David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Did U Miss on Coach Eric Musselman?

Posted on April 9, 2019April 9, 2019 by David Shama

Sunday was an interesting day for Golden Gophers basketball fans who scrutinize the program. Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle squelched speculation he might move on from head coach Richard Pitino, and instead awarded him a contract extension. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek hired Eric Musselman as the Razorbacks basketball coach and ended any conjecture Musselman could be headed to Minneapolis as Pitino’s replacement.

This writer was told by a former college coach that Musselman expressed interest in the Minnesota job last year. There has also been a recent rumor Musselman reached out to Coyle indicating he was more interested in coming to Minnesota than leaving his job as Nevada head coach to take over at Arkansas.

Musselman was born in Ohio but moved to Minnesota when he was in grade school. That happened when his father Bill Musselman became head coach of the Gophers prior to the 1971-72 season. Bill was just 30 years old when he took over a Minnesota program locked in mediocrity and fan apathy. Musselman, though, created a renaissance of interest and passion for Gophers basketball seldom seen before or since at Williams Arena.

The packed building rocked with music and cheering 30 minutes before game time. Fans clapped and roared their approval to the pregame Harlem Globetrotters style warm-up routine Musselman created for his players. When the games started, screaming fans were ready to blow the roof off the arena, cheering for some of the best talent the Gophers have ever had.

Overnight Musselman turned Minnesota into a national power and won the 1972 Big Ten championship. Eventually Musselman ran afoul of the NCAA and left Minnesota to coach in the pros, but his impact in Dinkytown and across the state was undeniable after creating so much more interest in not only the Gophers but the sport of basketball on any level.

As a youngster Eric witnessed his father’s success, obsession to win, and driving himself to exhaustion. His dad’s imprint led him down a basketball trail as a player and then a coach including in Minneapolis. Bill was the first head coach of the 1989 NBA expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, and Eric became an assistant for his dad after beeing the youngest head coach at age 23 in Continental Basketball Association history.

Eric was later head coach of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. As a basketball junkie and vagabond he’s travelled to a lot of places as both an assistant and head coach in the pros and college, but you can see why Minnesota could feel like home, and why that speculation of being interested in the Gophers job might well be true.

Minnesota has become a talent-rich area for high school basketball players and potential college recruits. A Gophers coach who could keep a high percentage of the best players home each year would be well positioned to compete for Big Ten championships a lot of the time. During the last four years Musselman has demonstrated he can recruit and win at a much more difficult place to win (Nevada) than Minnesota.

Five years ago Musselman was trying to jump-start his career while serving as an assistant coach in college basketball at LSU. In March of 2015 he then took over at Nevada where the program had been struggling. In four seasons with the Wolf Pack Musselman’s teams compiled records of 24-14, 28-7, 29-8 and 29-5, per Wikipedia. His teams won three consecutive Mountain West Conference titles, set a home attendance record, and advanced to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments including a Sweet 16 appearance a year ago. Going into last season the Wolf Pack drew mention as a top 10 team nationally.

Now 54 years old, Musselman may have made his last coaching stop in taking the Arkansas job. He lands in Fayetteville, instead of Minneapolis, in a less attractive place and in a less desirable job. If he had been hired by Minnesota he would have brought an impressive coaching resume including a know-how to win, and possibly a pregame warm-up show to put life back into an arena that often is lifeless and filled with thousands of empty seats. He could have rekindled memories for older fans and made new fans out of people of all ages.

Those empty seats (the Gophers sold out one home game in 2018-19) may well have played a role in Coyle sticking with Pitino, his six-year Minnesota head coach. The Gophers are dealing with budget issues and mandated cuts in the Athletic Department. Asking Pitino to leave would have cost the department millions of dollars.

Coyle, hired as athletic director in 2016, has shown patience with and been supportive of the basketball program. Pitino’s regular season Big Ten record is 40 wins, 70 losses. Only once (2017) have his teams won more than half of their conference games. Two years ago Minnesota, coming off a 2-16 conference season in 2016, went 11-7 in league games and Pitino was named 2017 Big Ten Coach of Year.

This past season the Gophers were 9-11 in Big Ten games. They rallied late winning five of their last eight games including victories in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Wins over Purdue (twice) and Louisville were particularly impressive but critics believe the program is stuck in mediocrity.

Pitino went into last season on a short list of college coaches on the “hot seat,” per national media. The Gophers, though, exceeded the expectations of some media and fans, including by earning their way into the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the Pitino era.

The roster for next season is in flux. The team’s best player, junior forward Amir Coffey, is testing the NBA’s interest in him and he might forego his last season of college eligibility. Guard Isaiah Washington, the former state of New York Mr. Basketball, left the program earlier this spring. Two starters, forward Jordan Murphy and guard Dupree McBrayer, and two key reserves, guard Brock Stoll and center Matz Stockman, won’t return because all four are seniors. With multiple scholarships for next season available but only two commits so far, the coaching staff is in pursuit of players to provide immediate help.

Ironically, Musselman might have been hired by the Gophers in 2013 instead of Pitino. Then athletic director Norwood Teague had been turned down by multiple coaches when he decided to offer the job to the 30-year-old Pitino whose only head coaching experience was one year at a place on the fringes of Division 1 college basketball—Florida International. More than one source will tell you that next on Teague’s candidate list might have been Musselman who at that time was an assistant at Arizona State.

If so, the Musselman to Minnesota possibility struck out in 2013, and again on Sunday. Two strikes and you’re out. Ball game over.

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Nanne Supports Boudreau Return

Posted on April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 by David Shama

Lou Nanne, the former Gopher All-American defenseman who spent part or all of four decades in the NHL as a player, GM and president with the Minnesota North Stars, believes third-year coach Bruce Boudreau will return next season with the Minnesota Wild despite missing the playoffs.

The Wild’s season ended last night and the club won’t be in the playoffs for the first time in six years. While the result is no surprise because of the team’s inconsistency, not making the postseason can be characterized as a major disappointment for a restless fan base that entered the fall of 2018 tired of seeing Minnesota make early exits from the playoffs.

Injuries and lack of goal scoring get the blame for the Wild’s lackluster season. Back in February team owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners he regarded Boudreau as a top five coach in the NHL, and that even if his team didn’t make the playoffs his coach will be retained for next season.

While Nanne is no longer an NHL executive, he is still a devoted follower of the league, and he agrees with Leipold’s assessment of Boudreau being one of pro hockey’s top coaches. “He will be back,” Nanne said about Boudreau remaining the Wild’s coach. “He is an excellent coach. He’s done a great job since he’s been here.”

Boudreau had previous NHL coaching jobs with the Washington Caps and Anaheim Ducks. He reached 400 wins faster than any NHL coach in history, and his teams won eight division titles, but his clubs also struggled in the postseason. Winning has been more difficult in Minnesota than in his previous coaching assignments, but Nanne knows there are limitations as to how much a coach can do.

“Well, he gets the guys to play hard and he gets the most out of the people he’s got,” Nanne said. “He’s been able to be very successful. This is the first time that he’s missed the playoffs in a very, very long time with a lot of different teams. He’s done it with all different kinds of guys. You gotta give him a lot of credit, for no matter what type of lineup they give him, he gets them to produce.”

Worth Noting

A pro scout speaking anonymously told Sports Headliners that Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver, who projects as a shooting guard in the NBA, is the only player in the Minneapolis Final Four likely to be a first round draft choice.

The scout refers to Monday night’s national championship matchup between Texas Tech and Virginia as a “pick’em game.” Both are ball control teams that excel on defense, with 60 points possibly enough to win the game.

Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders and GM Scott Layden were at U.S. Bank Stadium last night watching the Final Four games.

Former Golden Gophers coach Bill Fitch, who left Minnesota after the 1970 season for the NBA, will be inducted later this year into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. An announcement was made yesterday that Fitch will be among the inductees after a career as one of the winningest NBA coaches in league history with 944 victories.

Look for former Timberwolves player and executive Fred Hoiberg, now the new head coach at Nebraska, to make the state of Minnesota a prime recruiting target. Hoiberg’s name is respected by the state’s basketball fans and coaches. When he was head coach at Iowa State his recruits included former Hopkins all-stater Royce White who transferred from the Gophers.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said on KFAN Radio Friday morning he doesn’t plan to take a day off until June because everyone at franchise headquarters in Eagan is so focused on improving after last season’s disappointing results.

Circle-it dates for Vikings players and fans: Offseason OTA’s May 21-23 and 28-30, and June 3-6. Mandatory minicamp, June 11-13.

MLB just can’t get it right on the Designated Hitter rule, with the American League using the DH since 1973 and the National League still unwilling to adopt it. The absence of uniformity for MLB on the highest level of baseball in the world is embarrassing.

Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer has a good suggestion advocating American League teams not use the DH in home games against National League clubs, and vice versa. That’s the opposite of how things are now, and such a switch would allow fans to see a style and strategy they otherwise don’t.

Incidentally, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first AL player to appear at the plate as a DH. It happened 46 years ago yesterday, according to History.com.

Boys’ volleyball wasn’t approved as a Minnesota State High School League sport for the next school year and will remain in club status. Approval may come in the near future.

Stillwater-based Creative Charters already has 100 reservations for a fan trip to the Minnesota-Fresno State football game in Fresno on September 7.

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U’s Murphy May Miss All-Star Game

Posted on April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column with a focus on the Final Four.

Golden Gophers forward Jordan Murphy, still cautious after injuring his back two weeks ago in Minnesota’s NCAA Tournament win over Louisville, said he may not play in the Reese’s College All-Star game scheduled this afternoon (Friday) at U.S. Bank Stadium as part of the Minneapolis Final Four activities.

Murphy, though, plans to participate in the Dos Equis 3-on-3 tournament starting today at Mall of America. The three-day tournament consists of college seniors like Murphy who are grouped with other players from their conferences, and they compete for $150,000 in prize pool money, with $100,000 going to the winning team.

Murphy had never missed a Gophers game until his back problem of two weeks ago forced him to sit out Minnesota’s second NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State. He never had previous back problems but he suffered spasms and soreness when the Gophers were in Des Moines for the tournament. Trying to get ready for Michigan State, Murphy said he saw a chiropractor twice, took ice baths and also used heat, and did some stretching and jogging.

“There’s probably zero chance I could have played in that game,” Murphy said.

Internet reports and a Sports Headliners source believe the University of Arkansas has interest in the Gophers’ Richard Pitino for its head basketball coach opening.

Inner city youth received a lesson yesterday as to why sports—even when played at the highest levels—is about more than wins and losses. Youngsters at a Minneapolis Convention Center event took home about 1,000 items including sports apparel donated by the Clean Out For A Cause program supported by coaches, athletes, and staff from college and professional teams throughout the country.

The program launched in 2013 when basketball coach Tubby Smith donated excess Gophers items after he was let go by the University of Minnesota. The 100 pound donation has since turned into over 200,000 pounds of sports gear donated by over 100 college programs, and nearly half of all pro sports teams as they pass on used or excess shoes and other items each season.

Drew Boe, a former Gopher student manager under Smith, has been the driving force of the Clean Out For A Cause program and the generosity it provides. More on Boe at the Managers On A Mission website.

Boe admires Smith who was joined by other sports celebrities at the Convention Center to deliver messages about life. Smith has long been known for his commitment to help in places where he has coached including in Minneapolis.

“I just have so much respect for his commitment and integrity,” Boe said about the coach who is still mentoring him. “He is willing to go above and beyond in developing men.”

Smith said he’s moved past his firing at Minnesota by controversial athletic director Norwood Teague that came after his team had played two games in the NCAA Tournament of 2013. “I’ve got too much going in my life,” he told Sports Headliners yesterday. “Too much excitement to worry about anything. Once it’s over it’s gone. Losses will stick with you but it’s all about family. …”

Smith’s predecessor as Gophers coach, Dan Monson, is also in town for the Final Four. Smith had a 16-15 overall record as head coach at High Point last season. Monson was 15-19 at Long Beach State.

Jim Nantz, who has spent his entire national broadcasting career at CBS television, works his 30th Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend as the network’s play-by-play voice. Nantz is doing his third Final Four in Minneapolis.

David Ching, writing Tuesday for Forbes.com, said all four coaches in the Minneapolis Final Four will be receiving bonuses for the NCAA Tournament runs of their teams and can add a lot more by winning the national championship on Monday night. None can profit more than Virginia’s Tony Bennett who with the Cavaliers’ tournament march to Minneapolis has already earned $850,000 in incentive bonuses. A national title will add $400,000 more to the payday.

How difficult is it to predict before the season the teams that will be in the Final Four? Very challenging even for the best crystal ballers. The entrants in Minneapolis this weekend are Auburn, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Virginia. Prior to the season Athlon’s college basketball magazine had Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky in the Final Four. Nice try with Duke, Gonzaga and Kentucky all losing in Elite Eight games.

Michigan State will try to win the Big Ten Conference’s first men’s NCAA Tournament basketball championship since 2000 when coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans won it all. The league is frequently promoted as a great hoops league but all time the Big Ten has won only 11 titles in the tournament that started in 1939. Per Wikipedia, UCLA alone has 11 national crowns. Kentucky has eight, and ACC powers North Carolina (six) and Duke (five) have 11 titles.

Indiana with five titles and Michigan State with two, are the only Big Ten programs to have won multiple NCAA men’s basketball championships. Minnesota, of course, has no national titles and has a combined 9-11 record in the NCAA Tournament not counting vacated games due to NCAA violations.

No doubt the absence of Duke and its must-see freshman Zion Williamson put a damper on ticket prices for Minneapolis Final Four tickets. The average resale ticket price for games Saturday and Monday won’t come close to the $900 reported by geekseat.com for the 2015 Final Four involving showcase programs Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Game tickets aren’t the only hot commodities in Minneapolis. Reservations at the city’s top restaurants are popular, too, including at Murray’s where the iconic steak house (in business since 1946) is sold out on Friday and Sunday nights. Earlier this week owner Tim Murray said Saturday and Monday will be busy, too.

Word is Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley could be a first round pick if he decides to leave college early for the NBA. Former DeLaSalle and Kentucky standout Reid Travis, who projects as a power forward in pro basketball, isn’t likely to be drafted in either the first or second round by an NBA team, per a pro scout.

Former Timberwolves player and front office executive Fred Hoiberg, now the new Nebraska head coach, is assembling his staff including Matt Abdelmassih who he referred to at his introductory press conference this week being “as good as” any recruiter in the country. Abdelmassih, who was a student manager for St. John’s from 2004-2007, met Hoiberg after college when he was an intern for the Timberwolves. Abdelmassih, described by ESPN authorities as the best transfer recruiter in the country, left his position as an assistant coach at his alma mater to join Hoiberg in Lincoln.

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