David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Financing Plan Still Needed for Facility

Posted on November 7, 2011December 27, 2011 by David Shama

Smith suggested the possibility of a financial package that will both renovate the arena and build a new practice facility. How to finance it? Smith’s ideas include perhaps a combination of large gifts from donors and use of basketball game day parking revenues that are now retained by the University and not the athletic department.

The Gophers coach knows winning will help make the facility a reality. He acknowledged a Big Ten championship would make a difference, but the Gophers are coming off a 17-14 season. It was the first time in 18 years of coaching that a Smith team didn’t play in a post-season tournament.

Two of Smith’s first three teams made the NCAA tournament, with the other participating in the NIT. He wants to compete for championships and had hoped his program would be further along after four years. But he’s upbeat about the coming season that starts with a regular season game against Bucknell on Friday night after the Gophers conclude their exhibition schedule versus Augustana at home tonight.

This is also a newsworthy week for recruiting since college basketball teams can sign prep players to national letters of intent starting on Wednesday and continue through November 16. “We’ll sign two, maybe three (players),” Smith said. “We’re excited about the guys. …”

Coaches can’t talk about specific recruits now but it’s known the Gophers have a commitment from Rice Lake, Wisconsin shooting guard Wally Ellenson. Another player who might end up being a Gopher is Charles Buggs, a power forward from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

Comments Welcome

Worth Noting

Posted on November 7, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

The Augustana basketball team from Sioux Falls the Gophers host at Williams Arena tonight includes senior guard Cody Schilling of Ellsworth, Minnesota. He averaged a team best 21.2 points last season. He led the NSIC in scoring at 22.6 points per game. This will be the Vikings first exhibition game of the season. The Vikings had an 18-9 record last season, 15-7 in conference.

Lindy’s Sports College Basketball Magazine includes Apple Valley High’s Tyus Jones among its top 25 high school sophomores in the country. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jones and his prep buddy Jahlil Okafor, the Chicago center also on the Lindy’s list, choose the same college for basketball.

The Wild haven’t sold out a home game other than opener, according to a Sports Headliners source. The team, though, has been able to avoid the slow early season start of last year and could play even better by increasing goal scoring. The problem? Probably too much finesse play ─ over passing the puck.

Among the early season positives is goalie Josh Harding who has won four straight games. His development offers confidence to coach Mike Yeo, that along with Niklas Backstrom, his team can have strong goalie play this season. Backstrom, who is 33 and among the NHL’s top paid goalies, might be involved with Wild trade talks.

Here are Sports Headliners’ weekly rankings of Big Ten Football teams: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota and Indiana.

Gophers freshman wide receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts, who apparently suffered a high thigh bruise on Saturday against Michigan State, will be “okay,” according to comments made by coach Jerry Kill on WCCO Radio yesterday morning. The Gophers play Wisconsin on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium and game time will be announced today.

Congratulations to Saint Benedict and St. Olaf for respectively winning the women’s and men’s MIAC soccer playoffs last weekend.

The National Lacrosse League’s Minnesota Swarm has been named the 2011 Deubener Award winner in the category of Family-Owned Business. The award is presented annually by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce in honor of Walter and Lydia Deubener. John Arlotta along with his son, Andy, purchased the Swarm in 2008 and serve as the team’s owners.

Comments Welcome

Big Ten Football Glory Continues to Fade

Posted on November 4, 2011December 28, 2011 by David Shama

Big Ten Conference football long ago gave up its claim to playing the best college football in the land, but its slump in 2011 is newsworthy.

The league’s highest ranked team in the BCS standings is Nebraska at No. 10. There’s not one undefeated team among the 12 Big Ten schools. No one is betting his or her IRA account on the Big Ten having a team in the national championship game next January.

Don’t look for Big Ten players to come even close to hoarding the post-season college football individual awards that recognize player of the year and best performers at various positions. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson was the league’s glamour guy earlier in the fall but he’s fading fast in the Heisman Trophy race.

And don’t expect search firms to park outside the offices of league coaches after the season trying to woo them to other football programs across the country. The Big Ten football coaching scene is short on star power, although Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is among the top paid coaches in the nation and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald ranks with the best 40 and under coaches.

What’s the problem with the Big Ten? Let’s start with the reality that the mighty Ohio State program has slipped because of tattoo-gate. And Michigan, college football’s winningest program, is trying to recover from three seasons under coach Rich Rodriguez.

Ohio State and Michigan were once national powers but not in 2011. Conference newcomer Nebraska boosts the league’s resume and adds a program serious about football, but these aren’t the Cornhuskers that Tom Osborne had winning national championships.

The Big Ten simply doesn’t have enough programs that are both capable and want to compete at the highest level of college football. Southeastern Conference teams have won the last five BCS national titles. The best college football every fall is played in the SEC and Big Ten fans can only drool in anticipation of Saturday’s game of the year showdown between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama.

Big Ten teams have won two national championships in the last 30 years. During that time conference teams have only won 11 Rose Bowls. There have been five players from Big Ten schools who won the Heisman Trophy, and a few head coaches who have won various national coach of the year awards.

Comments Welcome