David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Big Ten Teams in Final Four Picks

Posted on March 17, 2014March 17, 2014 by David Shama

Former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher agrees with CBS TV analysts who are predicting Michigan State will represent the Big Ten Conference in the Final Four next month in Arlington, Texas.

Dutcher, who led the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title, still passionately studies college basketball. He told Sports Headliners his choices for the Final Four are Louisville, Florida, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Last night CBS announced the NCAA Men’s Tournament field of 68 teams, and analysts Seth Davis, Doug Gottlieb and Clark Kellogg offered predictions including Final Four picks. Davis and Kellogg both like Florida, Michigan State, Wichita State and Wisconsin. Gottlieb’s choices are Arizona, Florida, Louisville and Michigan State.

Louisville is the defending national champion and Dutcher predicts a repeat by the Cardinals. “They’re probably playing better than anyone in the country,” Dutcher said. “They’re so tough-minded.”

Dutcher suggested that fans figuring out predicted tournament winners pay attention to not just the records of teams but also how they are playing right now. Teams who are among the most likely to continue late season momentum in the tournament, according to Dutcher, include Baylor, Louisville, Michigan State and UCLA. The Spartans, a preseason choice to be national champs, faltered this winter because of injuries but yesterday defeated Michigan to win the Big Ten Tournament. “We all knew they were a good team,” Dutcher said. “They’re a threat to win it all.”

Syracuse is another team to respect when trying to make sense of March Madness. The Orange were rolling with a No. 1 ranking and undefeated season before stumbling in recent weeks and finishing with a 27-5 record. But Dutcher pointed out the Orange not only have one of the tournament’s premiere players in forward C.J. Fair, they also have a troublesome zone defense. He said teams who don’t play the Orange on a regular basis can have “fits” trying to score against the zone.

When predicting upsets it’s hard to argue with paying attention to games involving No. 5 and No. 12 seeds. In tourney history 12 seeds have pulled off some surprises. A few years ago Dutcher gave a friend three upset predictions using the 12 beats 5 formula and all were accurate.

This week Dutcher believes No. 10 seeds Stanford and Arizona State will defeat No. 7 seeds New Mexico and Texas. Iowa and Tennessee have a play-in game on Wednesday night and the winner will be a No. 11 seed who Dutcher said “can beat” No. 6 seed Massachusetts.

Dutcher has sentimental favorites in the tournament including Wisconsin. He’s known Badgers coach Bo Ryan for a long time and wants to see him finally have a Final Four team. Ryan’s Badgers have never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten standings but haven’t made deep tournament runs. “I’d like to see it on his resume (the Final Four),” Dutcher said.

A Michigan alum and former assistant coach in Ann Arbor, Dutcher is also pulling for Michigan in the tournament. He admires Michigan coach John Beilein. “He is a quality guy,” Dutcher said.

Worth Noting

Coach Richard Pitino’s Gophers are in the 32-team NIT field and have an opening game tomorrow night at Williams Arena against High Point. “I think the Gophers will play good (in the NIT),” Dutcher said. “They have a new coach (this season) and are trying to make an impression.

“I don’t think the fans will buy into it (the NIT) too much. Coaches have referred to it as the ‘Not Interested Tournament.’ ”

Not only is the NIT not a strong gate attraction but Minnesota’s home attendance has been declining for decades. For the 2013-14 season the Gophers averaged 12,329 for 18 home games, ranking 10^th in the 12-team Big Ten. Williams Arena capacity is 14,625. Only Northwestern at 6,719 and Penn State, 6,500, averaged fewer fans per home game.

The Gophers are a No. 1 seed in the NIT along with Florida State, St. John’s and SMU.

Senior guard Austin Hollins will play in his 137^th game as a Gopher when Minnesota meets High Point. Last week he broke Rodney Williams’ school record for most games at 134.

The Gophers went to the NIT Finals in 2012 but never hosted a game. They won four consecutive games before losing to Stanford in the championship game in New York.

College basketball fan Steve Nestor e-mailed that former Gophers athletic director McKinley Boston, now AD at New Mexico State, has seen his Lobos make the NCAA Tournament four of the last five years including in 2014. The Aggies have seven international players on their roster including Canadian brothers Sim and Tanveer Bhullar. They are large lads at 7-foot-5 and 7-foot-3, and weighing 360 and 335 pounds respectively.

Wally Pribyl, who played football for the Gophers in the late 1960s, is struggling in his fight with cancer. He is hospitalized in South Dakota and reached out last week to former teammates via e-mail. “I can’t express in words how much I appreciate the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” he wrote.

Former Vikings running backs Dave Osborn and Oscar Reed have birthdays this month on March 18 and 24. Twin Cities sports marketing authority Bill Robertson‘s birthday is March 21.

Comments Welcome

Tourney Offers Pitino Bonus Incentive

Posted on March 14, 2014March 15, 2014 by David Shama

Basketball coach Richard Pitino’s contract with the University of Minnesota includes bonus compensation based on performance by the Gophers. His team won its opening Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament game last night against Penn State and if the Gophers become tourney champions on Sunday he will earn $25,000 in bonus money.

The win left the Gophers with a 20-12 overall season record. Minnesota had an 8-10 Big Ten regular season record and it’s believed the Gophers can attract an NCAA Tournament invite if they defeat nationally ranked Wisconsin tonight in their conference tournament quarterfinal game. A victory over the Badgers would advance the Gophers to a Saturday semi-final game in the tournament.

Pitino’s contract incentives include $50,000 if the Gophers are invited to the NCAA Tournament. He earns additional payments of $50,000 each if Minnesota plays in the tournament’s Sweet 16 and Final Four. An NCAA national championship rewards him with a $100,000 bonus.

Pitino would have received a $50,000 bonus if the Gophers had a winning record during the Big Ten’s regular season. A regular season conference championship would also reward him with a $50,000 bonus.

Pitino won’t win conference or national coach of the year honors in 2014 but there are bonuses in his contract for those awards. He could earn $25,000 for Big Ten Coach of the Year and $50,000 for National Coach of the Year.

Pitino became the Gophers coach last spring after signing a contract that commenced on April 8 and ends on April 30, 2019. He receives what the contract describes as “base salary and supplemental compensation.”

His salary is $500,000, but beginning on May 1, 2014 and every year thereafter his annual performance review can result in an increase of “no less than 5% per year,” per the contract. The supplemental compensation is $700,000 annually and “….is in recognition of coach’s efforts on behalf of the University for media, fundraising, community involvement, endorsements, and apparel, shoes and equipment arrangements.”

Among conference coaches, Pitino’s $1.2 million annual compensation ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten. At 31 he is the league’s youngest head coach and has only two seasons of college head coaching experience.

Worth Noting

A crowd of 179 CORES lunch attendees listened yesterday to former Vikings head coach Bud Grant at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Grant talked about friends who died during military service in World War II, labeling them “heroes” and distinguishing those individuals from athletes who can be “stars” but not heroes. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The ballot announced by the National Football Foundation for possible 2014 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame includes several names with Minnesota ties: Former Saint John’s two-time first-team All-American wide receiver Blake Elliott; Randall Cunningham, an All-American punter at UNLV and former Vikings quarterback; Ross Fortier, the winningest coach in Minnesota Moorhead history; Clint Jones who was a two-time first-team All-American at Michigan State and an ex-Vikings running back; former Vikings running back Darrin Nelson, an All-American at Stanford who was the first player in NCAA history to run for over 1,000 yards and catch more than 50 passes in a single season; James Malosky who at the time of his retirement in 1997 from Minnesota Duluth was the winningest coach in Division II history; and Billy Jack Murphy, a former Gophers assistant coach who became the winningest head coach in Memphis history.

The Minnesota M Club will have a 100 year anniversary celebration on August 16 with boat rides and a barbecue at the Mississippi River Boat House in Minneapolis. The Gophers’ club is one of the oldest—if not the oldest—letterwinners club in the nation having started in 1914.

Gophers football booster Mark Sheffert authors a monthly column for Twin Cities Business. In the March issue he writes about the longevity of Minnesota coach Jerry Kill‘s staff and relates that to his column theme regarding the benefit of business professionals having experience working together: “The Value of Tenured Teams.”

Ex-Gophers and NFL coach Tony Dungy and NFL TV host James Brown will speak at a morning event on March 22 at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. “Arise with the Guys” will offer motivational messages, and tickets are priced at $10 and $20. More information at Arisewiththeguys.com.

Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has only played in four spring training games for the Rockies and has two hits in 10 at bats.

Danny Santana, who some day could become the Twins regular shortstop, is hitting .368 in spring training. The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is rated the Twins No. 9 prospect and best defensive infielder in the organization’s minor league system by Baseball America.

Ryan Boldt, an outfielder from Red Wing who plays for Nebraska, is Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance last week. He had six runs and six hits—both team highs—in a three-game sweep over St. John’s of New York.

CartRev, a new Saint Paul-based firm, offers golf courses the opportunity to turn refreshment carts into mobile billboards and point-of-sale displays. Using vinyl wraps similar to those on buses, the carts are a unique way for advertisers to reach target markets and offer a new source of revenue for golf courses. Patrick Klinger, former vice-president of marketing for the Twins, has made CarRev a division of Patrick Klinger & Co. More at CartRev.com.

Comments Welcome

Engel Out to Prove Doubters Wrong Again

Posted on March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by David Shama

Derrick Engel knows all about long odds. That’s why he doesn’t hesitate much when talking about the possibility of running at full speed in April despite having ACL surgery only a few months ago.

The 6-foot-2 former Gophers wide receiver from Chaska has been proving football folks wrong for years. Now he’s trying to prove himself again by not only making a quick and complete recovery from a serious knee injury, but also that he is worthy of playing for an NFL team.

Engel started jogging two weeks ago, another step in his rehab and weight programs. His weight dropped to 172 following the ACL surgery that came last December. The knee injury and later surgery caused him to miss the last two regular season Gopher games and the Texas Bowl. Now Engle’s weight is up to 185 pounds and his determination is strong.

Engel hopes to be medically approved for contact in May, admitting that is “kind of a lofty goal” coming less than six months following surgery. The calendar is on his mind because the NFL Draft is May 8-10 and teams will be setting up not only their draft choices but free agent possibilities. If Engel is healthy by some date in May he hopes teams will bring him in for a private workout that could at least lead to a free agent opportunity as a non-drafted player.

Engel’s May timeline could be too ambitious but he’s not discouraged about his football future. Scouts have expressed interest and Engel has retained Minneapolis-based agents James Selmer and Shawn Stuckey to represent him. He and his agents will see if NFL opportunities develop in June, if not May. Canadian pro football, not just the NFL, is also a possibility.

“If it doesn’t work out this year I think I am definitely going to give it another year… to fully train and get this knee healthy, and show people what I can do,” Engel told Sports Headliners.

Show people what he can do. Those words define Engel’s football career dating back to Chaska High School.

“I didn’t take the easy route to D-I,” Engel said. “I had to prove myself from the bottom up. Start (the college career) at D-2. Even in high school I didn’t play as a sophomore. I had to kind of prove myself. I didn’t get on the field until my junior year. I am kind of used to taking the rougher path.”

At Chaska Engel caught 50 passes for 637 yards and nine touchdowns his senior year. He was honorable mention all-state but had no Division I college scholarship offers. He did make multiple visits to Evanston, Illinois where Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald wanted him to be a preferred walk-on but at $50,000 per year for school that was a high cost for the Engel family that includes dad Joel and mom Karen, both former college athletes.

Engel was slender in high school and his build has influenced the way football coaches and scouts look at him even to this day. “I don’t really pass the eye test. Just walking down the street in street clothes, you probably don’t point at me and say, ‘Oh, that kid is a football player.’

“I’ve had to get by with my speed, my brain and my ball skills. I am definitely lacking in size and strength so that’s probably the main reason why people don’t take a second look at me a lot of times. Once they see me play, they can see that I make up for that with the way that I play.”

Engel’s first college stop was at Winona State. His first season in 2009 he made honorable mention All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The second year he led the team in receptions with 39 and 584 receiving yards and was named all-conference.

Engel wanted to play at a higher college level and was interested in the Gophers while in high school. He decided to leave Winona and walk-on at Minnesota where he had to sit out the 2011 season.

The Gophers 2012 season opener was at UNLV. During late summer practices Engel was trying to move up the depth chart and convince himself and the coaches he deserved playing time.

Engel entered the UNLV game as the No. 3 slot receiver. Freshman Jamel Harbison tore his ACL in the first quarter and so Minnesota lost its starting slot receiver. During a timeout in the second quarter Engel was told he was going into the game for the first time as a Gopher.

“I knew I was getting the ball for about two minutes there and had all the time in the world to think about it, which didn’t help me at all, but I ended up getting in there and caught the ball,” Engel said. “I think it was like a 30 yard gain. It was a pretty neat way to start my career.”

A nervous Engel had proven himself once again and he would receive other limited opportunities in 2012. For the season he started only one game, catching 18 passes for 375 yards and one touchdown.

In Engel’s senior season last fall he became Minnesota’s premier wide receiver. Despite missing three games, he tied tight end Maxx Williams for team highs in receptions with 25 and touchdown catches with five. Engel averaged 16 yards per catch. After he was injured the absence of his speed and deep threat ability was a major loss for the Gophers’ passing game that faltered late in the season.

The ACL injury and missed games took away the possibility of performing at his best closing out his career and impressing NFL scouts. Now he is determined to increase his weight to about 200 pounds and to run a “sub-4.40 forty.”

Engel believes he has a “lot of upside” that football scouts haven’t seen. But he also realizes he has much to prove, “Kind of what I’ve done my whole career anyway.”

What’s it feel like to often be doubted and not even wanted or accepted? “It definitely puts a chip on your shoulder,” Engel said. “You’re kind of thirsty to go out there and prove to everyone that they’re wrong. That their expert opinions aren’t as expert as they think they are. It’s probably better for me that way—that people doubt me because that kind of fuels my fire and gives me more motivation to prove people wrong.

“It’s not just like I am doing it to prove people wrong, it’s for myself, too. I want to play at a high level. But that’s definitely part of gaining motivation.”

Worth Noting

Former Vikings Ben Leber and John Randle will sign autographs tomorrow from 11 a.m. to noon at Franklin Street Bakery, 1020 East Franklin Ave. “Purple velvet cupcakes” will be on sale with proceeds going to Minnesota FoodShare. No purchase is necessary for autographs but donations to FoodShare are encouraged.

The five finalists for the 2014 Mr. Basketball Award are Wheeler Baker, Osseo; Brian Goodwin, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa; Tyus Jones, Apple Valley; J.P. Macura, Lakeville North; and Reid Travis, DeLaSalle. Only seniors are eligible for the award and the winner will be announced after this week’s boys’ tournament.

The Gophers women’s basketball team will learn Monday whether they are invited to the NCAA Tournament. If so, they will need better shooting accuracy from Big Ten scoring champion Rachel Banham. In last week’s two Big Ten Conference Tournament games the Gophers’ point guard made only nine of 34 shots despite playing 84 minutes in Minnesota’s overtime win against Wisconsin and loss to Nebraska.

Sports Headliners reader Paul Ehrhard e-mailed that Iowa’s fans were “raucous” at last weekend’s Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Madison. Ehrhard, who was in attendance, wrote that during the semi-finals and finals other Big Ten fans “cheered loudly and long” against Iowa’s wrestlers.

The Gophers finished third behind Penn State and Iowa. Senior redshirt freshman Tony Nelson was the only Minnesota wrestler to win a championship. The Gophers will be in Oklahoma City March 20-22 for the NCAA Championships. Nelson is a two-time defending national champion.

Comments Welcome