David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Claeys High on Hageman NFL Draft

Posted on December 13, 2013December 13, 2013 by David Shama

Gophers defensive coordinator and acting head coach Tracy Claeys doesn’t hesitate when talking about senior defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman being chosen during the first round of next spring’s NFL Draft.

“He will be a first round draft pick. I don’t see 20 teams passing him up, let alone 32 once they get a chance to work him out,” Claeys told Sports Headliners this week.

If Claeys is correct, Hageman will be the first Gopher selected in the first round since running back Laurence Maroney in 2006. Hageman became the first Minnesota player to be chosen first team All-Big Ten since 2009 (wide receiver Eric Decker) when he made both the media and coaches all-conference teams.

Hageman finished the 2013 regular season with 34 tackles, a team-high 11 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, one interception, eight pass breakups, one fumble recovery, one blocked field goal and one blocked extra point.

A converted tight end, the 6-foot-6, 311-pound Hageman was announced as the Gophers’ MVP and outstanding defensive player at the team’s awards program on Sunday. “I think he’s improved a lot since we got here,” said Claeys who came to Minnesota with head coach Jerry Kill for the 2011 season. “Each year he’s made leaps and bounds (improvement). I think this year he made a lot more individual plays than he has in the past, and that caused people to have to double team him more.”

Claeys said Hageman has “tremendous upside” and will benefit from playing in the NFL where he won’t face as many blocking schemes. “He’s right up there with the best that is in the Big Ten and I think that will show on draft day,” Claeys said.

Media specializing in draft analysis have varying opinions on where Hageman will be selected, with Dane Brugler from CBSsports.com among the more optimistic. He projects Hageman being selected No. 29 in the first round by the Patriots. He also ranks him No. 2 among projected defensive tackles available for the draft.

Claeys also believes senior Gophers defensive back Brock Vereen will be drafted. He projects Vereen as a “middle rounds” choice because of his abilities including experience playing both cornerback and safety for the Gophers.

Worth Noting

Chris Werle, Gophers senior associate athletic director, e-mailed that as of Wednesday morning 40,000 tickets had been sold for the outdoor Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium. The doubleheader, featuring the Gophers men’s and women’s teams, will be played the evening of Friday, January 17. If severe weather causes postponement, the classic will be rescheduled for Sunday, January 19.

The athletic department is looking for financial help with the cost of busing students to the Texas Bowl where the Gophers play Syracuse in Houston on Friday, December 27. The Gophers football marching band will fly to Houston.

Big Ten Network football analyst Gerry DiNardo said on Sunday after the announcement of the seven Big Ten bowl game assignments that the Gophers have the most favorable match-up. The Gophers are 4 ½ point favorites to defeat Syracuse, according to yesterday’s Linemakers story on Sportingnews.com.

Jeff Jones, the state’s 2013 Mr. Football, visits Iowa State this weekend. He visited the Gophers last weekend. Other official visits aren’t scheduled yet.

Last night legendary former Saint John’s head football coach John Gagliardi received the Contributions to College Football Award during the Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN. Gagliardi retired after the 2012 season as the winningest coach in college football history.

The Eagles team that plays the Vikings on Sunday at Mall of America Field has won five consecutive games and owns a league best 5-1 road record. On Sunday the Eagles, led by new head coach Chip Kelly, will try to become the fifth team in NFL history to have 11 games of 400-plus yards in a single season.

Nick Foles has emerged as the Eagles quarterback and he is featured in this week’s Sports Illustrated. Kelly is quoted in the story as saying Foles will be the team’s quarterback “for the next thousand years.”

Gophers basketball players heard from Louisville coach Rick Pitino when he was in town earlier in the week to watch Minnesota play South Dakota State at Williams Arena. Gophers forward Oto Osenieks said Pitino told the players that to be a better team they have to improve defensively. “He said he watches us all the time on TV,” Osenieks said.

Asked about the similar mannerisms and appearances of Pitino and his son Richard Pitino, the Gophers coach, Osieneks said: “You can tell they’re related.”

Phil Jackson includes Minnesota connections in his bestselling new book Eleven Rings. The NBA coaching legend writes about his Williston High School team losing in the North Dakota state tournament finals to Rugby led by Paul Presthus who went on to become captain of the Gophers. Jackson also writes about the “my way or the highway” style of Bill Fitch, his University of North Dakota coach, who after going to Bowling Green coached the Gophers. After a great career at North Dakota, Jackson chose the New York Knicks of the NBA over the ABA’s Minnesota Muskies.

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is fourth among front court players and guard Ricky Rubio is eighth among backcourt players in voting for Western Conference players to determine who will participate in the Sunday, February 16 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. The NBA issued the first of voting updates yesterday. Balloting concludes on Monday, January 20.

Former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher has high praise for Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones. “I think he is the best (prep) guard in state history,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “He has great court awareness and when he needs to take over the game he does. I think he will play well immediately for Duke (next year). An NBA friend told me he thinks he can play at the next level.”

Saint John’s men’s basketball coach Jim Smith is one victory away from tying Ed Diddle (Western Kentucky, 1923-64) for 17th on college basketball’s all-divisions win list. Smith has a 758-538 career record in 50 seasons.

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Kill-Claeys Roles Not Set for Bowl

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by David Shama

Tracy Claeys told Sports Headliners earlier this week he isn’t sure if Jerry Kill will coach from the press box in the Gophers’ bowl game in Houston on December 27.

“He’s basically back doing everything now anyways, except I still do a lot of the practice organization and the meeting times and all that stuff getting (things) set up,” Claeys said. “But as far as recruiting and everything else goes, coach is back in the office doing everything.”

Claeys, the Gophers defensive coordinator, added the title of acting head coach earlier this fall when Kill needed time to first focus on his epilepsy struggles and then shifted his workload. The Gophers won four consecutive Big Ten games with the arrangement and finished with an 8-4 record, the school’s best since 2003.

Could the roles of Claeys on the sidelines and Kill in the press box continue indefinitely? “That will be up to ‘Killer’ but I don’t expect this to go on very much longer,” Claeys said. “He’s gotten along great (with improving health).

“He is very superstitious and the fact that we’ve played well, and by me taking a few of the things off (Kill’s duties) with the practice schedule and stuff like that, it has allowed him to spend more time with the players and recruiting. At this time of the year that’s the two most important things to spend your time with.”

Claeys moved from his usual game day spot in the press box to the field when Kill was sidelined this fall. Claeys was concerned about no longer being able to direct the defense if he took on head coaching responsibilities on the field but that hasn’t been an issue. He has continued directing the defense while taking on the extra work.

Claeys has coached with Kill for about two decades. The two are close friends and value each other personally and professionally. “I would do it again (acting head coach),” Claeys said.

Claeys has also gained admiration for all that a head coach does. “You deal with a lot of things every day,” he said. “It takes a lot more time when you are the guy in charge. It gives you a lot of respect for the person sitting in that seat.”

Although Claeys made the coaching switch to help a friend and assist the staff, the change hasn’t been without compensation, too. The Gophers athletic department has been paying him an additional $13,000 per game for serving as acting head coach.

Claeys appreciates the money but what will he do with it? “I am gonna give half of it to the state of Minnesota, I am sure,” he laughed. “So that’s the way that works.”

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Molitor ‘Excited’ to Work for Gardy

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by David Shama

Paul Molitor told Sports Headliners he and Ron Gardenhire are looking forward to working with one another in 2014 including when the Twins open spring training in Florida next February. “I respect tremendously what he’s done as a leader of this franchise on the field and I am excited about the chance to work for him,” Molitor said.

Molitor, hired after the 2013 season as a Twins coach, said Gardenhire “has reached out to him.” Molitor had been working for the Twins on assignments in the minor leagues and has long been admired for his baseball intelligence.

Media and fans have speculated for awhile that Molitor’s presence on the coaching staff could be perceived by Gardenhire, the team’s manager since 2002, as a threat to his job security. “I don’t think that exists in one iota,” Molitor said. “Gardy is very comfortable in his own skin and rightfully so.

“He’s not worried about what might happen down the road. He’s kind of a day-to- day grind it out kind of guy. When he’s got a title and a job, that’s what he’s going to concentrate on.”

Molitor, 57, has known Gardenhire for many years. The Twins organization saw the opportunity to add Molitor, a Hall of Famer, as a way to improve a franchise that has been among the worst in baseball for the last two seasons. Molitor saw an opportunity to become more involved with the organization by becoming a coach.

Could his future include becoming a big league manager some day? “I don’t close doors,” Molitor answered. “I am getting older now and I think this is may be my last opportunity to get back on the field. In some ways I think getting back in this particular role and seeing what the game is like on a daily basis at the big league level will give me a lot of insight as to where this is going to go.

“I envision our club getting better and becoming more competitive this year and into 2015. If things go well, this might be a role I can settle into also. It’s hard to say what’s down the road. But our focus will definitely be just on this year and trying to be as effective a coach as I can be.”

Molitor’s assignments with players will include base running, bunting and in-game strategy. The former All-Star infielder will also work with players like third baseman Trevor Plouffe, shortstop Pedro Florimon, second baseman Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer, who will be making the transition from catcher to first base.

Molitor said former Twins manager Tom Kelly, who helps with instruction at spring training, is among the best first base authorities in baseball. Molitor pointed out Mauer’s previous part-time experience at first base will help his performance in the field.

“Hopefully we can just get Joe to where we put the catching thing behind and we can start concentrating on making him that full-time first baseman and a very efficient one,” Molitor said.

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