David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

50% of Coach Kill’s Time Spent Recruiting

Posted on April 16, 2015April 16, 2015 by David Shama

Gophers football notes.

The Gophers coaches finished spring practice last Saturday and won’t be engaged in formal practices on the field with players until August, but this is a busy time with various tasks including recruiting. The NCAA allows college football assistants to be on the road recruiting now and head coaches like the Gophers Jerry Kill can recruit via telephone during this period of the spring.

Kill told Sports Headliners recruiting is a 365 days activity, and he and his staff spend 50 percent of their collective time each year in that process including evaluation and contact with potential Gophers. He said the football office receives approximately 5,500 e-mails annually regarding recommended prospects.

From all their research the staff has to figure out who they want as players and who will accept Gophers scholarships. Multiple players each year also agree to walk-on without a scholarship. Kill has eventually rewarded some walk-ons with scholarships.

The Gophers have several verbal commitments for the class of 2016 but much more work remains before high school players can sign National Letters of Intent next winter. “Right now in recruiting, it’s a critical time,” Kill said.

Kill’s staff will be visiting areas of the country where high school players have spring practices. That aids the evaluation process but spring practices don’t go on in Minnesota so Kill’s summer camps are vital to the evaluation process, and possible scholarship offers.

The Gophers coaches evaluated existing personnel on their roster yesterday morning. Sometimes after several weeks of spring practices players are moved to different positions, but not now. “We’re not moving anybody,” Kill said.

Kill’s health has gained attention during his time at Minnesota but the news is all good now. “I have been seizure free for 18 months,” he said.

The coach praises epilepsy special Dr. Brien Smith from Grand Rapids, Michigan for helping him. In addition to medication, Kill tries to walk every day and is diligent about eating at regular intervals.

Kill’s youngest daughter, Tasha, 24, will be married in Marion, Illinois on May 23 to Jason Hines.

The Gophers aren’t boasting but a visitor at spring practices developed the impression players and coaches might be thinking Minnesota will have one of the Big Ten’s best defenses next season. “I think there’s a very good chance,” Hank Ekpe told Sports Headliners. “We’ve been working hard all spring. We’ve been committed to what coach Kill is saying and what coach Tracy Claeys has been telling us. I think we’ll have a very good defense.”

Ekpe, a junior defensive end next season, was a force in the spring game last Saturday. His older brother Scott Ekpe, a senior in the fall, could replace the graduating Cameron Botticelli at starting defensive tackle. The Ekpes were starters together at Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas and could be regulars next fall, too.

Rodrick Williams, who will be a senior next season and likely the Gophers No. 1 running back going into August practices, is determined to maintain his weight at about 227 pounds after dropping 20 pounds since last season. He wants to avoid many carbohydrates. “…Like Little Debbie Snack Cakes,” Williams said, offering an example. “Too much bread, stuff like that.”

The 5-foot-11 Williams, who backed up David Cobb last year, said he’s faster than when he broke off late season touchdown runs against Nebraska and Missouri. “I still got my power. Little quicker, and I can move a little better, and I don’t get tired as quickly.”

The Big Ten Network announced this week there will be six Saturday night primetime football games including Minnesota at Iowa on November 14.

Worth Noting

Congratulations on another “great catch” by former Gophers and Vikings tight end Doug Kingsriter who is engaged to Kim Deason. Both are living in the Dallas area.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame hosts its 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors event May 3 at the Hilton Minneapolis. The event is open to the public and sponsored by the Vikings. The NFL club will announce its team awards for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Man of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

The following individuals will be presented awards by the Minnesota chapter: Tom Obarski, Concordia-St. Paul, Bob Stein Scholar-Athlete; David Cobb, Gophers, Bobby Bell College Impact Player of the Year; David and Janis Larson, Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan; retired coach Dick Hanson, Burnsville High School, John Gagliardi Legacy; Mike Max, WCCO radio & TV, Sid Hartman Media; Josh Benson, Hinckley-Finlayson, Courage; Garrett Gardner, St. Paul Central High School, Stacy Robinson Leadership; Nicole Dailey, University of Minnesota, Cheerleader.

Scholar-athlete award winners will be Trey Anderson, White Bear Lake Area High School; Tom Auger, St. Cloud Cathedral High School; Ben Ellefson, Hawley High School; Gunnar Grimsrud, Rochester Mayo High School; Ismael Kamara, Harding High School; Taylor Ottersetter, Mayer Lutheran High School; Ben Shoults, Maple Grove High School; John Solberg, Cambridge-Isanti High School; Mitchell Stangel, Crosby-Ironton High School.

The event includes a social hour starting at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and the awards program. More at Minnesotafootballhonors.com.

The St. Thomas football team will take a 13-day trip to Italy this summer with stops in several cities including Rome and Naples. An NCAA foreign travel policy allows the trip and coach Glenn Caruso’s Tommies will have a special cultural experience and also play a game against Giaguaire Torino.

The Big Ten placed two teams in this year’s Final Four and the conference could be impressive next season too. Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis issued his “Way-Too-Early College Basketball Top 25” April 8 and included six Big Ten teams: Maryland, No. 5; Michigan State, No. 8; Indiana, No. 9; Michigan, No. 16, Wisconsin, No. 17; Purdue, No. 19. Virginia was No. 1, and Iowa State, coached by former Timberwolves guard Fred Hoiberg, ranked No. 6.

Tonight’s opening Stanley Cup playoffs game for the Wild and Blues is historic. The two franchises have never played against each other in the playoffs, although the North Stars and St. Louis competed in nine series. The last of those series was in 1991 when coach Bob Gainey’s Stars defeated the Blues in Game Six behind two goals from Bobby Smith.

Women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings today announced the signing of 6-foot-1 forward Kynadi Johnson and 6-foot-3 center Karley Barnes to National Letters of Intent to play for the Gophers beginning next season. Johnson is a transfer from Butler Community College in Kansas and Barnes is a transfer from Tallahassee Community College in Florida.

The Minnesota State High School League kicks off a 100-year celebration Friday and Saturday at the State Speech Tournament at Lakeville North High School. The Minnesota State High School Athletic Association, the forerunner of the MSHL, began in April of 1916. Today the MSHL annually serves over 400 high schools, and more than 200,000 participants in 42 activities. The 100-year celebration will extend into 2016.

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Trivia Therapy for Twins’ Slow Start

Posted on April 13, 2015April 13, 2015 by David Shama

The Twins are off to a slow start this season and might be on their way to another 90-plus loss season—but, hey, cheer up! Today is the club’s home opener at Target Field and the weather forecast encourages fans to leave their parkas at home. To perk you up even more, Sports Headliners is serving up a 20-questions Twins trivia column.

Answer 15 to 20 questions correctly and you can draft the next trivia column. Anyone answering only a couple of questions correctly needs to sign up for Twins Trivia School at my house (free tuition but lodging costs are exorbitant).

Here are the questions, with answers at the bottom of the column. No peeking or cheating of any kind. Fines are double for transgressions involving more difficult questions.

1. What was the first season the Twins played at Target Field?

2. The Twins haven’t won a regular season opener for awhile. How many consecutive opening season games have the Twins lost? Be sure to count last week’s opener in Detroit.

3. Who was the Twins designated hitter on opening day in 2014? (Hint: he was in the minors before summer officially began.)

4. The coldest temperature ever for a Twins opener was 33 degrees on April 14, 1962. Who was the opponent?

5. In Twins history the franchise has been owned by two families including the Pohlads. Name the other family. (No hints on this gimme.)

6. Before Joe Mauer earned a $184 million contract from the Twins he was the American League’s Most Valuable Player. What year did he win the award?

7. Much has been written about Torii Hunter rejoining the Twins—the franchise he played for regularly from 1999-2007. Who are the two teams Hunter played with before returning to the Twins?

8. Who was the Twins general manager before Terry Ryan took the job for a second time in 2011? (Note: this is a “lay-up” so don’t mess it up.)

9. The Twins coaching staff includes a former Minnesota high school basketball player who long ago won the state’s Mr. Basketball Award. What is his name?

10. This Twins regular is a Mississippi native just like Elvis Presley and Brett Favre. Who is he? (If you never heard of Elvis and Brett, proceed to the next question.)

11. The Twins track their franchise records back to 1901 when the club was in Washington, D.C. before moving to Minneapolis-St. Paul after the 1960 season. What was the nickname of the Senators Hall of Fame pitcher who won 36 games in a single season?

12. In 2014 the Twins hosted the MLB All-Star Game at Target Field. What other years have the Twins hosted the game?

13. This Twins great was on the cover of Time Magazine in the 1970s. Who was the cover boy?

14. Who was the Twins pitcher who started and won the final game of the 1991 World Series? (No, it wasn’t Bert Blyleven—or Pedro Ramos.)

15. Everybody (?) knows Harmon Killebrew hit the most career home runs for the Twins. Some trivia experts even know Kent Hrbek hit the second most. Who is No. 3 on the all-time list?

16. Name the Twins player who led the team in home runs and RBI during spring training this year. (Hint: he was acquired in a 2012 trade involving Francisco Liriano.)

17. What was the name of the Twins message board at the old Met Stadium? (No, it wasn’t the “Jumbotron.”)

18. Who is the Twins player that holds the franchise record for scoring the most runs in a single season? (Need help? He played in the 1990s.)

19. Name the only person to “play” for the Twins and Vikings? (Hint: this is a trick question. Honest.)

20. Who was the Twins losing pitcher in yesterday’s game against the White Sox? (How much easier can I make these questions?)

And the Answers to Today’s Trivia Questions Are…

1. Target Field opened to rave reviews locally and nationally in 2010, and has been a hit with fans and media ever since.

2. After losing last week’s season opener to the Tigers in Detroit, the Twins have now dropped seven consecutive openers. If you’re counting, that’s the longest streak in club history dating back to 1961.

3. Chris Colabello terrorized American League pitchers in the early days of the 2014 season but was playing in Triple A Rochester before Minnesota schools adjourned for summer.

4. It must have been a shock to the Los Angeles-based Angels to play baseball in 33 degree football weather at Met Stadium on April 14, 1962.

5. The Griffith family moved the Senators from Washington, D.C. to Minneapolis-St. Paul after the 1960 season and the club became known as the Minnesota Twins. Franchise president Calvin Griffith was a character and sometimes more entertaining than his team.

6. The stars aligned for Mauer in 2009 when he had career highs in batting average (.365), home runs (28) and RBI (96), and was voted American League MVP. The next year he received a new $184 million contract.

7. Hunter played five seasons for the Angels after leaving the Twins, and then joined the Tigers for two more seasons before coming back to Minnesota this year. Although he is 39 years old, Hunter has played in 140 or more games the last five seasons.

8. Bill Smith was the Twins general manager from 2008-2011. Ryan, who had been the GM from 1994-2007, agreed to a second round of duty in succeeding Smith.

9. Twins third base coach Gene Glynn, the pride of Waseca, Minnesota, won the 1975 Mr. Basketball Award. He was the first person to win the award.

10. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who was second in the American League last season with 112 runs scored, grew up in Mississippi and was drafted by the Twins out of the University of Southern Mississippi.

11. Walter “Big Train” Johnson was one of the most dominating pitchers ever—hence his nickname. He won 417 games for the Senators from 1907-1927.

12. The Twins hosted All-Star Games in 1965, 1985 and 2014. The American League lost the first two games in Minnesota but won last year when Twins reliever Glen Perkins earned the save in the 5-3 win.

13. In 1977 Rod Carew was making a run at becoming baseball’s first .400 hitter since Ted Williams in 1941. Carew graced the cover of Time Magazine and went on to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award. His final batting average that season was .388.

14. Jack Morris pitched a 10-inning, seven-hit 1-0 shutout against the Braves in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series to give the Twins their second world championship in five years. The game is remembered as one of the most exciting in World Series history.

15. Bob Allison, the Twins left fielder in the franchise’s early years in Minnesota, hit 256 home runs in his career with Minnesota. That ranks third behind Killebrew with 559 and Hrbek at 293.

16. Eduardo Escobar, acquired by the Twins from the White Sox in 2012, hit four home runs and drove in 20 runs to lead the club in those categories during spring training.

17. The Twins-O-Gram seemed high tech back in the day at Met Stadium when it delivered brief messages to liven up the ballpark experience. (Sorry, no visuals on the Twins-O-Gram).

18. Chuck Knoblauch set a single season franchise record for runs scored in 1996 with 140. Knoblauch, who played seven seasons with the Twins from 1991-1997, was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2014.

19. Okay, I have used this question in the past and it’s a tricky one, but a few readers might recall the answer is the organist who “played” and pepped up the crowds at Twins and Vikings games at Met Stadium. Get it?

20. The Twins’ season record dived to 1-5 with a loss to the White Sox yesterday, and Minnesota’s Phil Hughes was the losing pitcher in the game.

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Advice to Tyus Jones: Stay at Duke

Posted on April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 by David Shama

Bill Fitch coached the Celtics to a world championship and is among the winningest coaches in NBA history. His advice for Tyus Jones is stay at Duke and not declare for the NBA Draft as a college freshman.

The 2015 NBA Draft will be held June 25 and college underclassmen must declare for the draft at least 60 days prior. Jones—chosen the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading Duke to the NCAA title last Monday night—will in the days ahead counsel with family members and others about whether to leave college after one season.

Mock NBA drafts have Jones listed as a first round pick. Draftexpress.com projects the former Apple Valley High School point guard being selected No. 21. First round draft choices receive guaranteed money, and the NBA’s predetermined compensation scale results in the No. 21 pick receiving $1,210,000 as a rookie, according to Draftexpress.

Fitch, who coached the Gophers before a long NBA career that ended in 1998, still closely follows college and pro teams. He didn’t hesitate when asked about Jones’ future. “Mentally and physically he’s better off where he’s at (Duke),” Fitch told Sports Headliners.

Jones is only 18 years old and turns 19 in May. Although the Duke website lists him at 6-1, 190-pounds, he is probably smaller. Another year or two of college basketball won’t make him taller but a weight program can make the Blue Devils point guard stronger and eventually better equipped to deal with the grown men in the NBA, some of whom are nine inches taller and 100 pounds heavier. A strong and more mature body can also help any player deal with the physically demanding pro schedule of 82 games.

The mental challenges for Jones and other young players come both on and off the court. There’s a lot to learn about basketball, including a new system of X’s and Os, and adjusting to teammates, and probably sitting on the bench instead of starting. Off the court, there are the temptations of the NBA life that can include too many social interactions with the wrong kinds of people.

Fitch said Jones faces a backlog of NBA talent that the Minnesota teenager would have to compete with for playing time. He implied there are young players who are already waiting for court time, or guys starting that shouldn’t because they’re not ready. His advice for Jones is don’t get caught up in grabbing the NBA money too soon. “A guy is always going to be worth what he is now, or more,” Fitch said.

It’s been Jones’ dream to play in the NBA but Fitch doesn’t think there is a single league team that will use him immediately as a starter. “There are too many (players) sitting in the league that have talent at that position,” he said.

Jones scored 23 points, including 19 in the second half, to lead Duke to a 68-63 win over Wisconsin on Monday night. He showed in the championship game and during other big moments this season he delivers when the pressure is the biggest. He’s an extraordinary playmaker and more accurate outside shooter than often given credit for, but he needs to become a better defensive player and could have a difficult time against taller and more physical NBA point guards.

Jones will no doubt seek the counsel of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about leaving school early. Coach “K” has coached five national championship teams at Duke and two Olympic gold medal teams led by NBA players. He is the right man to give Jones advice. Before coaching Jones this season at Duke, he watched him play in high school and AAU ball. Jones and other top American high school players scrimmaged against the 2012 Olympic team so Krzycewski knows his freshman point guard well.

Jones is part of a super freshmen group at Duke that includes center Jahlil Okafor and forward Justise Winslow. Okafor is likely to be the first or second player taken in June’s NBA Draft, while Winslow is projected in the top 10 for sure. Those teammates are close friends, dating back to AAU days. Okafor has declared for the draft and Winslow could soon. Their decisions will influence Jones and his thinking about the future. The three played so much together for different USA national basketball teams that they are far from your typical freshmen when it comes to experience.

The first 14 players chosen in the NBA Draft are known as lottery picks because of the lottery system determining the order of first round selections. Lottery picks receive guaranteed money that can be three to four times more than late first round choices get. Lottery picks are also likelier to receive more playing time than late selections who can one day find themselves riding a bus in the NBA Development League.

A back road bus experience in the basketball minors is a long way from Duke and the glory of a national championship.

Worth Noting

Jones was surrounded by family while leading Duke to the national championship in Indianapolis on Monday but unfortunately Dennis Deutsch, his mom’s father, died last year. Jones revered his grandfather and it would have meant so much for Dennis to be in Indianapolis.

Minnesota-based Jostens will certainly be a contender to secure the order for Duke’s national championship rings. The company provided the 2010 national title rings for the Blue Devils. Former Gophers captain Al Nuness secured that order working for Jostens and will be involved again this spring soliciting business from Duke. Nuness and Krzyzewski knew each other as high school basketball players in the Chicago area.

Fitch thought highly of three Final Four teams—Duke, Kentucky and Wisconsin. “I think if you played it over any one of the three teams could win it (the title),” he said. “Kentucky without a doubt had a little more talent. Duke a little more coaching.”

Although the Spurs have struggled this season, Fitch likes the chances of the defending NBA champions emerging from the Western Conference playoffs and advancing to the Finals. That championship matchup could be Spurs versus Cavs.

David Cobb, the Gophers record setting senior running back last season, will have his Pro Day at the University of Minnesota on Monday. Cobb had a quad injury and missed the Gophers Pro Day last month attended by some of his former Minnesota teammates and NFL personnel evaluators.

Tanner Oakes Photo courtesy of Augsburg College. — Tanner Oakes
Photo courtesy of Augsburg College.

The Oakes family from Jordan, Minnesota can be described as the state’s “first family” of pitching. Patriarch Todd Oakes is in his 17th season as Gophers pitching coach. Oldest son Tyler pitched for the Gophers and is now pitching coach at North Dakota State. Middle son T.J. also pitched for Minnesota and is head baseball coach at Legacy Christian Academy in Andover. Youngest son Tanner, a senior at Augsburg, is one of the best pitchers in the MIAC and Division III.

The Wild set home franchise attendance records this regular season, drawing 779,974 for 41 games with average attendance of 19,024. All games sold out, with 31 exceeding 19,000 in attendance. Official Xcel Energy Center capacity for hockey is 17,954 but standing-room-only tickets allow for additional capacity.

Draftsite.com projects 6-5 center Amanda Zahui B. will become the second player selected in the WNBA Draft next Thursday. Tulsa has the second pick but the Lynx no doubt would like to move up from No. 11 and choose Zahui B., who announced earlier this week she will enter the draft and give up her final two seasons of eligibility with the Gophers. The Lynx are looking for more size behind backup center Janel McCarville, the ex-Gopher. Any franchise in the WNBA will welcome Zahui B. who twice last season approached 30 rebounds for coach Marlene Stollings’ team.

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