David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Remain on Clear Path to Build Support for J.J.

Posted on April 25, 2025April 25, 2025 by David Shama

Updated at 4:03 p.m. April 25, 2025

Enjoy a Friday notes column.

A former NFL team executive who follows the Vikings closely texted Sports Headliners with the following evaluation about Minnesota’s decision to use the No. 24 spot in the first round of last night’s NFL Draft to take an offensive lineman. (The authority asked that his name not be published).

“The Vikings selection of Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson is all about J.J. McCarthy and giving him great protection along with establishing a dominant running game to support him.

“After the interior O-line’s struggles against the Lions and Rams late last season, the Vikings were determined to upgrade this area, and they have in free agency with center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, and now with Jackson who is a solid pick as a fine pass protector and excellent run blocker.

“There were defensive backs who surely tempted them at No. 24, and I expect them to pick a corner or safety in round 3, and probably try to obtain another pick or two via trades beyond the three remaining picks they have in this draft.”

The Vikings have a league low four total selections in the draft which continues with rounds two and three today, followed by four through seven on Saturday. Their three remaining draft spots are in the third, fifth and sixth rounds.

McCarthy has yet to play a snap in an NFL regular season game after getting hurt as a rookie in preseason in 2024. It’s evident head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to give McCarthy the strongest supporting cast possible. Jackson could start as a rookie in place of veteran Blake Brandel at left guard.

It’s to Jackson’s advantage that his teammates on the offensive line are gifted and experienced. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw has played four NFL seasons, Kelly nine, Fries four, and right tackle Brian O’Neill seven. They block for a roster of skilled playmakers including wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and running back Aaron Jones. The Vikings are loaded on offense but won’t reach their potential if McCarthy is mediocre or worse.

The Vikings wouldn’t have selected Jackson if they didn’t believe his character and talent met their standards. His evaluation on NFL/prospects.com this winter predicted the 6-4, 315-pound lineman “will eventually be (a) plus starter.”

In mock drafts this month Chad Reuter of NFL.com had the Chiefs selecting Gopher offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery in the first round. Ersery wasn’t picked by any team on opening night of the draft but still figures to be the first of several Gophers with draft hopes to be selected.

The 2025 NFL Draft should have an economic impact of $20 million for Brown County and $90 million for the state of Wisconsin, per an Associated Press story earlier this week that sourced information from Beth Jones Schnese, Greater Green Bay Chamber vice president of marketing/member engagement. The article said that equates to the amount generated by three consecutive Packer home-game weekends.

The NFL, honoring the tradition of pro football in Green Bay, awarded the draft to the area knowing it had logistical challenges with direct flights and number of hotel rooms. The 2025 draft is a driving destination for many fans who are travelling from places like Milwaukee and Madison, two hours or so away.

For those who follow the Golden Gophers football team to road games, the 2025 away schedule is the most intriguing in memory. All five destinations are attractive including West Coast trips to the Bay Area (Cal) and Eugene (first time at Oregon), plus border rival Iowa, Northwestern (at Wrigley Field) and defending national champion Ohio State. Creative Charters, the Stillwater-based company, has been serving roadies since 1993 and has details on 2025 packages.

Derek Burns, president of Dinkytown Athletes, texted that a recent matching campaign hit $400,000 to benefit Gopher men’s basketball NIL (name, image and likeness).

The Timberwolves will enter tonight’s Game Three against the Lakers favored by a couple of points by oddsmakers. The opinion here is the Wolves should be favored by five points or more in their first home game in the best of seven playoff series. The Wolves have the better overall roster talent and depth.

A couple of things to watch: In splitting the first two games in Los Angeles, the Wolves were behind after one quarter both times so a better start will be an improvement. Also, the Lakers, lacking depth and relying on 40-year-old LeBron James, looked fatigued and just able to hang on to a big fourth quarter lead Tuesday night. Lacking depth, and relying on a Big Three of James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves playing extensive minutes, the Lakers could be gassed late in all remaining games.

The Athletics’ NBA player survey came out Tuesday and the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards finished second in voting (13.8 percent) to the Spurs Victor Wembanyama (54.3) on the question of who will be the face of the league five years from now.

In the annual poll where players can answer questions anonymously, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert was second at 10 percent behind the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, 14.4, for most overrated.

The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov is now only two behind Zach Parise’s franchise record of 16 playoff goals. Last night Kaprizov scored two goals to help the Wild win 5-2 in Game 3 of their best of seven opening playoff series against the Golden Knights.

The Wild, leading 2-1 in the series and hosting Game 4 Saturday afternoon, hasn’t advanced past the opening series in the playoffs since 2015.

If reserve Marc-Andre Fleury of the Wild plays in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring it will be for an 18th postseason. That would break a tie with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy (17 postseasons) for most total playoff years among NHL goalies.

The Twins Byron Buxton is 31 and has fought off injuries for years, but he still has his speed. Twins media notes recently said his 30.2 miles per hour speed leads all MLB players.

Gopher basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit, whose team recently won the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament title in her second season, will speak to the Capital Club breakfast group May 1 at Mendakota Country Club. Another program will feature Minnesota sports columnists Chip Scoggins, LaVelle E. Neal and Charley Walters on May 14. More information about the Capital Club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

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Medved Making a Difference with Golden Gophers NIL

Posted on April 21, 2025April 21, 2025 by David Shama

The Name, Image and Likeness effort to generate money for University of Minnesota men’s basketball is positive under new head coach Niko Medved who was hired in March.

Dinkytown Athletes, the entity that creates and develops NIL opportunities for Gopher athletes with businesses and sponsors, is led by co-founder and president Derek Burns. He told Sports Headliners NIL revenue raised for men’s basketball players is “significantly ahead” of a year ago.

This is the third offseason DA has worked on NIL resources and Burns said money available for the 2025-2026 school year is “by far” ahead of previous totals. Like other collectives around the country, DA doesn’t make public the total NIL revenue it has. Such information can create a competitive disadvantage with rival schools, collective executives maintain.

However, it’s believed former Gopher men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson had a seven-figure amount of NIL money last school year, but the total was under $2 million. It could be (based on background work by Sports Headliners) that in Medved’s first year the total will be between $3 million to $4 million. Athletes are paid at Minnesota and elsewhere to make appearances, endorse products or services and appear in advertising.

Medved, who coached Colorado State to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years, is a Minnesota native. He was a student manager for the Gophers in the 1990s and has a passion for the program that hit hard times under Johnson, partially because of minimal NIL money.

The personable Medved knows a rebuild is in front of him. He’s been using his determination and salesmanship with donors to build up NIL support. Burns said Medved has “been very effective and well received.”

Part of the fund-raising strategy uses donors of means to engage in matching campaigns. Medved wants, of course, to avoid as much as possible not being priced out for players in recruiting against other programs.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Of developing significance is that Big Ten athletic departments and other major conferences are expected to soon receive court approval to share revenues with athletes. The cap could be $20.5 million per school the first year, with the Gophers expected to allocate for five sports with football receiving more than half the total and men’s basketball being second in the pecking order.

Even with revenue sharing, NIL will remain in play. It figures to make a difference as seen frequently in news reporting about college basketball and football.

Kyan Evans, one of Medved’s best players last season, was wanted in Dinkytown but the junior guard chose North Carolina where he reportedly will have a more than $2 million NIL deal.

Orono High School guard Noah Groves, the state’s player of the year, committed to Texas Tech last week, a program where his agent has relationships. The Red Raiders took Gopher point guard Elijah Hawkins a year ago. Tech is known for its NIL success in football and basketball, and is reportedly paying hoopster JT Toppin around $4 million in NIL money to return to the Red Raiders.

Medved has so far brought in five transfer players. Only state native BJ Omot from Cal is from a Power Four conference, an indication of limitations in NIL funding at Minnesota.

That doesn’t mean those transfers won’t help the Gophers, with some even excelling. On3 uses an algorithm to determine whether a program has improved its roster talent, stayed the same or declined during the transfer window. Minnesota is ranked No. 25 in the nation by On3 after determining an improved roster.

NIL monies have reportedly increased nationally, although Burns cautions he knows figures are frequently exaggerated not only in basketball but in football, too. A point of differentiation for the Gophers is that unlike some schools Minnesota has a reputation of making good on its NIL commitments, not reneging.

Still, it’s bizarre to hear some of the reports about NIL money just for men’s basketball. Former Marquette, Indiana and Georgia head coach Tom Crean, talking to Dan Barreiro on KFAN last week, put the number in the 50s of college programs with $9 million war chests, he believes.

College basketball authority Evan Miyakawa, writing last week on X, guesstimated the top spenders this offseason on basketball transfers is led by Michigan at $8.8 million, Kentucky, $7.6 million, Maryland and Miami at $7.1 million each, and Iowa at $6.6 million.

Absent from Miyakawa’s top 10 list was St. John’s where coach Rick Pitino has a billionaire booster who is willing to pay whatever it takes to have the Red Storm at national prominence.

Believe Miyakawa’s figures at your discretion, but no one can doubt NIL money is big business.

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Timberwolves Have Options Against Vaunted Lakers Offense

Posted on April 16, 2025April 16, 2025 by David Shama

It will be intriguing to see how the Timberwolves decide to defense Lakers superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic in their first-round playoff series starting Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The two superstars, along with an emerging star in guard Austin Reaves, form a trio of scorers that is the core of the Lakers’ success. Los Angeles, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, is built to win by scoring points, not so much with defense or rebounding. The other thing to know about the Lakers is the supporting cast for the Big Three is pretty much bargain basement.

The Wolves, the No. 6 seed, are the more balanced team on offense, defense and rebounding. Their roster, top to bottom, has more cumulative talent and is deeper than the Lakers. Yet mostly because of the extraordinary offensive talent of James and Doncic, the Lakers are favored to win the seven-game series and are one of the betting favorites to emerge in June as NBA champions.

Even at age 40, James remains among the league’s best players. He’s particularly lethal at closing out games with timely plays, whether that’s a clutch basket or perhaps a blocked shot. A 6-9, 250-pound power forward, James is always among the tallest players on the floor for the undersized Lakers. While this can be detrimental for his cub, it also causes matchup problems for opponents trying to control the Los Angeles offense.

Defensive specialist Jaden McDaniels could be given much of the James assignment by Wolves coach Chris Finch. At 6-foot-9 his length (including wingspan), combined with athleticism, is a tempting match up versus James. But at a listed 185-pounds, he gives away size and muscle to the Los Angeles forward who sometimes plays center.

James must draw focus no matter who is on the floor to guard him. He’s effective shooting mid-range and beyond the three-point arc. Guard him too tight and his ball handling and muscle allow drives to the basket for layups and dunks. He’s also a threat on the fast break, sprinting out quickly toward the basket with Doncic throwing a Tom Brady-like pass.

Other than James, the Lakers are pretty much skunked for rebounders and sizeable defenders. He’s the best at both assignments for Los Angeles. Bothered by a groin injury not long ago, his health is paramount to a Lakers playoff run.

Doncic seems to be constantly nagged by injuries and his presence is equally important to the Lakers. Even at age 26, Doncic is recognized as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. His three-point range is near unprecedented, while his strength, sense of timing and athleticism allow him to slow down the game while driving for mid-range, near the basket, and lay up scores.

When Doncic isn’t dialing up jaw-dropping baskets, he can be just as show-stopping with his passes to set up wide open looks for teammates. Reaves, a fast-developing shooter from multiple spots on the floor, is a consistent converter of those opportunities, but too many other Lakers don’t deliver.

Playing for the Mavericks a year ago, Luka and mates took the Wolves out in five games during the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists.

The best defensive strategy for the Wolves against Doncic is this: consistently double-team and be physical. Putting two defenders on him (as far out as mid-court) will often force Doncic to give up the basketball sooner than he wants. Teammates may then have wide-open shots but that could be a good thing for the Wolves.

Edwards, Finch photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Doncic, a 6-6, 230-pound point guard, can sometimes be bothered by not only double teams but by defenders of similar size and strength. McDaniels is a possibility but Anthony Edwards, at 6-4, 220, is even a better option. As important as Edwards is offensively, his defensive prowess could be as key to the series outcome.

The Wolves have other options, too, in 6-4, 203-pound Donte DiVincenzo and 6-5, 205-pound Nickeil Alexander-Walker. That’s four relatively young but experienced defenders who, especially in double team situations, should be able to bother Doncic and impact the series.

With a roster of quality defenders to throw at Doncic, the Wolves match up better against the Slovenian legend than many rosters in the league. Power forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid, along with McDaniels at times, can play one-on-one against James.

And center Rudy Gobert, at 7-1 and 258 pounds, is a bonus as the Wolves contemplate their defensive scheme. He is playing at an all-NBA defensive level and will be expected to challenge drives by James and Doncic as they approach the rim.

Gobert will also need to be on his game against Doncic’s drives with his tendency to lob a pass to a teammate, sometimes center Jaxson Hays. Gobert can not only dominate on defense, but he should be able to contribute a lot on offense where he has picked up his game late in the regular season including with rebounds and points (54 points, 29 rebounds in the last two games).

So, the whole key to the series may come down to those Wolves defenders singled out here and being able to hold down Doncic. Let James and Reaves score near their season averages of 24.4 and 20.2 but keep Luka, who averaged 28.2 points per game, from being a wrecking ball (again).

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