David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Nanne: Zach Parise Timing to Come Fast

Posted on January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column:

Zach Parise made his season debut with the Wild Tuesday night after being sidelined following back surgery. How long will it take for the star forward to have his timing return to normal?

“Within 10 days he should be perfect,” Minnesota hockey authority Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners.

What contributions does Nanne see ahead for the Wild’s 33-year-old wing? “Well, I think that you’re going to see a guy that never stops working. He’s a leader on the team. He’s a guy that can score some goals and he should be a good addition to the lineup.”

Parise had back surgery on October 24 and played solidly on Tuesday night in his debut game. He is expected to play again tonight when Minnesota hosts the Sabres.

Parise scored 42 points in 69 games last season including six power goals and four game winners.

The Wild has been disappointing this season, lacking consistency and goal scoring. Minnesota might struggle to make the playoffs even though owner Craig Leipold said before the season that anything short of winning the Stanley Cup will be disappointing.

What kind of pressure does that put on individuals and the organization? “I don’t know what it does,” Nanne said. “It says he’s got high expectations.”

The Wild defeated the Sabres 5-4 November 22 in Buffalo—the only previous game this season between the two teams. Wild assistant coach Bob Woods was an assistant with the Sabres last season.

In January of 2015 the Wild shutout the Sabres 7-0, the largest margin of victory in franchise history.

The Gophers were able to defeat Illinois 77-67 last night because All-Big Ten point guard Nate Mason played after being sidelined for awhile with a sprained ankle. ESPN basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla told Sports Headliners the Gophers being without Mason is like the powerhouse Ohio State football team not having quarterback J.T. Barrett. Both are that kind of catalyst for their teams, Fraschilla said. Mason and forward Jordan Murphy scored team highs of 17 points last night.

Fraschilla believes it’s likely Duke freshman point guard Trevon Duvall will declare for the NBA Draft after this season, opening the way for Apple Valley senior Tre Jones to become a starter for the Blue Devils next fall.

Minnesota native Brian Dutcher is in his first season as San Diego State head basketball coach. Injuries have been a problem, although the Aztecs beat top 25 ranked Gonzaga in San Diego and defeated Georgia on a neutral court.

The Aztecs are 2-1 in Mountain West Conference games and 10-4 overall, while former Timberwolves assistant coach Eric Musselman has Nevada off to an even better start. Nevada is 2-0 in Mountain West games and 14-3 overall.

Gopher Deputy Athletics Director John Cunningham told Sports Headliners the $166 million University of Minnesota Athletes Village will be ready for use by mid-January. Approximately $105 million of the project is secured with fundraising ongoing. The construction cost is also being financed through bonds.

Bill Robertson, the men’s WCHA commissioner based in Bloomington, is excited about his league as the New Year begins including the Minnesota State team ranked No. 7 in the country in the latest USCHO poll. “I think they have a legitimate shot to end up in St. Paul (playing for the national title).”

Robertson is also enthusiastic about Bemidji State senior goalie Michael Bitzer, who has already played over 1,000 minutes and looks like a candidate for college awards recognizing both the player and goalie of the year. “He continues to do marvelous things,” Robertson said. “In my mind he will be a Hobey Baker contender as well as a Mike Richter contender this year, both awards.”

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recently signed a multiyear contract extension and also assumed the general manager’s title and role with the local WNBA franchise. Reeve speaks to the CORES lunch group January 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Lunch reservations must be made by January 8. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Players and others associated with the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Big Ten champion Gopher baseball teams will be recognized May 12 at Siebert Field when Minnesota plays Michigan State.

Jerry Kindall was an assistant coach to Dick Siebert on those teams. Kindall, a former Minnesota Twin before going into coaching, passed away late last month. The St. Paul native was also an assistant basketball coach for the Gophers and went on to become head baseball coach at Arizona where he won national titles.

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Fran Fraschilla: U Point Guards Critical

Posted on January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by David Shama

It might be anyone’s guess whether Nate Mason’s injured left ankle allows him to play Wednesday night against Illinois but ESPN basketball authority Fran Fraschilla is clear about the senior point guard’s importance to the Gophers.

Mason hurt his ankle December 23 and didn’t dress for last Saturday’s game with Harvard. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said recently he didn’t know about Mason’s availability for Illinois.

The Gophers, 1-1 in Big Ten competition so far, have both Illinois and Indiana (Saturday) at home before playing four of their five following games on the road. Without Mason, the likelihood of two wins this week diminishes and could be difficult.

“If he’s not the best point guard in the Big Ten, it’s a very short list and he’s on it,” Fraschilla told Sports Headliners by telephone Sunday. “To have him return as quickly and healthy as possible is critical.”

Without Mason, freshman Isaiah Washington started at point guard against Harvard. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Washington hustled for a team-leading 13 rebounds and was effective defensively, but he had only two assists and made just four of 17 field goal attempts.

Washington’s shooting (34 percent made field goals) and decision making with the basketball have frequently been disappointing through the first 15 games of the season. There have been high expectations about Washington after he became one of the nation’s most acclaimed point guards while playing at St. Raymond’s in New York City.

Fraschilla watched the former state of New York Mr. Basketball in AAU basketball even before he arrived in Minneapolis. Fraschilla said it’s typical of a talented freshman to be struggling early on in his career. “Just trying to do too much and not yet understanding that he has to value the ball and shot selection a little bit more than he did on the AAU circuit—and that will come.”

Isaiah Washington (photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications)

But if Mason can’t play tomorrow night (or is sidelined longer), the Gophers have to hope Washington matures fast. In Mason’s absence, Pitino is likely to continue using Washington as his starting point guard. Even when Mason returns, Washington is all but certain to potentially be the highest impact player off the bench. Minnesota’s lack of depth is the team’s biggest weakness.

“He (Washington) now needs to understand that every possession in the Big Ten is going to be critical,” Fraschilla said. “One play can make or break your season. One great decision, or bad decision, can affect whether you help your team get to the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully that was the lesson coming out of nonconference play for him.”

The depth issue gives Fraschilla pause about Minnesota’s success this winter but he likes the skills of several players including the shot-blocking of both center Reggie Lynch and power forward Jordan Murphy. Murphy also has 15 consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

By Saturday night he could have the most NCAA consecutive games of double-doubles to start a season since Tim Duncan in 1996-1997. ”I became a really big fan of his early in the year when he got off to such a great start,” said Fraschilla who thinks Murphy can be named a first-team All-Big Ten player this year.

The Gophers were 7-0 and ranked in the top 15 nationally when Fraschilla was the ESPN analyst doing their game with Miami. Since losing to the Hurricanes, Minnesota has dropped out of the top 25 rankings and hasn’t looked like the same team that had impressive early wins against Providence and Alabama.

Minnesota’s other starting guard Dupree McBrayer was injured and missed the Miami game. That forced Washington into the starting lineup alongside Mason. Washington scored 14 points but made some mistakes, including five turnovers, that contributed to the loss. Bench players totaled two rebounds, no points and no assists against No. 10 ranked Miami.

Depth was a concern even before the season because sophomore forward Eric Curry is out until next fall following ACL surgery on his left knee. The 6-9 Curry showed during his freshman season while averaging over five points and five rebounds that he was going to be an impact player coming off the bench and Minnesota’s best sub.

Prior to the Miami game there was talk the Gophers might challenge Michigan State for the Big Ten title and Minnesota looked like the league’s No. 2 team. Fraschilla thinks the Gophers still can finish high in the conference standings and earn their way into the NCAA Tournament. “I would say right now they still have a chance in my mind to be the third best team (after Michigan State and Purdue) in the conference,” he said.

Whether Minnesota can equal or better last season’s 11-7 Big Ten record will have much to do with Mason’s injured ankle. Fraschilla refers to Mason, who was all-Big Ten last season, as the team’s “catalyst.”

“You can’t ask a team that doesn’t have the depth that the Gophers have, and are trying to break in a talented but erratic freshman point guard, to play without their team leader for very long,” Fraschilla said.

Shorn Morris, the Big Ten Network analyst who was at Williams Arena for the Harvard game, also sees Minnesota as the league’s third best team behind Michigan State and Purdue. The upcoming games with Illinois (0-2, 10-5) and Indiana (1-1, 8-6) will tell more about the Gophers but he’s not ready to label them must-win opportunities.

“I think it’s really important (to win those games), especially when let’s not forget they’re already 1-1,” Morris told Sports Headliners last weekend. “They dropped a road game at Nebraska. You want to make sure you take care of the two…home games here.”

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Case Keenum in Power Play Spot

Posted on December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 by David Shama

With one regular season game remaining today and the playoffs ahead, quarterback Case Keenum—a humble 29-year-old NFL journeyman—is now a power player for not only the fate of the Vikings but his own future.

The Vikings, who likely will defeat the Bears Sunday, can finish with an unexpected and impressive 13-3 regular season record. They will then have a first round bye and be among the favorites to earn their way to the February 4 Super Bowl in Minneapolis.

Head coach Mike Zimmer’s defense is holding NFL opponents to league bests of 280.9 yards per game and 16.1 points. The unit excels against both the run and pass. There are terrific playmakers on the line and beyond the line of scrimmage. Tackle Linval Joseph is a “wall” to run against, while end Everson Griffen ranks with the league’s top pass rushers and sackers. Linebacker Anthony Barr, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Harrison Smith are standouts, too.

Zimmer is a master at defensive game preparations. His schemes, along with the execution of the players, can have opponents frustrated whether trying to pass or run. Opponents can be forced into costly turnovers and sometimes the Vikings turn those miscues into points.

It’s expecting a lot, though, for the defense to carry the Vikings through two wins in the playoffs and on to the Super Bowl. Certainly the offense must not only avoid giving opponents points with fumbles and interceptions, but also at times that unit must sustain drives resulting in field goals and touchdowns.

The Vikings have a good—not great—offensive team. The rebuilt line, led by new acquisitions from last year, is solid. Pass catchers Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and Adam Thielen are enjoying exceptional years. The power-speed combo of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon has more than made up for the departure of Adrian Peterson at running back.

Case Keenum (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

All of which leads back to Keenum, the spring of 2017 free agent newcomer who apparently no one, including the Vikings, wanted to be their starting quarterback. But the Vikings had no choice other than to promote expected backup Keenum to starter when starter Sam Bradford was lost for the season with a left knee injury early in the season. Keenum, who never established himself as a No. 1 quarterback with the Texans and Rams, has been Mr. Super Sub leading the Vikings to 10 wins in 13 games.

Keenum has completed an NFL fourth-best 67.3 percent of his passes, while throwing for 21 touchdowns, and has just seven interceptions. His career-high 98.1 passer rating is among the best in the league.

He has also extended plays and made them successful with his scrambling. He senses when tacklers are closing in and often avoids them. At maybe 6-feet tall, he is short enough to duck under pass rushers and sometimes run for first downs. NBC TV analyst Cris Collinsworth referred to Keenum’s escapes from tackles as Houdini-like in last week’s win over the Packers.

Keenum’s mobility has impressed offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. “…Typically, if you’re going to drive the ball against these good defenses, somewhere in a long scoring drive, the quarterback has to do something with his feet,” Shurmur said. “He’s been able to do that.”

Shurmur is highly regarded as an offensive coordinator who has been successful with Bradford and now Keenum. While Keenum’s ascension to a place among the NFL’s more productive quarterbacks is surprising, it’s not inexplicable. In college at the University of Houston he became the NCAA all-time leading career passer with 19,217 yards and 155 touchdowns. But he had a less than successful NFL Combine and was considered suspect because of his height, going undrafted by league teams and signing with the Texans as a free agent.

Keenum had a bias against him coming into the pros. The two NFL teams he played with prior to joining the Vikings—the Texans and Rams—were struggling to become winners and never committed to Keenum, who at 29 is more experienced and mature than he was with those franchises.

Keenum’s performances in the Vikings playoff games could well determine whether Minnesota wins twice and makes history by being the first NFL team ever to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium. The stakes couldn’t be higher in January for he and the Vikings.

If Keenum leads the offense successfully he seems a cinch to be the team’s quarterback next season. The Vikings are paying him a reported $2 million and he has never performed before like a quarterback who deserves much higher compensation. He is a free agent after this season and could be in position to leverage something like a multi-year deal for $15 million per year.

What Keenum must not implode in the playoffs so that later he can negotiate for the big money and the security a new contract will deliver. Even if the Vikings lose on their way to the Super Bowl, he remains in a strong negotiating position with the Vikings if he avoids a disastrous game performance.

Bradford and Bridgewater are also free agents after this season but they don’t have anywhere near the leverage for new deals that Keenum does. Bradford is 30 years old with a history of knee problems including ACL surgeries. The Vikings reportedly are paying him $18 million this season. There is some speculation Bradford will decide to retire after this season.

Bridgewater, 25, suffered a horrific knee injury about 16 months ago and it’s still not known whether he can resume his career as a fulltime starter, or even effective sub. He gushes positivity and is a hit in the locker room. In a popularity contest, he probably would be voted the starter. But in the real world Bridgewater, who reportedly earns about $2 million on his present deal, has to decide how much he can command in the open market next year in money and potential playing time, with teams like the Browns and Redskins perhaps interested.

It seems unlikely the Vikings will offer Bridgewater a big contract, even if Keenum disappoints in the playoffs. A complete flop by Keenum seems unlikely since both his leadership and play have been so steady this season. His worst outing was his first game as a starter. He had a passer rating of 65.9 with no touchdown passes, but he’s been a lot more productive since that game against the Steelers September 17.

It will be known soon whether Keenum delivers for the Vikings and himself. He has evolved into a team MVP candidate and widely distanced himself from Bradford and Bridgewater who because of past injuries and inactivity are risky bets. Maybe Keenum will turnout to be a one-year wonder but right now he appears to be the Vikings’ best choice for the 2018 season.

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