David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Basketball Ticket Sales Increase at U

Posted on August 13, 2017August 13, 2017 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota Athletic Department has sold almost 500 more public season tickets for men’s basketball than in early August of 2016. Totals in several public season tickets categories as of August 3 of this year showed increases over 2016, according to figures provided by the department to Sports Headliners.

The Gophers reported 251 new public season accounts and 594 new tickets. Those totals on August 3, 2016 were 63 new accounts and 102 tickets.

The public season tickets total provided was 6,848, compared to 6,141 last year. (No student season tickets figures are published here because the sales campaign doesn’t start until September.)

Although the athletic department is still selling season tickets for the home 2017-2018 schedule, the renewal deadline for past ticket holders was May 31. The department reported 97.8 percent of tickets were renewed, compared with 82.7 percent a year ago.

The “box office” trend isn’t surprising given the unexpected success of last season’s 11-7 Big Ten team and national media optimism about the 2017-2018 Gophers who Sportingnews.com ranked No. 10 in the country. The public season ticket totals will increase between now and the team’s first games in November, and student sales seem likely to surpass those for 2016-2017.

That’s good news for an athletic department which has seen a decline in public season tickets since 2000. There has also been a drop off in individual game tickets sold. In recent seasons sellout crowds have been the exception at historic 14,625 seat Williams Arena.

Minnesota ranked 11th in average attendance last season in the 14-member Big Ten Conference. The Gophers averaged 10,308 fans per game and ranked No. 37 in the nation. By comparison, Wisconsin led the Big Ten with a per game average of 17,286 and ranked sixth nationally.

For years the Gophers basketball product has often been disappointing fans including the 2-16 Big Ten record in 2015-2016. Last season’s 11-7 record was just the third time since 2000 that Minnesota has finished with a winning record in league games.

Coach Richard Pitino, who will begin his fifth season at Minnesota in the fall, has the program trending upward now with all but one of his key players returning for next season. He also has promising newcomers on the 2017-2018 roster led by flashy New York City point guard Isaiah Washington. There appears to be more good news coming with what might be a national top 10 recruiting class in 2018.

A run next winter at a Big Ten title and a couple of wins in the NCAA Tournament could really make ticket numbers jump in the next 12 months. That would be a welcome addition for a season ticket base whose core features aging customers who have been supporting the program for a long time.

Worth Noting

One player who likely won’t be in Pitino’s 2018 class is Tre Jones. The Apple Valley High School senior point guard will announce his college choice later today and basketball recruiting authorities will be stunned if he doesn’t select Duke. (Every predictor on 247Sports, for example, says Duke).

The Blue Devils have been on his short list and the successful experience of older brother Tyus Jones at Duke seems like an important factor. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski might be the best basketball coach on any level in the world and has produced a long list of pros.

The Saint John’s-St. Thomas football game at Target Field on September 23 is one of the college games for the 2017 season featured in the current issue of Sports Illustrated. S.I. said: “This one promises to be a thrill for those seeking the purity of ye-olde game: no national scholarships, no national-TV cameras, no football-player only dorms, no leaving early for the draft. It’s just two teams filled with mostly local kids pounding away for bragging rights.”

That was former Timberwolves broadcaster Kevin Harlan and ex-Vikings quarterback Rich Gannon working Thursday night’s Packers-Eagles game from Green Bay on the Packers TV Network. Harlan said the network, including stations in Alaska and Hawaii, is the “third largest” in the NFL.

During Friday night’s Twins-Tigers telecast, analyst Torii Hunter asked broadcast partner Dick Bremer if he will be wearing his Speedo swimsuit Monday. The Twins will have an off day then and Bremer plans to be at his lake place. Bremer’s Monday plans prompted Hunter’s question, and a quick no from the veteran broadcaster.

Hunter’s son, Torii Jr., was drafted in the 23rd round last year by the Angels and is playing center field for the Orem Owlz in the Pioneer League where he is hitting .317 with one home run and 11 RBI in 32 games. The 22-year-old was better known for football at Notre Dame where he was a wide receiver.

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Pavin May Surprise in 3M Field

Posted on August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column with golf up first:

Ask Hale Irwin who he thinks will win the 3M Championship in Blaine this weekend and you will hear several names. Yes, he likes Bernhard Langer who won the Senior British Open last Sunday in Wales and is among the hottest pro golfers in the world. Corey Pavin is far down the list of senior money winners this year but he finished second in Wales, and Irwin wouldn’t be surprised if Pavin wins the 3M, a regular stop on the PGA Champions Tour. Irwin–with more wins and money earned than anyone else on the senior tour—believes Pavin “is getting his game back after his surgery” and could win his first 3M title.

“I kind of like the gutsiness of a Corey Pavin,” told Sports Headliners today. “He’s the kind of guy that has proven time and time again, ‘I don’t care how far you hit it past me, I am going to beat you.’ That attitude I love.”

Irwin, who isn’t playing in the 3M, predicts competitive play at the TPC Twin Cities course and the field certainly could produce a winner other than Langer or Pavin. “This golf course…is really kind of wide open for the field,”said Irwin who won the 3M three times. “With the rain we’re going to have it’s going to be soft, so go with a longer (hitting) player. Kenny Perry, who won here a couple years ago, that’s another name that jumps out. Scottie McCarron, another long hitter, he’s playing well.”

What does Irwin think of Langer who won the 3M as recently as 2012 and leads the tour this year in earnings? He praised the German player’s work ethic and preparation, and how well he is playing. “I would say that he’s probably playing at the age of 60 as well as he’s played maybe his entire life,” Irwin said.

The Vikings play the first of their four preseason games next week against the Bills in Buffalo. An opening preseason game is a glorified scrimmage, with many obscure players on the field trying to make the roster. It’s a valuable evaluator for coaches and front office authorities but for fans there are few snap judgments worth making.

Dalvin Cook (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

What does put some zip in next Thursday’s game is the anticipated debut of rookie running back Dalvin Cook. Fans and media have been looking forward to seeing him since the Vikings moved up in last April’s NFL Draft to select the former Florida State All-American who could as become a starter and Adrian Peterson’s replacement.

Back in May, Vikings veteran talent evaluator Scott Studwell was upbeat about Cook’s rookie season. “He’s going to play early and he’s going to play a lot,” Studwell told Sports Headliners. “We’ll see how it all shakes out.”

Cook can run with not only elusiveness but power. Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Cook is even making improvement as a pass blocker.

“Yes, he has done a good job,” Shurmur said yesterday. “I don’t see any elements of running back play that he can’t be very good at and pass protection is one of them.”

An email sent Monday by the Vikings to past group customers was offering $30 tickets for the team’s final home preseason game Thursday, August 31 against the Chargers. Stubhub.com listed $11 tickets as of yesterday morning.

A Division III single game football attendance record of 17,535 was set last fall at UW-Whitewater against UW-Oshkosh. St. Thomas and Saint John’s could break that record when the two teams meet for the first time at Target Field on September 23. With the Gophers having a bye, the Tommies and Johnnies will have the spotlight college game in this marketplace.

Lindy’s college football magazine includes both the Tommies (No. 3) and Johnnies (No. 4) in its preseason top 25 Division III poll. This is the first time both programs are listed together in any top five of a Division III poll/ranking.

The Tommies, who are the home and host team, have signed up a presenting sponsor for the September 23 game. Twin-Cities-based Oppidan is a property development firm working in real estate, asset management, brokerage services, construction management and project management.

Steven Richardson, the Gophers squatty defensive tackle who is about 6-feet tall and 300 pounds, is working at lifting his hands up quicker after new defensive coordinator Robb Smith gave him that suggestion. Richardson was third-team All-Big Ten last season as a junior.

Do Smith and his assistants use a more intense coaching style than last year under head coach Tracy Claeys and his aides? “Oh, absolutely,” said Gophers linebacker Blake Cashman. “This coaching staff, they’re all over the place, bringing a lot of energy. It fuels us to get us going, and makes practices a lot of fun.”

When the first national college hockey rankings come out just before the season begins, coach Don Lucia’s Gophers will be in the top 10—maybe top five. Minnesota will be the highest ranked Big Ten team in a league where newcomer Notre Dame might have been more powerful but was hurt by players turning pro early and Wisconsin is still rebuilding.

The Twin Cities Pro Am basketball league has its playoff championship game at DeLaSale High School tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. with Team Jones playing Errol Carlstrom Playaz.

Saint John’s will be among the favorites to win the men’s MIAC basketball title next season. The Johnnies return all their starters including all-league first teamers David Stokman and Tyler Weiss. Stokman, a guard, and Weiss, a post player, are high percentage shooters.

Stokman led the MIAC in three point field goal percentage last season at 50.3 percent. “He is an incredible shooter, one of the best pure shooters I have seen,” an MIAC follower and college administrator told Sports Headliners via email.

Weiss was second in MIAC field goal percentage, making 59.2 percent of his shots and trailing Bethel junior center Derek Magnuson (62 percent).

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P.J. Fleck Talks QB, Team Record

Posted on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column kicking off with Gophers football.

The Gophers start practices today without a No. 1 quarterback but redshirt senior Conor Rhoda and junior Demry Croft are the presumed leading candidates to win the job sometime before Minnesota’s opening game August 31. A quarterback question was the first one asked during a media Q&A session with head coach P.J. Fleck yesterday.

“The quarterback question is one I’m sure you all have on your minds,” Fleck said. “I have it on my mind—I’ll be honest with you—every single day, every single night.

“What I’m looking for is somebody to take ownership of our football team. (Florida State coach) Jimbo Fisher had a question from ACC Media Days, (and said) you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough team.

“We have to find out how tough the quarterbacks are. They both played minimum snaps, the minimum of one game. So you have to put them through rigorous, high-stress, high-pressure—(and also) easy, relaxed, type of situations—all throughout the spectrum to see how they respond to that. Decisive decision-making in everything that they do.”

Fleck won’t put a deadline on naming a quarterback this month. He said “…eventually we have to make a decision and be able to train that quarterback, so he gets a little bit more reps than everybody else.”

The Gophers were 9-4 last season but most media don’t see that many wins for Minnesota this fall. The team not only has uncertainty at quarterback but in the offensive line and other areas including lack of depth at key spots on defense. The program’s strongest unit on either side of the ball is the linebackers.

Fleck isn’t predicting the team’s final record this season. “I think we have 42, 43 lettermen coming back, which makes us one of the least experienced teams in the country,” he said. “We have a new offense, new defense, new special teams, completely new culture, new way of doing things. Twenty-two (injured) guys who (can) have an impact that are out and we still haven’t seen what they can do, or how they implement with our system.

“Those aren’t excuses, those are just facts. We could go 12-0, or 0-12. I’m not worried about the ‘W’ or the ‘L’—what that looks like. I’m worried about this team doing everything they can to become their best and reach their maximum potential.”

Fleck and the staff take a comprehensive approach to educating their players in subjects that go far beyond the fundamentals of football. Those topics range from dating to yoga to Pilates.

True to his energetic style, Fleck stood at a podium when he talked to the media yesterday. Former Gophers head coaches Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys sat at a table as they made remarks and answered questions.

Fans can attend six practices scheduled at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex: August 4, 6 p.m.; August 5, 3:30 p.m.; August 8, 3:30 p.m.; August 11, 4:15 p.m.; August 15, 3:30 p.m.; August 17, 3:30 p.m. (Practice dates, times and locations are subject to change).

Jeff Jones, the 2013 prep Mr. Football in Minnesota and ex-Gopher running back and wide receiver, is headed to Fullerton College, a California community college, according to Giovan Jenkins who was his head coach at Washburn High School. Jenkins told Sports Headliners he spoke to Jones recently about his plan.

Casey O’Brien, son of former Gophers defensive backfield coach and athletic department administrator Dan O’Brien, is a freshman walk-on holder for Minnesota. Casey, who beat cancer twice in his teen years, was a holder and golfer at Cretin-Derham Hall, and won the 2016 Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award.

The Twin Cities Pro Am basketball league has four teams remaining in the playoffs. Tonight’s games at DeLaSalle High School include Team Jones against Diggs Team starting at 5:45 p.m. The Team Jones roster features Jones brothers Tyus, Tre and Jadee. Finer Way Inc. plays EC Playaz at 7 p.m.

Gophers sophomore forward Michael Hurt will play overseas this month on a amateur team for legendary coach Larry Brown. Hurt will be one of 12 players, mostly from Power Five conferences, who will play for the East Coast Team against squads from Japan, Mexico, Senegal and Venezuela in Madrid, Spain. The American team will have games against those countries on August 8, 9, 10 and 11.

The Twins acquired relief pitcher Gabriel Moya from the Diamondbacks last week and he could be a name to watch for in 2018. Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Moya is expected to go with the big league club to spring training, with an opportunity to make the team.

At the time of the trade, Moya had pitched in 34 games for Double-A Jackson, with a 4-1 record and 0.82 ERA. He was 17-for-17 in save opportunities. With the Twins Double-A Chattanooga team he is 1-0, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one hit and no runs.

The Twins gave up minor league catcher John Ryan Murphy who had been a disappointment offensively since the Twins acquired him from the Yankees in 2015 for centerfielder Aaron Hicks. Murphy is exceptional defensively.

VSAauctions.com is offering sports memorabilia including a Ted Harris-signed early 1970s era North Stars jersey, and a team signed 1980 U.S. Olympic jersey.

The late Herb Brooks, who coached that Olympic team to the gold medal and won three national titles leading the Gophers, would have turned 80 this Saturday.

The “Breakfast with Leroy” group will have former Gophers All-American basketball player and now Minneapolis Director of Athletics Trent Tucker as its speaker September 9 at the Bloomington Knights of Columbus, 1114 American Blvd. West. The public is welcome, with more information available by contacting Pat Rickert at 612-861-3981.

The local Wood Bat Little League Baseball Tournament is August 3-6 and will raise funds to assist youth baseball in Benin, a small and impoverished nation in West Africa. More at Baseballinbenin.org.

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