament’s four No. 1 seeds but the Red Storm was eliminated in its first game. The Pitino storyline is a boost for tournament interest including the for sure comparisons that will be made between Richard and his father.

The Garden party will be a little more fun, too, if young Richard coaches against well-travelled Larry Brown in the NIT finals on Thursday night. Brown’s SMU team, a No. 1 seed like the Gophers, must defeat California this evening to earn a trip to New York. Brown, 73, is the only coach who has won both an NCAA Tournament title and NBA championship.

Tuesday night (ESPN2) the Gophers will play the winner of this evening’s game between Florida State and Louisiana Tech. Clemson will meet the winner of tonight’s SMU-Cal game in the other semifinal next Tuesday in New York.

If California and the Gophers meet in Madison Square Garden, Minnesota will see ex-Gopher guard Justin Cobbs who now plays for the Bears. That will stir a bit of interest in Dinkytown but last night Pitino wasn’t talking about Brown or Cobbs. He said the Gophers want to win the NIT championship as part of building his program, and the opportunity to do that in New York has him excited.

“There’s no better place in all of college basketball than to play in Madison Square Garden,” he said.

Worth Noting

Gophers redshirt freshman forward Charles Buggs, who probably surprised even himself with 13 points in 19 minutes against Iowa on February 25, has scored a total of nine in seven games since then. For the season Buggs, who is still learning his court assignments, has scored 27 points in 13 games.

Minnesota senior guard Malik Smith, who made eight of 12 three pointers against Nebraska in January and four of seven versus Wisconsin in February, has converted two of 28 since February 16.

The Gophers men’s and women’s basketball teams have been participating in the NIT and WNIT tournaments. Although the names are similar, the National Invitation Tournament is owned by the NCAA while the Women’s National Invitation Tournament is produced by Triple Crown Sports. NIT games are televised but there is no live TV coverage of the WNIT.

Former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher, who still lives in Minnesota, will attend tomorrow night’s San Diego State-Arizona NCAA Sweet 16 game in Anaheim. Dutcher’s son, Brian Dutcher, is San Diego State’s top assistant and will succeed Steve Fisher as head coach when Fisher retires.

Brian Dutcher and Fisher have been coaching at San Diego State for 15 seasons. Last fall the Aztecs signed four players who probably comprise the best recruiting class in school history and they will be eligible next fall.

ESPN.com reported last Saturday there were no perfect NCAA men’s basketball brackets from the more than 11 million submitted by fans for the ESPN Tournament Challenge. Last Saturday and Sunday was the first of three tournament weekends.

The Gophers recruited Seymour, Wisconsin shooting guard Sandy Cohen before he committed to Marquette. With Buzz Williams leaving the Golden Eagles to coach at Virginia Tech, could the high school senior now have interest in the Gophers?

A name to follow during the May NFL Draft is Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. What if the Vikings chose outside linebacker Khalil Mack from Buffalo, or Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan with their No. 8 pick in the first round? In the second round they might select Garoppolo who threw 53 touchdown passes and averaged 360.7 yards per game passing last season.

The Vikings may not find a 2014 quarterback-ready prospect in the draft even if Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater is available. The re-signing of veteran Matt Cassel gives the Vikings some time to develop a Garoppolo, Bridgewater—or (gasp) Christian Ponder.

It’s okay to have modest expectations about the Vikings owning a top 10 draft pick. Gil Brandt’s 2013 All-Rookie team had just three players who were top 10 draft choices, Ziggy Ansah, Eric Fisher and Barkevious Mingo. The All-Rookie quarterback was Mike Glennon, a third round selection by the Falcons.

The Wild are selling season tickets for 2014-2015 including half season and 11-game packages. Purchasers who make a deposit by April 13 receive playoff ticket priority for this spring.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill, 53, said he’s been attending football coaching clinics since he was 21. The opportunity to learn, network and build relationships has contributed to his success that includes head coaching stops at Emporia State, Northern Illinois, Saginaw Valley State and Southern Illinois.

Kill will speak at the MFCA’s Minnesota Clinic on Friday night at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. The Gophers sponsor the clinic with the MFCA. Kill praised the work of MFCA organizers and how they continue to improve the clinic. “Our clinic is tremendous,” he said.

Condolences to family and friends of former Gopher football player Wally Pribyl who died on Monday. Wally, originally from Heron Lake, Minnesota, lettered for the Gophers in 1968 and 1969, and for many years owned a business in South Dakota.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said starting pitcher Phil Hughes, who signed with Minnesota during the offseason, has been as “advertised” during spring training. Hughes has struck out 10 batters in 13.2 innings with a 3.95 ERA.

Dave Mona, WCCO Radio Sports Huddle co-host, will speak on Friday to the Minnesota Men’s Breakfast group in Naples, Florida. Speakers earlier this year have included Matt Birk, Kill and St. Peter.

Mancini’s Sports Hall of Fame will honor the following new members on May 12: Brian Brunette, Ken Mauer, Jr., Barry Persby, Stacy Robinson, Jeff Sauer, Bob and Tim Tschida. Those enshrined have their names displayed on a hall of fame plaque at the St. Paul restaurant.

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Vikings Need to Draft QB for System

Posted on March 7, 2014March 7, 2014 by David Shama

Former Vikings defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema remains close to the team and has advice regarding the upcoming NFL Draft.

“With Norv Turner (offensive coordinator) you have got to draft a quarterback that fits his system. …Don’t draft the best available quarterback.”

Many college quarterback prospects are scramblers but taking one with the Vikings’ No. 8 pick in the first round of the May 8 draft might be a mistake. “That’s not what Turner wants,” Lurtsema told Sports Headliners. “Turner wants a guy who reads (situations) quick. Throws the ball like a bullet. There are certain things he wants because of the way he coaches.”

Lurtsema said it’s crucial for a franchise’s draft success to have the general manager, head coach and offensive coordinator on the “same page.” Will that be true of the Vikings on draft day with general manager Rick Spielman, new head coach Mike Zimmer and new offensive boss Turner?

“No idea,” Lurtsema said. “I sure hope so.”

The Vikings have devoted much of this century searching for a franchise quarterback. Daunte Culpepper’s success ended in 2004. Except for a couple of seasons with Brett Favre, it’s been pretty much trial and error with the Vikings while clubs like the Seahawks and 49ers found quick fixes when they changed head coaches.

Lurtsema said Turner, who has the reputation of being among the NFL’s best offensive minds, has to decide if he wants to make a commitment to Christian Ponder, currently the only quarterback signed for 2014, or to find another QB already in the league. If he does want to make such a commitment, the Vikings could draft a player other than a quarterback with their first choice on draft day.

Whatever the decision, Lurtsema is optimistic about Zimmer and Turner. He is convinced the club has upgraded its coaching talent. “Coaching is 60 to 65 percent (of success),” Lurtsema said. “I’ve told you that. I say it on TV. I say it to everybody.”

Lurtsema is excited about the offensive potential of next year’s team even without knowing the quarterback situation. Turner’s NFL experience includes head coaching and his resume documents high production offenses in previous employment. His mantra is a balanced offense and commitment to keeping defenses guessing. “He really mixes it up very well,” Lurtsema said.

Lurtsema was impressed with Zimmer soon after he was hired earlier this winter. “He (Zimmer) said he wants to give some guys a big, swift kick in the butt. …There wasn’t a lot of second effort a lot of the time (last season). You can tell second effort when they’re hauling their fanny.”

Coach Bud Grant won 11 championships with the Vikings. Lurtsema played for Grant and reveres him. “He (Zimmer) has a lot of Bud Grant in him,” Lurtsema said. “You know he’s the boss. If I was to deal with Zimmer (play for him) and make a couple of mistakes, he wouldn’t tell me about it. He’d cut me (from the team). That’s the part that sticks out. You don’t have to go up and cradle a lot of these spoiled athletes. They make the dumb mistakes—adios amigo.”

Worth Noting

Lurtsema likes the competitive attitude of Central Florida’s Blake Bortles and predicts he will be the first quarterback selected in the draft.

Derek Carr is a pocket passer and there’s been speculation the Fresno State quarterback could be available to the Vikings at No. 8. He fits the non-scrambler style Lurtsema said Turner wants to avoid for his system.

Joe Schmit will autograph copies of his new book, Silent Impact, a week from today starting at noon at Barnes & Noble downtown. The next day, March 15, the KSTP TV sportscaster will be at the Mall of America Sears Court starting at 1 p.m.

Schmit has written a lively, easy to read self-help book about how we impact others including non-verbal communication. The book’s cover jacket makes this point: “The words we say or don’t say, the things we do or don’t do, and the ways we react or don’t react can have a tremendous influence on those around us.”

Schmit has won 15 Emmys in his broadcast career but has faced challenges including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The disease is in remission and Schmit credits his attitude in battling the cancer.

Minnetonka High School alum Will Leer is competing in the 1500 meters for the U.S. track team at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland. Leer, who excelled in track and cross country at Pomona College in California, is among the world’s elite runners in the mile, 1500 meters, and has advanced to the finals in Poland.

Leer is the nephew of former KSTP-TV reporter Robb Leer who is in the public relations business with Minneapolis-based Leer Communications & Consultants.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams is recruiting Hopkins sophomore guard Amir Coffey and attended the Royals-Eden Prairie section title game on Wednesday night.

Today 1980 Olympic hockey gold medalists Bill Baker, Steve Christoff, Dave Christian and Rob McClanahan will be at the Herb Brooks Foundation booth at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo in St. Paul’s RiverCentre. Baker, Christoff, Christian and McClanahan will be autographing commemorative hockey pucks that have inspirational Herb Brooks quotations. Baker is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Christoff 11 a.m. to noon, Christian 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and McClanahan 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This weekend eight wrestlers who won titles last year will try to repeat as Big Ten champions including Minnesota’s Tony Nelson, Dylan Ness and Kevin Steinhaus. The Big Ten Wrestling Championships are tomorrow and Sunday at Wisconsin. Penn State has won four consecutive team titles but the Gophers are ranked No. 1 nationally in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll. Penn State is ranked No. 2, Iowa No. 3.

Hammond Stadium, the Twins spring training home in Fort Myers, is being renovated and changes include a walkway around the field providing fans with various views of the gameday action while enjoying more concession options. Minnesotan Rolf Bjelland praised the walkway in an e-mail and offered other comments after attending a recent game:

“Our arrival was effortless with good parking direction and very friendly parking attendants. There is ample parking and an oversupply of handicap parking. Walking from the parking lot to the stadium, one has the feeling of a county fair with wonderful colors, crowds of people and various outside vendors. …

“They now have two grass slopes for spectators—great for sunbathing and child play. The field looks like a carpeted checkerboard in green and the infield like a well-manicured golf bunker.”

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Gophers Need to (Finally) Excel at QB

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

Jerry Kill needs Mitch Leidner to be the best quarterback he’s coached with the Gophers.

If the Gophers, who open spring practice tomorrow, are to improve their inconsistent offense then Leidner will be expected to be the leader. In three previous seasons at Minnesota, Kill hasn’t had a quarterback seize the job—either because of injuries or performance.

Last year Leidner and the now departed Philip Nelson competed for the starting position and both struggled with passing. Leidner threw for only 61.9 yards per game and three touchdowns, while Nelson’s numbers were 108.8 and nine. Leidner, who started and played less than Nelson, threw only one interception in 10 games while Nelson had six in 12.

Leidner, the only quarterback on the 2014 roster with Big Ten experience, is the team’s No. 1 quarterback now but will be pushed for the job if he falters. Behind him is redshirt freshman Chris Streveler and true freshman Dimonic Roden–McKinzy.

The best storyline for Leidner and the Gophers is his career eventually will invite comparison with Jordan Lynch who became an All-American and also Heisman Trophy candidate at Northern Illinois. Kill recruited Lynch when he was the Huskies coach and mostly kept him on the bench as the former Chicago prep quarterback learned the ways of major college football.

Leidner, like Lynch, was redshirted and both are physical runners. Leidner, who sometimes is more likely to welcome contact than avoid it, was Minnesota’s second leading rusher last season with 407 yards and tied David Cobb for a team high seven rushing touchdowns.

At Northern Illinois Lynch had to wait for an opportunity until Chandler Harnish moved on to the pros. His patience paid off with outstanding seasons in 2012 and 2013 including rushing totals each year approaching 2,000 yards.

Nelson wasn’t willing to stay at Minnesota, instead transferring to Rutgers. He is part of a long list of college quarterbacks who chose to leave their teams after last season. Kill had one quarterback transfer on him at Northern Illinois, plus Nelson here.

“We don’t live in a patient world—period,” Kill said.

But Leidner, the former Lakeville South quarterback, was willing to be patient at Minnesota and this spring and next fall he can prove the opportunity to be the Gophers No. 1 QB was worth the wait for him and the coaches. He doesn’t have to be Lynch. Just performing like the best Gophers quarterback in years will be more than enough as Minnesota tries to better last year’s 8-5 record, the best so far of the Kill era.

Worth Noting

The Gophers will have six football practices between now and March 13. Then March 25 they resume workouts with the first of eight practices before the Spring Game at TCF Bank Stadium on April 12.

Kill said on WCCO Radio yesterday morning tight end Alex Bisch, center Brian Bobek, center Jon Christenson and defensive back Derrick Wells will be held out of spring practice.

Frank Lenti, who coached Lynch at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, will be one of the speakers at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic March 27-29. The clinic, at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park, will also include high school coaches from Florida, Michigan and Texas. For a complete list of speakers and session topics visit the MFCA website.

The Gophers have pro day today at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Former Gophers expected to work out for NFL teams are Jeremy Baltazar, Jake Filkins, Ra’Shede Hageman, Aaron Hill, Roland Johnson, James Manuel, Martez Shabazz and Brock Vereen.

Ex-Gophers quarterback and Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy and his wife Lauren will speak about leadership and ministry at the Uncommon Award Dinner March 21 at Bearparth Golf & Country Club in Eden Prairie to benefit Athletes in Action. The Uncommon Award will be presented to CBS NFL analyst James Brown. More information is available by contacting Paul Olson, plholson@aol.com.

As Vikings season ticket holders go through the new stadium preview center they will likely have the same reaction as media who toured the facility last week. Impressive! The interactive center, located in the Metrodome Square Building overlooking the stadium construction site, provides fans a gameday feel including views of how the field will look from their seats. The 7,500 square foot center, the largest ever built by an NFL club, also offers visual experiences of the locker room, suites and stadium exterior.

For the first year or so only season ticket holders will be able to visit the preview center. A couple dozen fans per day will take the 45 minute interactive tour of the stadium that is scheduled to open in July of 2016. After the tour, while at the preview center, season ticket holders can make commitments for their seat locations.

The tour is free, of course, but watching the Vikings in the new facility won’t be. There will be personal seat licenses varying in cost from $500 to $9,500. Most suites will be in the $100,000 range per season with the most expensive at $500,000.

Gophers leading scorer Andre Hollins said he isn’t sure but thinks former teammate Wally Ellenson, who left the team last month, may eventually transfer to another school where he can play basketball. This winter Ellenson is high jumping for the Gophers track team after winning a gold medal last year in the Pan American Junior Championships.

Hollins, who dates Gophers women’s leading scorer Rachel Banham, said his teammate, Mo Walker, is dating Kionna Kellogg who used to play with Banham and the Gophers.

In the March 3 issue of Sports Illustrated, writer Michael Farber included the Wild’s Mikael Granlund (Finland) on his all-tournament hockey team for the Winter Olympics. Granlund was the left wing on the six-man team and a key contributor to Finland winning bronze medals.

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