Vikings – Page 226 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Tyus Jones Likley to Sign in November

Posted on July 22, 2013July 24, 2013 by David Shama

Tyus Jones‘ mom told Sports Headliners yesterday she expects her son to make his official college commitment in November. Debbie Jones also said during the telephone interview her son Tre Jones, an eighth grader next school year, hopes to play on the Apple Valley High School varsity team with Tyus.

Tyus, a nationally recruited point guard who is among the most sought after Minnesota preps ever, could verbally commit to a college now but that won’t happen. The family plans official visits to colleges including possibly Minnesota in August, September and October before a decision is made. Debbie said reports Tyus was ready to commit verbally to the Gophers early last spring weren’t accurate. “He wasn’t going to commit anywhere until he made his official visits and got on campuses,” Debbie said.

High school seniors can sign National Letters of Intent with colleges in November, or they can wait until the following spring for a second period of signing dates. Asked if Tyus will sign in November, his mom said: “I think so.”

Tyus and his friend Jahlil Okafor, a center from Whitney High in Chicago, are rated the No. 2 and No. 1 players in the national prep class of 2014 by Rivals.com. Debbie confirmed it’s likely the two will attend college together. Not only have Tyus and Okafor had discussions, but Debbie has talked with Okafor’s father, Chuck Okafor, too.

Tre is a gifted athlete and basketball player like Tyus. Tre is 5-9 and has grown at least five inches since last summer. Debbie is looking into the possibility of Tre joining the Apple Valley varsity and having a memorable experience of playing with Tyus for one season. “I know it would be great,” she said.

Among the biggest fans of Tyus and Tre is Debbie’s dad, Dennis Deutsch. For some time he’s had multiple health issues and most recently was diagnosed with cancer and then had a heart attack. “He’s a battler,” said Debbie about her father who has been out of the hospital for awhile.

Worth Noting

The Big Ten Network will offer extensive coverage of the conference’s football media days in Chicago including five hours on Wednesday featuring remarks by the league’s 12 head coaches. Programming starts at 10 a.m. Minneapolis time. Press conferences will re-air beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Each coach brings players from his team. Representing the Gophers will be defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, running back Donnell Kirkwood and safety Brock Vereen. Hageman is on the watch lists of candidates for the Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

The Gophers athletic department is pitching several different season ticket packages involving football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey to University of Minnesota students. Three of the packages have sold out, totaling 1,155 tickets. Student football season tickets sold as of July 18 totaled 1,281 compared with 776 on the same date last year.

University of Minnesota regent Dave Larson and others interested in Gophers athletics will meet with athletic director Norwood Teague a week from today to learn more about the Facilities Needs Assessment and Plan. Phase One comes with an estimated cost of $190 million, all of it to be privately funded.

Isaiah Whitehead from Brooklyn and Ja’Quan Newton from Philadelphia, who are Rivals.com top 50 players in the class of 2014, are interested in attending college together and the Gophers are one of only four schools to have offered scholarships to the two guards, according to a July 16 story on Collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com.

S.I.com is previewing the NFL’s divisions this month and in a July 10 analysis about the NFC North predicted the Vikings could be a playoff team for a second consecutive season. “They are capable of another run this season, but the margin for error is slim,” wrote Chris Burke.

His opinion is that for the Vikings to become Super Bowl contenders, Adrian Peterson will need plenty of help including from quarterback Christian Ponder who has the resources to succeed in his third season. The team became better in the offseason at wide receiver with the additions of veteran Greg Jennings and rookie Cordarrelle Patterson, but worse at cornerback with veteran Antoine Winfield joining the Seahawks. Jennings’ departure from Green Bay is viewed as a weakness for the Packers. Vikings’ second year safety Harrison Smith is likely to be the team’s breakout player.

In 2015 the Vikings can celebrate 50 years of training camps in Mankato. The team opens its 48^thconsecutive Mankato camp on Thursday at Mankato State University. Among NFL teams, only the Packers have more training camp longevity at the same location. The Packers are working on 56 years at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated offers a MLB mid-season “re-forecast,” and predictions include a 69-93 final record for the Twins, finishing ahead of only the White Sox (65-97) in the AL Central. If correct, that will follow Twins records of 63-99 in 2011 and 66-96 in 2012. The magazine predicts the Cardinals over the Rangers in six games in the World Series.

Scott Diamond, the Twins’ starter and losing pitcher in yesterday’s game against the Indians, gave up six runs (five earned) in four and two-thirds innings. It was the fifth time this season he has allowed six runs or more. Yesterday was the third consecutive start Diamond, 5-9 record with a 5.53 ERA this season, has lasted less than five innings.

Sports Headliners reader Dan Hennen made a trip to Cedar Rapids to see the Twins’ Class A affiliate Kernels team. He compared the stadium atmosphere to a Saint Paul Saints entertainment experience including postgame fireworks. Tip for foodies: the stadium’s pork tenderloin sandwich is a winner. Hennen and family included a stop in Dyersville, Iowa to visit the Field of Dreams attraction. Picture taking in the “knee-high corn,” per Hennen’s e-mail.

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Holtz Saw ‘Gold Mine’ at Minnesota

Posted on July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 by David Shama

George Stewart has been on vacation from his job as the Vikings’ wide receivers coach but it wouldn’t be a surprise if his thoughts have wandered back to 1983.

It was 30 years ago last spring that Stewart began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Lou Holtz at Arkansas. In December of 1983 Holtz was hired by the Gophers as head coach and he made Stewart his offensive line coach.

“I’ve been very fortunate. Lou Holtz is the person who got me into coaching,” Stewart told Sports Headliners.

Without Holtz, Stewart wouldn’t have experienced a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988. That success in South Bend helped send Stewart into the NFL in 1989 coaching special teams for the Steelers and beginning a 25 year pro coaching career.

Stewart was reminded about his time with the Gophers under Holtz who quickly rebuilt the program in two seasons, 1984 and 1985. Even back then Holtz was one of America’s premier coaches and his ambitions for the program could have made an optimist blush.

Stewart believes the Gophers might have even earned glory beyond Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl victories under Holtz, who was fired for unknown reasons at Arkansas despite a 60-21-2 record. “We had a chance to build something very special (at Minnesota),” Stewart said.

How special? Well, how about the Gophers’ seventh national championship?

Scoff if you wish but first listen to Stewart. “When coach Holtz left in ‘85 that (first) recruiting class we had in South Bend, (the) majority of those guys were coming here,” he said. “They all switched (Minnesota commitments) and came to South Bend with coach Holtz (in 1986). You’re talking about a lot of great players. …We were able to have a national championship with those guys.”

Holtz—a devout Catholic who as a kid walked to school singing or humming the Notre Dame Fight Song—used an escape clause in his contract to leave the Gophers after just two seasons. Stewart believes South Bend might well have been the only place that could have made him depart Minneapolis.

“I knew in his heart Notre Dame was where he wanted to be,” Stewart said. “Strong Catholic. …If Gerry Faust had done a great job, Lou Holtz probably would have finished his coaching at the University of Minnesota.”

Faust had jumped from Moeller High School in Cincinnati to head coach at Notre Dame. It was one of the strangest coaching hires in college football history and despite Faust’s bubbling optimism and passion for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish often got kicked around during his era, compiling a 30-26-1 record in five seasons before he was fired. His postseason highlight was a one point win over Boston College in the 1983 Liberty Bowl.

Holtz was only 46 when hired by the Gophers in 1983. He took over a program in free fall, 1-10 during the 1983 season. The talent on the 1984 roster was probably worthy of duplicating the previous year’s record.

But in 1984 the Gophers were much improved, mostly because they played better fundamentally and had talented freshman quarterback Ricky Foggie. That team was 4-7 including 3-6 in the Big Ten after being winless in conference games the year before. In 1985 the Gophers improved to 7-5 overall, 4-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota scared No. 3 ranked Oklahoma, losing 13-7 in the Metrodome. The Gophers gave No. 9 Ohio State the jitters in the dome before losing 23-19. At season’s end the Gophers, without Holtz coaching them while on his way to South Bend, beat Clemson 20-13 in the Independence Bowl game.

Stewart said Holtz thought the Gophers’ head coaching job was a “gold mine,” having the resources to turn the program into a national power. That was an opinion Holtz shared with Stewart back at Arkansas, even before the two arrived in Minneapolis. Stewart didn’t doubt the wisdom of the decision to come to Minnesota because he knew Holtz could out-coach and out-recruit most coaches.

Before Stewart coached for Holtz, he played for him at Arkansas as an All-Southwest Conference guard. From 1977-1980 Stewart saw the Holtz magic. “We always knew we had a chance to win because he was our coach,” Stewart said. “We knew our coach was better than the coach on the other sideline.”

For much of Holtz’s coaching career there was a perception he operated loosely with NCAA recruiting rules. Stewart said his experience was Holtz adhered to guidelines.

The two of them met when Stewart was a highly sought high school player in Little Rock. “People have a misperception of coach Holtz,” Stewart said. “I was the No. 1 prospect…in the south when I came out of high school. I had a choice go to any school in America. I was offered by a lot of other schools. …He (Holtz) promised me two things. He promised me an opportunity to get me my degree, and No. 2, I was going to work as hard as any player in the country.”

Stewart said other schools offered cars, money and easy grades, but not Holtz. Later as an assistant coach, Stewart saw Holtz operate within the rules. “He’s had a bad reputation for being a guy…that has had a lot of trickeries. But nothing was devious with Lou Holtz.”

Holtz may have mastered more roles than any college head football coach in history. He excelled in not just recruiting, but coaching practices and games, and hiring talented assistants. He could charm fans and boosters, raising funds and awareness for his program while throwing quips around the room and maybe performing a magic trick or two. He was a genius at understanding how to market Lou Holtz and his team.

Holtz, who during his coaching career entertained on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, had Minnesotans so enthralled about the program that in 1986 the Gophers’ season tickets total was 56,000, certainly among the largest totals in school history.

All those skills had everything to do with why Stewart chose to play and coach for Holtz. “He was like a father,” Stewart said. “He’s very demanding. I am glad I had an opportunity to learn how to coach from him. I was able to learn all aspects of football from him.”

When Holtz first approached Stewart about becoming a graduate assistant, Stewart was selling cars in Little Rock. Holtz convinced him to try coaching for three months. Three decades later Stewart has experienced a career that has included six years with the Vikings and many memories—even some might-have-beens in Dinkytown.

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A.P., Whalen Lead State-Ties to ESPYS

Posted on July 8, 2013July 9, 2013 by David Shama

Vikings and other notes:

Minnesota sports fans can consider themselves stakeholders in voting for the 2013 Excellence in Sports Yearly Awards (ESPYS) winners. The ESPN sponsored awards program will accept votes from fans until 8 p.m. on July 17 in 35 categories including three in which Adrian Peterson is a nominee.

The Vikings’ superstar runner, who almost broke the NFL record last season for most rushing yards in a single season, is a candidate for Male Athlete of the Year. His competition is baseball’s Miguel Cabrera, basketball’s LeBron James and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. Peterson is also in the running for Best NFL Player along with Calvin Johnson, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt. In the Best Comeback category Peterson’s rivals are Manning and Buster Posey and Mariano Rivera from baseball.

Former Gopher and Hutchinson High School star Lindsay Whalen, now with the Lynx, is one of five candidates for WNBA Player of the Year. The others are Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry and Candace Parker.

Hermantown native Drew LeBlanc, who won the 2013 Hobey Baker Award playing for St. Cloud State, is a candidate for Best Male College Athlete along with wrestling’s Kyle Dake, basketball’s Trey Burke and football’s Johnny Manziel.

Ben Revere, traded by the Twins during the last offseason, is a nominee in the Best Play category for his famous diving catch made this spring for the Phillies against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Peterson was voted the NFL’s best player in results announced earlier this summer on the NFL Network. He is the first non-quarterback to be ranked No. 1 in voting by league players to determine the NFL’s top 100. Other Vikings on the list are defensive end Jared Allen at No. 60 and linebacker Chad Greenway, No. 70.

Peterson, who had a bad allergic reaction to shrimp last summer during training camp, now carries “two EpiPens with him at all times should he have another attack,” according to a June 24 story by Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. EpiPens are used to treat severe allergic reactions.

It’s hardly an NFL secret the Vikings need considerable improvement in their vertical passing game to have a better offense in 2013 than in 2012. Wide receivers coach George Stewart told Sports Headliners the team has the “weapons” to create more long pass plays. “We have some young men that are capable of being very successful,” Stewart said.

Stewart’s personnel includes Steven Burton, Greg Childs, Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jerome Simpson, Joe Webb and Jarius Wright. Stewart, who has been with the Vikings since 2007, offered comments about each of the following receivers:

Stewart said Burton has impressed with his work ethic. “Steven Burton is a young man that has earned his way on our football team. He’s working hard every day. He’s better than what a lot of people give him credit for and he will help us down the road.”

Childs is trying to recover from two knee injuries last year and hopes to eventually resume his NFL career. “He is a very inspirational young man to work as hard as he works.”

Jennings, who joined the Vikings this offseason after being a major contributor with the Packers for years, was praised by Stewart for his professionalism and football IQ. “He brings a wealth of knowledge. Excellent player.”

Patterson, a 2013 No. 1 draft choice, is 22 years old but has played only one season of major college football. “He’s exceptionally gifted and will help this football team this year.”

Stewart said Simpson was slowed by a foot injury last season but he has the speed to impress Vikings fans. “He’s a young man, if he’s healthy (he) will help us in the vertical game, but (he) also has been a good leader.”

Webb, the former quarterback trying to transition into a wide receiver, has drawn a lot of media attention this offseason. “His work is still in front of him but he’s working every day to get better.”

Wright starts his second NFL season in 2013 and is a willing student with talent. “Jarius Wright is a consummate pro in everything you ask him to do. Extremely athletic, extremely gifted, great hands…he’s a pro.”

Gophers freshman football players are on campus. Soon after their arrival Gophers coach Jerry Kill and his wife Rebecca visited players in their dorm rooms to make them feel welcome at Minnesota.

Rick Beeson and Dean Johnson, the new chair and vice chair of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, are both Gophers fans. Regent Dave Larson is also a major supporter of Gophers athletics.

Seven former Twins were selected on Saturday for the MLB All-Star Game on July 16 in New York: Jesse Crain (injured), Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez, J. J. Hardy, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan and David Ortiz. The present Twins major league roster has no personnel that came here in return for those seven players.

The MIAC website has moved to a new URL, MIACathletics.com. The site offers an updated appearance and several new features.

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