NFL expert Dean Dalton on Vikings reserve quarterbacks Brooks Bollinger and Kelly Holcomb: “Both are kind of career journeymen and that’s all they will be.”

Dalton, who was a Vikings assistant coach from 1999-2005, said he’s had two offers in recent month from NFL teams to return to coaching.  Although some day he would “love” to coach again, he and his wife are first committed to raising their two teenage sons in Eden Prairie.

Former Duke and Timberwolves star Christian Laettner at No. 12 is rated ahead of Michael Jordan (No. 13) on the list of the IBM top 25 greatest players in college basketball history seen on ESPN.  That’s accurate given Laettner’s college accomplishments (the shot seen around the world to beat Kentucky) during four seasons versus Jordan’s two at North Carolina.

Gopher basketball coach Tubby Smith lost a sister to cancer two years ago.  “I tell our players people don’t care what you know,” Smith said.  “They want to know how much you care.”

Junior Mike Bruesewitz of Henry Sibley, who verbally committed to Wisconsin earlier this month, was compared to the Badgers’ Joe Krabbenhoft in an Internet story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  Krabbenhoft is a player who seldom scores many points but does a lot of things that help the Badgers win.  Both players are physical forwards, about 6-foot-7.

Undefeated Hopkins, 22-0, remains No. 1 in prep basketball expert Ken Lien’s latest rankings of the state’s top 10 boys’ teams.  St. Bernard’s has joined the top 10, replacing Wayzata.  Here are the teams: Hopkins, Osseo, Minnetonka, Henry Sibley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Benilde-St. Maragaret’s, Crosby-Ironton, Shakopee, St. Bernard’s, and Stillwater. Lien, chair of the Mr. Basketball program, compiles his top 10 based on who he considers the best teams regardless of school enrollment size.

Bad news for young women: Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is now engaged and off the short list of the town’s most eligible bachelors.

The Gopher men’s hockey team (13-13-8) is one short of the single-season school record for nine ties.  Minnesota and Wisconsin played to a 4-4 tie on Saturday. It was the Gophers’ seventh overtime game in their last 11.

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Team president Chris Wright has been with the Timberwolves franchise since one season after its inception and he’s impressed with the attitudes on this year’s young team.  Although the Wolves have the second worst record in the NBA, 11-42, Wright is encouraged by the demeanor and talent of a team he thinks can be in the playoffs in a couple of years.

“Right now we have the best chemistry and the best locker room that we have had in our franchise history,” Wright told Sports Headliners.  “Have the results on the court been what we want them to be?  No, but these guys are 21, 22, 23 year old guys.

“Kevin McHale (vice president of basketball operations) reminds us every day that experience wins games. In the end, these guys have got to grow.  They’ve got to mature.   They’ve got to gain the experience that’s necessary to win games. …”

The way Wright sees it, Wolves management will use good judgment in further shaping its talent and roster.  “The next move has got to be a very careful move because you don’t want to necessarily upset the chemistry and the progress that we’re making with this younger team that we have,” he said.  “We have some really, really nice pieces here. Now the trick is going to be how do you complement the pieces that we already have in place. …”

Wright thinks the Wolves will be a “much better team” next season.  What that translates into regarding wins and losses is anyone’s guess, although he speculates a season that produces 40 or some wins could be two years away.

Eventually Wright sees the nucleus on this team, led by 23-year-old star center Al Jefferson, having the potential to be “something special.”  He said Glen Taylor, owner since 1995, is committed to having a winning team and will spend the necessary money.

“As long as Glen has been here he has not been afraid to sort of maximize opportunities with players and spend what he has considered to be the right amount of money on players,” Wright said.  “I think that going forward, I don’t see that Glen would change that.  I think, like all owners, Glen does really, really want to win. …”

Taylor made Kevin Garnett the highest paid player in the league.  A few years ago he stretched the payroll, too, to acquire veterans Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, two stars who along with Garnett almost took the Wolves to the NBA finals.  Taylor told Sports Headliners in December he expects to lose $10 to $15 million on the franchise this season and forecasts more losses next season.

Wright said the Wolves have sold less than 6,000 full season tickets.  He said that’s not the lowest total in franchise history but the most minimal since the mid-1990s when the total was “just over 5,000.”

Through last weekend’s NBA All-Star break and weekend, the Wolves ranked 25th among 30 franchises in league attendance, averaging 14,380.  On Sunday the Wolves will play to their fourth home sellout crowd of the season against Dallas.

Wright said league representatives were in Minneapolis this week and expressed a “wow” with the attendance success the franchise has had, given the team’s record and recent past that includes no playoff appearances since 2003-2004.

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Cooper High School junior forward Rodney Williams has impressed Ken Lien and others with his athleticism.  Lien, who chairs the Mr. Basketball Committee, said a former Gopher and pro player thinks Williams, about 6-5, 185, can one day play in the NBA.

“I am not so sure the kid couldn’t compete for the NBA dunk title right now,” Lien said.  “But physically to be an impact player he needs to get much stronger.”

Lien said Williams also needs to become more consistent with his outside shooting and ball handling.  Williams is part of an impressive junior class of state preps that includes forwards Royce White of De La Salle and Mike Bruesewitz of Henry Sibley.  Lien said Bruesewitz has verbally committed to Wisconsin.  White and Williams are among the metro areas leading scorers, averaging in the low 20’s.

The Mr. Basketball award is for seniors only so none of the above mentioned players can win the honor this year, but meanwhile Lien has announced the names of the 20 finalists.  They are: Armond Battle, Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Jordan Taylor, Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Tarell Clark, Burnsville; Michael Floyd, Cretin-Derham Hall; John Nance, Cretin-Derham Hall; Cody Schilling, Ellsworth; Peter Leslie, Henry Sibley; David Hanson,  Maranatha Christian Academy; C. J. Erickson, Minnetonka; Anthony Tucker, Minnetonka; Carrington Tankson, Osseo; Jared Berggren, Princeton; Jordan Hicks, Rochester Mayo; Lucas Kuipers, Rochester Mayo; Nick Haugen, Rockford; Andrew Brommer, Rosemount; Theo Rothstein, St. Michael-Albertville; Alex Schneider, St. Thomas Academy; Peter Waldvogel, St. Thomas Academy; and Joel Armstrong, Stillwater.

Lien has been associated with the Mr. Basketball Committee for 32 years.  He estimated that already this fall and winter his six member committee has seen about 200 high school games as part of the scouting for the state’s next Mr. Basketball.  The award will be presented at a banquet on April 27 at the Minneapolis Marriott West in St. Louis Park.

Lien’s latest weekly rankings of the state’s top 10 boys’ teams are: Hopkins, Osseo, Minnetonka, Henry Sibley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Shakopee, Crosby-Ironton, Stillwater, Wayzata and Benilde-St. Margaret’s. He compiles his top 10 based on who he considers the best teams regardless of school enrollment size.

He said Hopkins has a “great combination of size and quickness.”  He likes the Royals depth, too, and ability to defend opposing players on the perimeter.  He also said that because they will return so many players, both Hopkins and Henry Sibley will be formidable again next season.

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