David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-Governor Casts U A.D. ‘Vote’

Posted on March 5, 2012March 5, 2012 by David Shama

Arne Carlson was outspoken last week when he advocated that the University of Minnesota promote John Anderson to athletic director, and hire Flip Saunders and Lindsay Whalen as basketball coaches.

The former Minnesota governor is a U alum and passionate supporter of Gophers athletics. Speaking on Thursday’s WCCO Radio morning show with John Hines, Carlson said he isn’t formally involved with the search for a new athletic director but added “we have a lot of gold right under our nose.”

“John Anderson would be a remarkably good athletic director,” Carlson said. “A very successful baseball coach, knows how to build a program. He’s very modest, but also very capable.

“And then look at what else we have—Flip Saunders. How many people would love to see him take over the basketball program? And then you look at Lindsay Whalen. What a remarkable addition she would be on the women’s side.

“We have the talent right here and we have to learn to develop that talent to give them a chance to manage, to build, and then we can hold them accountable. But these are all good people.”

Anderson is in his 31^st season as Gophers baseball coach. He, Saunders and Whalen are Minnesota alums.

The Gophers athletic administration has often been criticized, and the department’s most visible programs like football and basketball have struggled to win games. Carlson said years ago Wisconsin was in the same “pickle” as Minnesota when it turned to former Badgers football hero and state native Pat Richter to become athletic director. That hire put the Badgers on a path to success that continues to this day.

Carlson said Minnesota can also learn a lesson taught in the University’s business school and practiced by the Wisconsin athletic department. When Badgers savior Barry Alvarez stepped down as football coach, he chose defensive coordinator Bret Bielema from his staff as his successor.

Succession planning and searching for local candidates makes sense to Carlson. “…If you look at that team of Anderson, Whalen and Saunders, I would buy that any day of the week,” he said.

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Wolves Make Right Impression

Posted on March 5, 2012March 5, 2012 by David Shama

Impressions of the Timberwolves with 28 games remaining in the strike-shortened NBA season:

This is the most entertaining pack of Wolves since Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were trying to put food on the table to feed their families in 2003-2004. The 2012 Wolves, 19-19 so far after finishing 17-65 last year, are much improved with better personnel, team work and coaching.

You no longer have to risk being labeled the town idiot by predicting a playoff spot this spring. The Wolves have pulled even with the average teams in the NBA and with 16 teams allowed to qualify for the playoffs Minnesota is a contender.

The club report card gives the best grades to All-Star forward Kevin Love, rookie point guard Ricky Rubio and coach Rick Adelman. Love is so improved the last two seasons that the four-year player is included in any conversation about the league’s best power forwards. Point guard, it’s often argued, is the most important position in basketball. The Wolves finally have a special talent playing the position in Rubio, a flashy talent with extraordinary vision and passing skills. The NBA might be a players’ league but coaching still counts and first-year boss Adelman could be the best person ever directing the Wolves.

This team has an unexpected hero in center Nikola Pekovic. After averaging 5.5 points during his rookie year last season, Pekovic has won the starting center job in 2012 with smarts, hustle, timely points and rebounds. What he can’t do with his short arms and average height for a center (6-11) is become a defensive whiz in the lane.

Finding a shot-blocking, defensive center is what should be at the top of the front office’s to-do list. A guy who can take the Wolves from being an okay defensive team to a better one (while helping Love with the rebounding) is needed to push Minnesota toward the elite group of NBA teams.

This Wolves team will improve a lot too if a shooting guard-forward like Wes Johnson or Martell Webster can fulfill their potential as outside shooters. Johnson is only a second year player and youth is a huge part of the rationale why fans should be excited about this product. Love is 23, Rubio, 21, Pekovic, 26, Johnson, 24, and rookie forward Derrick Williams, 20.

Better days are here…and ahead.

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Worth Noting

Posted on March 5, 2012March 5, 2012 by David Shama

Condolences to the Fitzgerald family, including Larry Sr., Larry Jr., and Marcus, following the death of Sally Fitzgerald, their mother and grandmother. Services were held last Friday in Chicago.

The NBA’s compacted, strike-shortened season can be ridiculous as witnessed last week when the Wolves played on three consecutive nights—all road games. No wonder the Wolves, including Kevin Love who had a busy All-Star Weekend and was suffering from the flu during the week, looked sluggish at mid-week.

Gophers senior forward Trevor Mbakwe, injured and unable to play since November 27, was ceremoniously named the sixth man of the game on Saturday in Minnesota’s 81-69 win over Nebraska. The Williams Arena crowd responded with a standing ovation for Minnesota’s best player.

Paper work has been submitted to the NCAA requesting one final season of eligibility for Mbakwe since he was only able to play in seven games. It’s not known when the NCAA will respond and if Mbakwe will want to play next season for the Gophers, or pursue a professional career.

Sophomore guard Chip Armelin had a career high 20 points off the bench in Minnesota’s win, the last Big Ten regular season game prior to the start of Thursday’s conference tournament. He was given a rare second half start. Armelin has talked in the past about playing college football. It will be interesting in the coming months to see if he tries to play both football and basketball, or chooses one sport.

Coach Jerry Kill will provide C.O.R.E.S. members with a look at his Gophers football program on Thursday. Minnesota starts spring football practice on March 22. Ron Stolski, Brainerd High football coach and executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, will introduce Kill. C.O.R.E.S. members can still make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.

Fox Sports North televises the first of five Twins spring training games starting tonight at 6 p.m. when Minnesota plays Boston.

Patrick Reusse, talking on 1500 ESPN last week, credited a caller with a different way to look at the public commitment for a new Vikings stadium: The team ownership is willing to spend $427 million on the proposed $975 million facility and will use it only 10 or 12 times per year. The state and city, investing a combined $548 million, gets a covered facility to use for more than 300 days per year for community sports and a variety of major events. Seems like a good return on investment.

License plate seen Saturday on the all-electric Nissan Leaf car: Ybuygas.

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