David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Hoops Job? Set the Hiring Bar High

Posted on March 15, 2021March 15, 2021 by David Shama

I don’t have confirmation on speculation Richard Pitino will be terminated as the men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota. I know this: if athletic director Mark Coyle seeks a replacement, he should be determined to hire the best coach possible.

That means making inquiries about the nation’s premier coaches. While it might appear to be a frivolous exercise to investigate the availability of elite coaches like Tony Bennett from Virginia or Mark Few of Gonzaga, it’s not. There can be factors—unlikely as they may seem—that could spark the interest of a power coach to Minnesota.

Neither the public nor the media may know what these background factors are. A top coach might want to move on to another program because of a personal or professional conflict such as a marital divorce, or rift with the school athletic director and president. Maybe the coach is convinced the ceiling has been reached with his program’s resources and potential. He wants one more challenge to build on his legacy.

If naysayers had their way years ago, Lou Holtz never would have landed at Minnesota. The Gophers football program was the pits in 1983 after a 1-10 season that included the 84-13 debacle against Nebraska in Minneapolis. Holtz, a turnaround master, wasn’t getting along with his athletic director at Arkansas. Gophers AD Paul Giel and booster Harvey Mackay had the vision and will to convince Holtz to accept the Minnesota job.

In two seasons Holtz transformed Minnesota football on the field and at the box office. Big Ten championships and Rose Bowls beckoned, but then Holtz left for his dream position at Notre Dame where he went on to win a national championship. He is the only coach in college football history to take five different programs to bowl games. It would have been six except he was off to Notre Dame only weeks prior to Minnesota playing in the 1985 Independence Bowl.

After the failed performance of Pitino and two predecessors, it’s vital the Gophers secure the best hire for the first time this century. The program has the potential to annually produce teams landing in the top half of the Big Ten. Not to just have an occasional winning season here and there, but sustained success like the neighboring Wisconsin Badgers.

There are never guarantees of future successes with a coach. That’s why Coyle should not pursue a person with limited, or no head coaching experience. The more successful a coach’s background at his previous stop, the more likely success can be expected at a place like Minnesota. No guarantees, but at least the margin for error has been reduced.

There are many coaches whose names are rumored with the Gopher job if it opens up. Among that group, I am endorsing Minnesota native and U alum Brian Dutcher who has his San Diego State Aztecs playing in the NCAA Tournament starting Friday.

Disclosure: I know Brian and I am friendly with his father, Jim Dutcher, the former Minnesota head coach who led the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title. During an interview yesterday Jim wanted it understood he wasn’t talking with Sports Headliners to campaign for his son becoming the Minnesota coach.

“I don’t know how interested he is in the Minnesota job,” Jim said. “I don’t know if they have any interest at all in him. To this point there’s been no contact. His whole concentration right now is the NCAA Tournament for the team he is coaching.”

Jim didn’t initiate our phone conversation. He was willing to answer questions specific to Brian’s more than 30 years of experience as a major college assistant coach and head coach.

Brian, a student manager for his father at Minnesota and 1982 U alum, worked as a graduate assistant at Illinois before becoming an assistant at South Dakota State and then an assistant at Michigan starting in 1988. At Michigan he worked for head coaches Bill Frieder and Steve Fisher. When Fisher received the head job at San Diego State in 1999, Brian went West. He became Fisher’s top assistant and head coach in waiting until taking over the program for the 2017-2018 season.

During Brian’s basketball life he has been around Big Ten championship teams at Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. With the Wolverines, he was part of the staff helping Michigan to the 1989 NCAA title. In four years leading San Diego State he has coached the Aztecs to two Mountain West Conference regular season titles and two tournament championships including last Saturday’s win over Utah State. The last two seasons his record is 53 wins, six losses.

The 2020 USA Today National Coach of the Year, Brian has long been known as an outstanding recruiter. “He’s relentless,” Jim Dutcher said. “When he makes that contact (with a recruit), it’s going to be steady all the time. …He won’t give up on the guy until somebody tells him, ‘No, I am not going to come.’ “

Brian helped Michigan assemble the legendary Fab Five group in the 1990s and to this day remains close to Juwan Howard, now the Wolverines coach. At San Diego State he recruited Kawhi Leonard—an in-the-shadows high school player who Dutcher and Fisher saw potential in. Leonard, among the best players in the NBA, still comes back to campus at San Diego State where Dutcher has given him free access to the gym. “He was a very good recruiter at Michigan and he has done a great job of recruiting at San Diego State,” Jim said.

Brian’s not a flashy recruiter but he achieves results by being prepared and selling himself and San Diego State. His players can join a winning program, with a stable coaching situation. They will be expected to achieve academically, give maximum effort on the court and behave as solid citizens when not playing basketball. They will be held accountable for all of this.

“The kids that go through San Diego State’s program, they’re tied to the school forever,” Jim said. “They come back for games. They stay in touch with the coaches and the school. So they’re kind of the definition not what a team is, but… what a basketball program is. They don’t have those up and down years. You have a good product on the floor every year.”

How would Brian go about recruiting if he were the Gopher coach? “You always start with your home state,” Jim answered. “You’ve gotta get the best players out of your state if you’re gonna have a good program. Then they (the coaches) would supplement it with what their needs were nationally.”

Recruiting Minnesota players requires what Jim describes as building a bond with people in the state including with prep coaches, recruits, and Gopher alumni. When Jim came to Minnesota in the 1970s he reached out to former Gopher coach John Kundla to learn all he could about the program and the state. Understanding a place’s culture and history is key to successful in-state recruiting, he explained.

Recruits are attracted to how Brian builds and sustains relationships. “They really stress a family attitude with their team,” Jim said. “You’re part of the Aztec Nation. You’re part of our family, not for four years but forever. So you just kind of build that bond. He understands (the importance of family).”

Most programs, including Minnesota, can’t expect to have a roster loaded with blue chip players every year. Identifying potential talent is part of Brian’s success story. “They’ve got people that have turned out to be all-conference, or players of the year, that weren’t highly recruited in high school,” Jim said.

Aztec Matt Mitchell, not coveted as a prep, is the 2021 Mountain West Player of the Year. He has helped the Aztecs win 14 consecutive games after stumbling earlier in the winter. “They stress we gotta be better tomorrow than we are today, both individually and as a team,” Jim said. “You see it as the year goes on, the team is playing better and better. You can just see the improvement both individually and teamwise. …”

When Aztec players screw up, they will hear about it from the head coach. “He is not an in your face kind of guy but he does hold players accountable,” Jim said. “They know what’s expected of them and if they’re not doing it (right) then he’ll hold them accountable, either in playing time or whatever it takes.”

In practices the Aztecs are led by a coaching staff that will make decisions on how their team should best prepare for the next opponent. While they will practice with focus and effort, Brian won’t overwork his players. “Brian knows you don’t leave your game on the practice floor,” Jim said. “You gotta be rested. You gotta be mentally and physically ready to play. So they’ll take a day off and rest legs. …”

Nothing completely prepares a top assistant for the head job. He has to be in that role to experience all the responsibilities including managing the actual game. During Brian’s four years leading the Aztecs his dad has seen improvement by his son. “I think he has become a really outstanding bench coach,” Jim said. “That’s why you’re voted coach of the year.”

The Aztecs have made a habit of winning games that aren’t decided until the last five minutes. Part of that success comes from making adjustments during games and at halftime. “San Diego State has got a reputation for closing out games,” Jim said. “I think a lot of that is around their defense, but also a lot of that is about coaching (during games).”

Defensive teams that statistically and in performance rank with the better programs in the country is a vital part of Brian’s approach to coaching. “Brian has been around the game for a long time, and he understands that to be a consistent winner…it starts with good defense because a lot of teams can have good offensive shows but they go on the road and they can’t win on the road,” Jim said. “Good defensive teams are good road teams. So I think he has a really basic understanding of what it takes to be not only a good team—but to be a good program—you kind of have to hang your hat on the defensive end, and they’ve done that.”

At 61 years old, Brian will coach many more years. Maybe that will be in San Diego, or perhaps coming home to Minneapolis. Wherever he is, dad believes Brian will continue to coach with a lot of experience, knowledge, passion and energy. “He is a young 61,” Jim said. “Brian doesn’t seem to be that old.”

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Boosters Detail Saving Gopher Tennis

Posted on March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 by David Shama

There could be a path for the University of Minnesota men’s tennis program to continue indefinitely, according to information submitted this week to members of the school’s Board of Regents.

Tennis, along with men’s gymnastics and indoor track, are scheduled for elimination later this year to save the athletic department $1 million to $2 million annually. The decision to discontinue the sports was made last fall at the recommendation of president Joan Gabel and athletic director Mark Coyle who said Title IX issues also dictated the extreme action.

The regents voted 7-5 to approve the elimination of the three sports and assist the athletic department budget in coming years. The department is mostly self-supported from revenues generated by three sports, football and men’s basketball and hockey. A budget deficit of $40 million or more has been estimated for the department this school year.

The action to cut programs was met with a storm of controversy and emotion including by members of the tennis boosters group. This month representatives of the Baseline Club informed Coyle and the Board of Regents their findings dispute that Title IX is an issue, and funding can be established to continue the program into perpetuity.

The Baseline Club retained the services of a lawyer with Title IX expertise, according to documents given to the Board of Regents. Nationally known attorney Arthur Bryant concluded that Title IX related issues don’t prevent the tennis program from being reinstated. The University’s Office of Legal Counsel is reviewing Bryant’s findings.

Regarding finances, the booster club stated it has over $1.3 million in pledges to help make the reinstatement of tennis possible. Already in place because of past private funding is a $1.2 million endowment used for scholarships. It’s projected that the $2.5 million total can fund the tennis program for four years. With the impetus of that success, the booster club believes further private funding can solidify the program’s existence indefinitely.

The University will have to determine whether it’s in agreement with the Title-IX issue. There will also be careful scrutiny of financial pledges to determine sources and how donations will be secured. Contrary to what some observers believed last fall, the $1.2 million tennis endowment can’t be transferred to another sports program at the University without the approval of the Baseline Club.

The Baseline Club started in 1979 and has played a leading role in promoting and enhancing tennis including through its financial contribution for construction of the on-campus Baseline Tennis Center.

Budget cuts prompted by the pandemic have caused the elimination of college sports across the country, with tennis among those programs most affected. The University is projected to have 22 men’s and women’s sports for the next school year.

Worth Noting

Give credit to Tom Devine and other volunteers from Friends of Gopher Sports for their persistent lobbying to eliminate state sales tax on Gophers seat licensing, which uses the revenue for scholarships. If legislation is enacted the savings to the athletic department will be about $1 million per year, Devine said.

A bill to make the change had a hearing in the House of Representatives last week and the proposed legislation includes elimination of sales tax on seat licensing at other state schools including UMD and St. Thomas. The bill is co-authored by Representative Mohamud Noor and Senator Greg Clausen. Efforts have been made in the past, too, but volunteers are optimistic about legislative change this year. “I am proud of it,” Devine said about ongoing lobbying.

Sooner or later Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle will go before the University Board of Regents and discuss the men’s basketball coaching situation. The regents meet this week and then don’t have another regularly scheduled gathering until May 13-14.

A source familiar with U policy said Coyle doesn’t need regents’ approval to terminate coaches including Richard Pitino.

Sports Illustrated online points out Hopkins legend Paige Bueckers, now playing for the Connecticut Huskies, could be the first basketball freshman to ever be named women’s college player of the year. She has already been honored this winter as both Big East freshman and player of the year. Former Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore, playing for Connecticut, also earned those honors as a freshman.

NFL Network is providing extensive coverage this month of Pro Days from college campuses including North Dakota State Friday. Bison QB Trey Lance, from Marshall, Minnesota, is showing up among the first 10 selections in 2021 NFL mock drafts.

Condolences to family and friends of Duane Blaska who died at home Monday morning after a lengthy fight with cancer. Duane, 79 and from Anoka, was the heady starting quarterback on the Gophers’ 1962 team that compiled a 6-2-1 record and finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally by both the Associated Press and United Press International. If not for the controversial officiating in a season ending loss to Wisconsin in Madison, Minnesota would have gone to three consecutive Rose Bowls.

“Duane was everybody’s friend—a lovable, admirable soul with a flawless character. Bless his memory,” former teammate Paul Ramseth wrote in an email.

The Minnesota Wild, six wins over .500 with 14 wins and eight losses, is playing impressive enough to deserve a ranking of 11 or 12 among the 31 NHL teams, writes Stan Fischler of the Fischler Report.

Ross Bernstein, the Twin Cities-based sports author and entertaining national speaker, is the latest “Behind the Game” guest with co-hosts Patrick Klinger and Bill Robertson. The program is available for viewing on the “Behind the Game” YouTube Channel and via cable access throughout the state.

Catcher Mitch Garver, a 2019 Twins Silver Slugger winner, is in competition for playing time with Ryan Jeffers after Garver’s off year in 2020.

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U Needs Minnesota Hoops Connection

Posted on March 8, 2021March 8, 2021 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota is expected to buy out the contract of men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino soon. Pitino had eight seasons to prove he was worthy of his position, but the results are among the worst in program history including only one winning year in Big Ten Conference games.

Pitino was hired at 30 years old, with one season of previous head coaching experience at Florida International University. He reportedly was a sixth, seventh or eighth choice of then athletic director Norwood Teague. The U administration later carelessly threw money at Pitino, convinced that was necessary to retain him. He should have been dismissed three years ago.

In this millennium the state of Minnesota’s “biological twin” to the east, Wisconsin, has seen its Badgers program going to Final Fours and winning Big Ten championships including last year. In contrast to Minnesota, the Badgers have been led by coaches with ties to Wisconsin starting with Dick Bennett, then Bo Ryan and now Wisconsin born Greg Gard.

For decades the Badgers have built their roster with Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota players. This year’s Badgers have seven Minnesotans on the roster, while the Gophers finish their season with two. Pitino fired more blanks than bulls-eyes in recruiting this state, missing frequently on top talent and all but ignoring promising walk-ons.

Athletic director Mark Coyle will identify and then hire the next coach with the expected approval of U president Joan Gabel and the Board of Regents. His candidate pool should include several coaches with Minnesota ties. This is an opportune time to choose a coach familiar with and appreciative of the U, and the state’s people, culture, quality of life and Fortune 500 business community.

A coach with state ties can bring unique passion and commitment to the Gopher job. He will want Minnesotans to be proud of their Gophers. With a commitment and attitude like that, it’s much less likely the coach will see this as a stepping stone job and want to move on.

This is a huge hiring decision for Coyle. Gopher basketball has to end the cycle of failed coaching eras and establish a long run of success like Wisconsin has done. A winning program translates to more than a better experience for the players and fans. Men’s basketball is the second largest income-producing sport among 22 programs in the self-supporting athletic department, and increased revenues are needed more than ever. With the state almost bursting with quality high school basketball talent, the U program has more potential than in the past and is positioned for success with the right leadership.

It is standard operating procedure for athletic directors to maintain lists of potential replacement coaches, seldom knowing for sure when change will come. Coyle may have been thinking for a long time about who might take over for Pitino (I am told he was almost dismissed last March).

Interestingly, San Diego State coach and Minnesota native Brian Dutcher signed a contract extension last September that included a favorable provision about the Gopher job. Dutcher’s buyout with the Aztecs is nearly $7 million unless he accepts the Minnesota job. Then the buyout is $1 million.

Dutcher was open last year in talking about his interest in coming home after growing up in Bloomington as the son of former U head basketball coach Jim Dutcher. He made it known the state and the U, his alma mater, are special to him. His dad and sisters live in the metro area.

Brian, a former national coach of the year, checks the boxes for what Coyle should be looking for in a coach including experience and proven success. Finishing up his fourth year as Aztecs head coach, he has won Mountain West Conference titles and brought national attention to his program including last season when SDSU won 26 consecutive games and was ranked No. 4 in the country.

Dutcher has more than 30 years of college coaching experience including a long run as an assistant known for his recruiting. His ability to sell helped Michigan assemble the Fab Five of the 1990s and as head coach at San Diego State he has established recruiting roots in California. His sincerity, common sense and reputation would resonate well with Minnesota high school recruits and coaches.

At 61 Dutcher will coach at least several more years. Even if he has great success at Minnesota, he isn’t leaving for another job. Instead, he might hand his job off to a top assistant on the staff. That assistant could be Ryan Saunders.

Saunders, 34, can be another legacy coach for the Gophers. He played for Minnesota as did his father, Flip Saunders, who also was an assistant coach for Jim Dutcher. Minnesota-born Ryan was recently fired as Minnesota Timberwolves head coach but if he chooses there is a lot of coaching opportunity ahead. His NBA experience would be valuable in both recruiting and coaching for the Gophers. He could also be interested in learning the college game from a mentor like Brian Dutcher.

It’s too bad but I don’t see a return path to Minneapolis for Eric Musselman. If he leaves Arkansas before April 30, he or his next school owe $5 million for a buyout. Coyle isn’t paying $5 million, or leaving his basketball program in limbo until May.

Musselman is a terrific coach with a zealous desire to win. He made Nevada a national name in basketball and is turning around the Arkansas program. The U, with a history of failed actions in football, basketball and hockey dismissals and hires, should have pursued Musselman three years ago when he was at Nevada.

Eric was a pre-teenager living in Bloomington when he watched his dad, Bill Musselman, make the Gophers a Big Ten power and box office hit in Minneapolis during the 1970s. What a homecoming it could have been with the Gophers winning games and Eric reviving the raucous pre-game warm-up show that Bill had his players entertain with.

Former Gopher J.B. Bickerstaff is deserving of a phone call from Coyle. Yes, he is finishing up the first year of a four-year deal as head coach of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavs but making the assumption he wouldn’t be interested in the Gopher job is wrong. Coyle won’t know without asking.

Bickerstaff, 41, was once head coach of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, and he spent four seasons in Minneapolis as an assistant with the Timberwolves. His extensive NBA resume would bring sophisticated X’s and O’s to the U program, and grab the attention of high school recruits.

Maybe Bickerstaff wants a change and wants to get away from the NBA travel grind and return to his alma mater. His presence as Minnesota head coach might prompt offering an assistant’s position to Jared Nuness, a valued staff member of the highly ranked Baylor program. Nuness, son of former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness, grew up in Eden Prairie and could become another legacy hire for the U.

Niko Medved, 47, would probably crawl through glass to come back home. He could be a poster boy for candidates with Minnesota ties. Minneapolis-born, Medved’s story might be worthy of a made-for-TV movie if he were hired by the Gophers and went on to win championships. He was a student manager for the Gophers in the early 1990s and from 1997-1999 associate head coach at Macalester. He then worked his way along the coaching trail with assistant jobs including one season with the U. As head coach at Furman, Drake and now Colorado State, he has achieved program turnarounds.

This season Colorado State is 17-5 overall and 14-4 in the Mountain West Conference. Contributing to the Rams’ success is assistant coach Dave Thorson, the Minnesota prep coaching legend from DeLaSalle. With the Gophers, Thorson would create instant credibility and rapport with state high school coaches.

The Rams finished in third place in the Mountain West, behind Dutcher’s 14-3 Aztecs and coach Craig Smith’s 15-4 Utah State team. Smith is a native of Stephen, Minnesota and it is believed Coyle had interest in him 12 months ago. Smith’s employment with the Aggies dates back to the 2018-19 season and it is more than impressive.

He has produced two Mountain West Tournament title teams, a share of one regular season championship and been to the NCAA Tournament twice. His overall record at State is 72-22 and 42-13 in conference games. The Aggies will be headed to the Big Dance no matter what happens to them in the conference tournament that begins Wednesday.

Like Medved, Smith started his career with obscure jobs and early on first gained attention on the NAIA level. His first two head coaching jobs were at Mayville State in North Dakota and at the University of South Dakota—more evidence of Upper Midwest roots.

Coyle’s friends will tell you he is a strategic thinker and bright guy. Let’s see who glitters gold for him.

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