David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Team More ‘Upbeat’ with Peterson Back

Posted on June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 by David Shama

Covering various topics in today’s column including Adrian Peterson’s first week back with the Vikings, news about the Gophers and prep basketball, and a lot more.

Peterson returned to the team this week and Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph believes the impact of the All-Pro running back is evident. Rudolph said Peterson’s work ethic can make others more dedicated. “It always seems to make guys around him work harder. Just in the three days that he’s been here our practices have been pretty crisp, a little bit more upbeat, and that’s what great players do. Great players come in and they elevate the game of not only themselves but the guys around him.”

Peterson, 30, didn’t play at all in the team’s four preseason games last year. Head coach Mike Zimmer decided not to risk injury to the veteran running back. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner was asked if he sees more of the same in 2015.

“That’s coach Zimmer’s call,” Turner said. “To me, if you’re getting everything you need to get done in practices, then you’d probably shy away from doing that. If you feel like you haven’t gotten done what you need to get in practice, I am sure coach Zimmer would consider giving him a few carries. But based on what we did a year ago, I would think that’s probably more of what we do (not using him in preseason).”

Blake Weber, an outstanding football player at Prior Lake High School in 2013 and at Rochester Community and Technical College last fall, is enrolled at Minnesota and will participate next week in the Gophers’ strength and conditioning program as a preferred walk-on playing linebacker. Weber played multiple positions for RCTC including safety and outside linebacker. He wanted to join the Gophers as a preferred walk-on out of high school but had to improve his academic work. He will be a sophomore in eligibility next season.

Jim Dutcher said former Gophers basketball player Tommy Davis needs 19 credits to graduate from Minnesota and is enrolled in summer school. Davis, who played for Dutcher from 1981-1985, is utilizing a program by the Gophers Athletic Department that pays tuition for former athletes who want to complete their school work and earn degrees.

Davis, a shooting guard, still holds the Gophers’ record for consecutive field goals made in one game with 15. He played and coached in France for many years but now is living here. The former All-Big Ten player speaks six languages including French, Dutcher said.

Both Davis and Darryl Mitchell, another former Gophers All-Big Ten guard, have recently relocated to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Dutcher now has 10 former players from his 1982 Big Ten championship living in this community. “We could have a reunion of the ’82 championship team and make all local (phone) calls,” Dutcher said.

Minnesota prep basketball made history this week with the announcement Apple Valley High School players Gary Trent Jr. and Tre Jones are on the USA Basketball Men’s Under-16 roster. It’s the first time two Minnesotans have been selected for the team at the same time, and with Trent and Jones being from the same high school the achievement is more distinct.

Trent, the son of former Timberwolves player Gary Trent, is a shooting guard or wing who will be a junior at Apple Valley next season. He’s a key recruiting target of the Gophers but the competition will be intense with Trent’s long list of offers including national power Kansas, according to Rivals.com.

Jones, the younger brother of former Duke star Tyus Jones, is a point guard who will be a sophomore at Apple Valley next season where the Eagles return the key players from their 2015 Class 4A title team. Jones, at 6-2, is already taller than 6-1 Tyus and like his older brother is on a clear path to be nationally coveted by colleges. His skills include exceptional on-ball defense.

The Under-16 roster includes players from various parts of the country but Trent and Jones are the only twosome from the same high school. The team is practicing this week in Colorado Springs before playing next week in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship tournament in Argentina. USA’s first game is next Wednesday against Puerto Rico.

Prior to this year Tyus Jones was the only Minnesotan to play for the Under-16 team. He played in 2011.

Former Gophers Nick Bjugstad, Ricky Foggie, Seth Helgeson and Darrell Thompson will be among those participating in the Bruce Smith Golf Classic at Faribault Golf Club on June 15. The fundraising event benefits three Faribault schools and honors Bruce Smith who won the 1941 Heisman Trophy playing for the Gophers. More information about participating in the golf event and attending the dinner is available by e-mailing Bruce Krinke, contact@fctv10.org.

The opening of the new St. Paul Saints ballpark this spring prompts discussion about an ongoing topic involving the Twins. Local baseball fans have long wondered if the Saints could some day be a Twins minor league affiliate. It’s an attractive possibility to die-hard fans from the metro area who like the idea of being able to “scout” Twins prospects without driving long distances.

The Saints have been an ongoing popular attraction in the Twin Cities and perhaps more so now with their state-of-the-art minor league ballpark seating about 7,000 fans. The Saints’ independent league status, though, is an obstacle to something happening with the Twins. The Saints are members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and those teams have no affiliation with major league franchises. MLB teams operate affiliated clubs at various levels of competition in towns throughout the minor leagues.

Establishing an affiliated team in St. Paul at CHS Field isn’t on the Twins to-do list right now. “It’s not something we’re working on,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “It’s not something that there is a master plan for. Could it happen some day? Yes, I think it probably could. But it’s many, many years down the road.”

While St. Peter sees the possibility of a Twins team in St. Paul as “intriguing” (including from a marketing perspective), the only way it could happen, he said, would be for an affiliated minor league team (like a Triple-A or Class A club) to move to St. Paul and for the Saints’ independent league franchise to relocate. There are challenges with that scenario including determination of what class of baseball the club would be in and how expensive travel costs would be.

“The other thing is, I can’t imagine the Twins would ever pursue that without ownership of the team,” St. Peter said. “At the end of the day the Twins would need to own the team in St. Paul. I can’t imagine that we would provide affiliation to another group of owners.”

With this being boom times for the Saints owners in their new ballpark, it’s also difficult to foresee them having interest in selling or operating the ballclub elsewhere.

The Lynx, who open the WNBA regular season tonight at home against Tulsa, are the most likely team to win the league championship. That is according to a survey of the WNBA’s general managers who also voted Maya Moore of the Lynx most likely to be the 2015 league MVP. The Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve received the most votes as best coach and Target Center was the winner of “best home-court advantage.”

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Source Says Jahlil Okafor Prefers Lakers

Posted on June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by David Shama

It appears Jahlil Okafor wants to play for the Lakers, not the Timberwolves, but he won’t cause problems if Minnesota drafts him, a basketball source told Sports Headliners.

“Based on what I am hearing, Okafor would rather not be drafted by Minnesota,” the person said. “He would prefer to go to L.A. I don’t know if that is because of more glamour—the glamour franchise, the history or whatever. But that seems to be what people that are close to him are saying.”

The source, who asked that his name not be used, has college basketball connections and has been around Okafor in the past. He doesn’t know if Okafor or his agent, former Gophers basketball player Bill Duffy, have communicated the desire to play with the Lakers but it seems likely they have.

The Timberwolves have the No. 1 pick in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft while the Lakers have the No. 2 selection. Duke’s Okafor and Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who are expected to be the first two players chosen in the draft, have no control over which NBA teams choose them but they aren’t without options. However, the alternatives—including choosing to play in Europe, or publicly and privately raising hell about being on a certain NBA team—aren’t that attractive.

Okafor isn’t expected to choose either of those options if the Wolves select him. The source said the 19-year-old is a “great kid” and the Wolves won’t have to worry about his attitude.

So Okafor won’t mope if he lands in Minneapolis and not Los Angeles?

“Oh, no, he’s not that kind of player,” the source said. “Not that kind of person. He just wants players around him that want to play, that know how to play, that will pass the ball.”

As a freshman this spring the 6-11, 270-pound center helped lead Duke to the national championship. His large hands and powerful body make him a special talent in the low post. He is also a willing passer who could complement any NBA offense. Okafor’s defense and foul shooting are sometimes criticized but he has the work ethic and athleticism to improve in those areas.

Towns, 6-11, 250, can’t match Okafor’s offensive abilities but he’s the superior defender. He is a force blocking shots, and his athleticism also allows him to effectively defend pick and rolls—a staple of NBA offenses.

Who will the Timberwolves choose? How will they decide? And in a close debate might Okafor’s speculated preference in not playing for Minnesota impact who Wolves president and coach Flip Saunders ultimately decides to select?

Former professional coach Bill Fitch was asked his opinion. “You draft on your weakness,” said Bill Fitch, the ex-Gophers and NBA coach. “Best player available at your weakness.”

It’s unanimous inside and outside the Wolves’ organization the roster is much in need of defensive improvement. That certainly could tip the organization’s preference toward Towns.

Fitch was coaching the Rockets in 1984 when they had the first overall pick. A guy named Michael Jordan from North Carolina was available but the Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon. Carolina coach Dean Smith, a longtime friend of Fitch, told him it must be uncomfortable to pass on the best guy in the draft, his phenom Jordan.

“I said, well, I think I am getting the best player in the draft for my club,” Fitch recalled in an interview with Sports Headliners. “In other words we needed that hometown guy. We needed a guy that could block shots and rebound. He (Smith) was very high on Jordan.”

Fitch defends the Olajuwon selection to this day. Olajuwon had played at the University of Houston and the athletic center was so popular the Rockets knew he would be instant box office. The club needed Olajuwon’s defense and other skills including his dazzling scoring moves.

He eventually led the Rockets to two NBA titles and Fitch suspects there would have been more had Ralph Sampson stayed healthy. Sampson, the former 7-4 center from Virginia, was Houston’s No. 1 selection in 1983 and formed the famous “Twin Towers” with Olajuwon.

Fitch said if he was running the Wolves he would value talking to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about Okafor. “In other words, he’s not going to lie to you. There’s nobody that knows that kid at this stage of his career better than coach K.”

Talking to Okafor and Towns, and others who have been around them, can provide value, too, but Fitch doesn’t give a strong nod to the agents representing players in the draft. “You can talk to the agents all you want but you gotta remember you gotta walk in that stuff after you get done talking with them,” said Fitch who won 944 games with five different teams as an NBA coach. “It’s more important to talk with the kids.”

There are numerous mock drafts projecting first round selections including Bleacherreport.com and Draftexpress.com. Both predict the Wolves will select Towns with the Lakers then choosing Okafor.

The two websites agreed earlier in the week the Rockets will select former Apple Valley High School point guard Tyus Jones with the No. 18 selection. But today Bleacherreport.com has Jones going to the Cavs at No. 24 while Draftexpress.com predicts the Mavericks will take him at No. 21.

Okafor and Jones have been friends for years, played together at Duke as freshmen, and no doubt would love to some day wear the same NBA uniform. If the Wolves ended up with both former Dukies it might be a factor in keeping Okafor here beyond his rookie contract that can bind him to Minnesota for four years.

Draftexpress.com predicts former Robbinsdale Cooper High School star Rashad Vaughn, a shooting guard, will be selected 26th in the first round by the Spurs. Bleacherreport.com projects Vaughn, who was a freshman last season at UNLV, will be selected at No. 28 by the Celtics.

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Gophers Get Big Ten ‘Underrated’ Label

Posted on June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 by David Shama

The only college football magazine on the shelves at Barnes & Noble’s Eden Prairie store last week was Sporting News College Football. Other college preview publications will follow soon but for now Gophers fans can enjoy a few accolades from Sporting News.

In the magazine’s Big Ten section Minnesota is labeled the conference’s most “underrated” program. Noting Jerry Kill’s consecutive eight win seasons, Sporting News says the “next mission” is to defeat Wisconsin and win back Paul Bunyan’s Axe (after 11 consecutive losses).

Minnesota junior quarterback Mitch Leidner is labeled the Big Ten’s “biggest overachiever.” The former Rivals.com two-star high school player showed more consistency last season than in 2013 and is expected to perform even better this fall.

The Gophers are predicted to finish third in the Big Ten’s West Division behind Wisconsin and Nebraska. The magazine forecasts Minnesota will play Virginia Tech in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium, New York City).

Minnesota can boost its improving national reputation with an opening season win against TCU on September 3 at TCF Bank Stadium. The Horned Frogs are mentioned in the same breath with Ohio State as most likely to win the national championship. Sporting News predicts the two teams will play for the title next January.

Gophers offensive tackle Josh Campion, defensive back Briean–Boddy Calhoun and punter Peter Mortell are All-Big Ten selections by Sporting News. All three are seniors.

The magazine delivers plenty of props to North Dakota State, ranking the Bison No. 1 in the FCS preseason top 25 while noting the program is 58-3 the last four years and in pursuit of a fifth FCS national championship. As usual, the Bison roster will be loaded with Minnesota natives including offensive tackle Joe Haeg from Brainerd High School who Sporting News includes on its FCS All-America team.

UMD is ranked No. 1 and Minnesota State No. 6 in the magazine’s Division II preseason top 25 rankings.

Worth Noting

Look at the fine print in college football magazines during coming weeks and read the names of former Gophers assistants coaching at other schools. “Alums” include New Mexico’s defensive and offensive coordinators Kevin Cosgrove and Bob DeBesse. Others are Rutgers offensive line coach Mitch Browning and running backs coach Norries Wilson, San Diego State offensive coordinator Jeff Horton, UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, and Greg Hudson, David Gibbs and Ted Roof who are defensive coordinators at Purdue, Texas Tech and Georgia Tech.

Eric Kendricks, the Vikings rookie linebacker from UCLA, loves football so much he told Sports Headliners he probably would play for semi-pro wages. “I can’t say the money is not nice but at the end of the day I am doing what I love. It’s putting a smile on my face so I can’t complain.”

Kendricks is being introduced to pro football this week and last at the Vikings’ OTAs. He admitted to being confused at times with all there is to learn. That includes thinking about the UCLA playbook when Vikings information is what’s needed.

Nothing unusual about that for a rookie. Kendricks, who was UCLA’s all-time leading tackler, may have a learning advantage because he played for a former NFL head coach in college who knows a lot about the pros. Bruins head coach Jim Mora told Kendricks, who was a college senior last season, that he was ready for the NFL.

“I get here and sometimes I think—was I ready?” said Kendricks who won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. “But that’s that whole NFL aspect, and how…difficult it is coming in for a college player. But I am trying to adjust.”

It’s too early to know if Kendricks, a second round draft choice, will be a starter right away, or just contribute on special teams. At a minimum he figures to see the field a lot next fall on special teams where he was used early in his UCLA career.

A Sportsillustrated.com article last Wednesday by Matt Verderame ranked the uniforms of all 32 NFL teams. Not such happy stuff for Vikings fans. The Purple came in at No. 23. “The Vikings have great colors, but the pants and sleeve piping knock it down some,” Verderame wrote.

Wait, Vikings fans, it gets worse. The Packers uniforms were ranked No. 1, just ahead of the Steelers and Raiders. Verderame praised the Packers’ “classic look” and traditional logo. Best part? “The incredible combination of green and yellow,” he wrote.

The Twins have the No. 6 selection in the First-Year MLB Player Draft that begins June 8. “There’s an opportunity to add high-end talent to our roster,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “Pitching would be my bet but… they’re (Twins decision makers) going to take the best guy available.”

The choice might be University of Illinois pitcher Tyler Jay. He could be the best left-handed pitcher available in the draft. There is, however, speculation on whether Jay is a reliever or starter in the pros.

The Central Division leading Twins are 25-10 since April 22, the best winning percentage in Major League Baseball. The Twins open a series in Boston tonight after sweeping the Red Sox in three games last week at Target Field.

Former Gophers and NBA legendary coach Bill Fitch, who turned 81 last month, talking to Sports Headliners about his birthday cake: “It took two days to blow out the candles.”

College basketball policy makers are on the right track (finally) with proposed rules changes that have the shot clock reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds and reducing the number of timeouts allowed. The changes are likely to be approved this month and will both increase scoring and speed up games. Hallelujah! See the March 18 Sports Headliners column “College Basketball in Need of Changes.”

Condolences to WCHA men’s commissioner Bill Robertson on the death of his father Norb Robertson on Saturday. Mr. Robertson, 95, passed away from heart failure while out for a walk in St. Paul. Visitation (9 a.m.) and mass (10 a.m.) will be next Monday at Lumen Christi Catholic Church in St. Paul.

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