Gopher athletics director Joel Maturi after being asked last week if football season ticket sales have jumped since the early February announcement about a top 20 recruiting class:  “You know what, I am not aware of that but I think we’re going to see some spiking.  It’s the last year in the dome.  People are going to know that if they have tickets for next year, they’ll get them for TCF Bank Stadium (opening in 2009).  Because if they don’t after that, it may not happen.”

Timberwolves radio color man Billy McKinney told Sports Headliners he’s predicting a Lakers-Pistons NBA finals.  Flip Saunders and his Pistons will win the title, McKinney said.

McKinney will speak to the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce on March 4 in Fargo. He’s been involved with public speaking for years.  His web site is www.billy-mckinney.com.

Timberwolves guard-forward Corey Brewer was the No. 7 pick in last year’s NBA draft.  At the NBA All-Star break he’s played in 50 games, started 23 and averaged 5.4 points per game, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists.  He has made only .354 percent of his field goal attempts (.194 percent of three pointers).  He said in an interview last week that he “should shoot 45 (percent) and above.”

Luke Walton, 28, said he and his Lakers’ teammates are aware of the franchise history that includes Minneapolis but they don’t talk about it.  The oldest Laker, 33- year-old Derek Fisher, was born 14 years after the team moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. “When I started watching it was Magic (Johnson) and them in the ‘80s doing the showtime. ….You gotta give respect for the people who started it all,” Walton told Sports Headliners last week.

Laker players are wearing a logo this season to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the franchise.  The logo includes the words Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Lakers.

Prep basketball expert Ken Lien’s latest 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. Maragaret’s. Lien, chair of the Mr. Basketball program, compiles his top 10 based on who he considers the best teams regardless of school enrollment size.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said there have been ongoing discussions with ace closer Joe Nathan regarding a new contract. Nathan is a free agent after this season.  With more concerns than in the past about the starting pitching, St. Peter said the bullpen is “more important” now to the team’s success.

The 2008 Diamond Awards Dinner will air on FSN North three times during February, with the first broadcast tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The event was held last month and is the Twins Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers of America’s opportunity to present their awards for the 2007 season. The other broadcast dates are Sunday, February 24 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and Friday, February 29 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Comments Welcome

Tubby Smith kicked a towel with more accuracy Tuesday night at Williams Arena than his Gophers shot the ball in an embarrassing 84-60 loss to Illinois, a team with a 2-9 Big Ten Conference record coming into the game.  Smith excelled in distance and accuracy on his kick in front of the Minnesota bench during a frustrating second half when his players made 20.5 percent of their shots (33.3 for the game), but the headline story is that the Gophers likely booted away their NCAA tournament hopes.

The Gophers, now 5-6 in the conference and 15-8 overall, lost to a team they seemed likely to defeat. Minnesota, still in search of a signature win against a top 25 opponent, has a signature loss and a not too promising future.

The Gophers play at No. 15 ranked Wisconsin tomorrow (Saturday, 1 p.m.) and the Badgers methodically took Minnesota apart, 63-47, earlier this month in Minneapolis.  Then the Gophers have winnable home games with Michigan and Penn State, before playing at No. 19 ranked and Big Ten leading Purdue, the surprise team of the conference at 11-1.  A home game follows with Ohio State (the Buckeyes won by 16 in Columbus in January) and then the regular season league schedule ends for Minnesota with road games at No. 13 ranked Indiana and Illinois (the Illini are more talented than the record indicates with three conference losses by six points or less).

Two or three more wins seems most doable for the Gophers who except for the Illinois game have established a season long pattern of beating the teams they’re expected to defeat.  We’re talking post-season NIT for the Gophers unless a March miracle happens and Minnesota ends up 9-9 in the Big Ten and 19-11 overall, or even better.  At 9-9 and 19-11, the Gophers could position themselves for an NCAA tournament invite with a win or two in the Big Ten tournament.

A couple of March snowstorms are more likely, though, than an NCAA invitation.  The Gophers’ lack of talent, including athleticism, was exposed again on Tuesday night.  Although shooting accuracy was an issue, Smith talked about his disappointing defense that contributed to Illinois making almost 60 percent of its field goals.  The Gopher coach said: “Our defense sucked the whole game. …”

Smith was clearly frustrated with his team’s performance and said at his post-game news conference that poor defense has been an issue for awhile.  He criticized the Gophers for lack of aggressiveness and toughness against Illinois. Now the Gophers go to Madison to play Wisconsin after being “awful” against the Badgers in Minneapolis, Smith said.

Comments Welcome

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman told Sports Headliners on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Bob Knight coaches again and that the legendary coach was interested in becoming Gopher coach last year before Smith was hired.  “He would have taken it (the Gopher position),” Wittman said.  “They didn’t even talk to him.”

Knight resigned as Texas Tech coach earlier this month, leaving his job in Lubbock where he had been since 2001.  Reports said the 68-year-old coach was tired but it’s believed the right offer may bring him back to coaching.

Wittman played for Knight at Indiana in the early 1980s and stays in touch with his friend.  Regarding a return to coaching, Wittman said of Knight, “I’ll never say never to him. That’s who he is.”

Knight coached for over 40 years with stops at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech, winning more games than any coach in NCAA Division I history.  While at Army there was talk that he might become the Gopher coach but instead he went to Indiana where he won three national championships.

Boosters of Knight promoted his name as the successor to Dan Monson as Gophers’ coach in 2007.  However, Knight’s personality and controversial incidents over the years made him an unlikely fit in the Minnesota athletic department.

Years ago Knight almost left Indiana to become a TV color commentator with CBS.  Now it seems likely, at least for the near future, that Knight will be on TV talking about college basketball.

Speculation will grow in coming weeks, too, about a return to Indiana where coach Kelvin Sampson faces allegations of NCAA infractions.  There will be lots of passion on both sides of the proposition to return Knight to Indiana.

Comments Welcome