David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Caitlin Clark Stayed Home, Paige Bueckers Did Not

Posted on March 5, 2024March 5, 2024 by David Shama

Caitlin Clark is playing basketball in Minneapolis in consecutive weeks. How lucky can we be that the phenom who has become an American household name is back in town for the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament after playing last Wednesday night at a sold-out Williams Arena against the Golden Gophers?

Well, darn lucky if you care about seeing the player recognized by many as the GOAT in the women’s college game and recognize the legacy of the Iowa native whose popularity transcends her sport. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ scoring machine is a record setter and trailblazer whose status and achievements enhance Women’s History Month which just happens to be in March.

Iowa is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Target Center against the winner of Thursday’s Penn State and Wisconsin game. Clark has led the Hawkeyes to the last two Big Ten Tournament titles.

Over 109,000 fans are expected to watch the five-day tournament that for the first time in 31 years is sold out. The demand for tickets is no coincidence with Clark making her final tournament appearance before turning pro later in the year.

Clark’s appearances in Minneapolis are a reminder this town and state could have lined up in adoration at Williams Arena for our own phenom, Paige Bueckers. Clark, a Des Moines area native, came out of high school at Dowling Catholic in 2020 and headed for the University of Iowa. A five-star prospect, she said no to Notre Dame and other out of state schools.

Bueckers was the No. 1 national recruit in the high school class of 2020, ranked ahead of Clark and everyone else. She came out of Hopkins High School and said no to the hometown Gophers and seemingly never looked back in choosing the blue-blood Connecticut Huskies whose 11 national championships are the most ever in women’s hoops. In Bueckers’ freshman season of 2020-2021 she was the most honored female college basketball player in the country, winning five national Player of the Year awards including the Wooden and Naismith.

The purpose in this space isn’t to criticize Bueckers for not choosing her home state school as Clark did. But she is part of a long line of superb basketball and football players whose college destinations were elsewhere Basketball’s Khalid El-Amin, Cole Aldrich, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs, Matthew Hurt, Gary Trent and the Jones brothers turned down Minnesota. Football can count prep superstars who left the state, too, including Joe Alt, Michael Floyd, Seantrel Henderson, Frank Ragnow, Jaxon Howard, James Laurinaitis, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Steve Walsh and others.

Talent born, raised and nurtured in the state has too often moved on. A number of factors figure into decision making, but how refreshing if a Minnesota prep phenom said something like this while committing to the Gophers: “You know what? I owe the people in this state something. Think about the support I received that made me who I am.

“That support goes beyond my parents and coaches. I am thankful that communities in the state, including mine, invest in the facilities and programs to help young people reach their potential. I know it takes a lot of time, perseverance, and money to build and maintain the kind of culture we have in our state. I am choosing to be a Gopher because I can grow my career and education at the U, and say thank you Minnesota for making me who I am.”

Kids and their parents are going to make decisions based on what they think is best. This happens all over the country, of course, not just with uber talented Minnesota preps being wooed by a who’s who of college programs. But it’s admirable when home state loyalty plays a prominent role in making a college choice. (See last fall’s decision by Esko’s Koi Perich to play football for the Gophers and the buzz it has created).

Loyalty was important to Clark who also counted Iowa State among her final college choices. At Iowa her dynamic skills have brought national attention unlike any other player in the history of the women’s college game. Is there anyone on American soil who doesn’t know that Sunday she surpassed Pistol Pete Maravich as college basketball’s all-time leading scorer? “She is a pistol in pigtails,” Fox’s Gus Johnson raved on national TV Sunday.

Iowans would have loved Clark even if she chose Notre Dame, UConn or some other destination away from the cornfields. Be assured, though, there is more affection in their hearts because Caitlin stayed home. In an August 2019 story in the Des Moines Register Clark was still undecided about her college choice but said, “…Just staying home and playing in your home state would be a big deal.”

Bueckers grew up a Lindsay Whalen fan, knowing about the former point guard’s accomplishments lifting both the hometown Gophers and Lynx to national glory. Bueckers had a Whalen poster in her bedroom growing up but said no to Whalen after she became the Gophers head coach in 2018.

Who knows what kind of impact Bueckers in a Gopher uniform might have had on the program? She had a pop culture following even in high school, with fans coming to watch her play from not just Minnesota but elsewhere.

Almost assuredly her commitment and presence with the Gophers would have attracted talented teammates. Whalen, who was fired after the 2022-23 season, would likely still be leading the program.

Both Bueckers and Clark are 22-year-old guards who can carry their teams. Clark has shooting range and accuracy never seen before by a woman in the college game. Bueckers can score but throughout her career at Hopkins and UConn she has often preferred to set up others with timely playmaking.

Bueckers once told Sports Headliners that she has a “God-given ability that I know what I am doing, and I see…plays two steps ahead.”

The two superstars have played collegiately in different conferences but met in 2021 in a Sweet 16 tournament game. The Huskies defeated the Hawkeyes, 92-72, as Clark was held to 21 points, about six points below her average. Bueckers had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for UConn.

Their basketball journeys over the years, including being teammates on the US Under-19 national team, have allowed them to become friends. Despite their extraordinary skills and similarities, neither Clark nor Bueckers has won a NCAA championship yet but their teams have been and remain contenders as top 10 teams in March of 2024.

Bueckers was in Minneapolis two years ago this month playing for the NCAA Tournament title. The Huskies lost the title game to South Carolina, 64-49, after a stellar performance by Bueckers led UConn to a double overtime semifinal win over North Carolina State. In a game for the ages, she scored 27 points including 15 in overtime.

Brian Cosgriff, her high school coach, offered this praise after the semifinal classic: “You could see how Paige was like we’re not going to lose this game. Get on my back. I am going to do what I’ve always done. I am going to carry this team to victory. And that’s what she does.”

Playing in her hometown, Bueckers reminded us how special she could have been for the Gophers. As if we didn’t know.

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Coach Ben Johnson’s Job Security Looks Like a Lock

Posted on March 3, 2024March 3, 2024 by David Shama

If there was any doubt about Ben Johnson returning as the University of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach, it was erased yesterday with the team’s ninth Big Ten win of the season. The Gophers overcame a 23-point first half deficit to defeat Penn State, 75-70, at Williams Arena.

The victory left Minnesota with a 9-9 league record with two games remaining in the regular season. The Gophers are tied with Michigan State for fifth place in the Big Ten standings, and have an opportunity to finish 11-9 if they defeat Indiana at home Wednesday night and win at Northwestern next Saturday. The overall record is 18-11, with a 20-win season possible for the first time since 2019.

Pretty upbeat status for a team that was a popular pick before the season to finish last in the Big Ten. That outlook last fall only added to the gloom from at the bottom conference finishes the prior two years (6-33 record). Those were discouraging starts to Johnson’s head coaching career and caused loud grumbling about him heading into the season five months ago.

Johnson could currently be bought out of his contract for $6,519,340. Other media have reported a lower figure but the above is the correct number. A disastrous season this winter presumably would have caused athletic director Mark Coyle to think hard about staying with the Minneapolis native, former Gopher guard and the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 43.

Many years of mediocre and sometimes bad basketball at the U has lowered expectations inside the school and decreased pressure from fans, many of whom have become disinterested in the program. Even a month of March that includes a 9-11 final regular season record, with perhaps no wins in the Big Ten Tournament and a postseason invite to the NIT will almost assuredly be enough to continue Coyle’s confidence in Johnson.

The elephant in the room for the Gophers is men’s basketball once was a huge money maker for the financially self-supporting athletic department. Ticket sales for years have generally been in free-fall and revenues aren’t close to their potential. A Big Ten contending team in this market could command among the higher ticket prices in college hoops and those revenues would shoulder a big load in a department where the only programs making money are football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

Johnson and his staff improved the roster during the last off-season. All the key players are potentially back for next year except senior forward Parker Fox. Potentially is the operative word in the wild world of college basketball where players change schools on a dime. And sometimes for a bigger dime because of Name, Image and Likeness money.

Contrary to some voices, Johnson has NIL money to work with, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Resources don’t match the blue blood programs but there has been success by the Dinkytown Athletes collective, and the potential is significant if the Gophers can take over the town like they did in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Johnson and his staff have coaching chops and can motivate players. Their Xs and Os can be interesting, and it’s been impressive to see how often Minnesota comes out of a timeout with a savvy play to score a bucket. The coach’s judgment on personnel has usually worked although it’s still annoying to recall how in November the ball was put in freshman guard Cam Christie’s inexperienced hands to make the winning play in a 70-68 home court key nonconference loss to Missouri.

And Fox, who had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks on Senior Day against Penn State, probably should have received more playing time this season. His inside scoring, rebounding, shot blocking, unselfishness and energy merited more. Yesterday he not only started a game for the first time this season but played a rare 28 minutes and was on the floor at the end when Minnesota finished its gutsy comeback.

Johnson, a high character guy, made a classy move in the closing seconds by taking Fox out to receive recognition from the fans. Those same patrons want their hometown coach to be deserving of their applause in the future, and he will if he can add talent in future off-seasons like he did in the last one.

Worth Noting

The Gophers trailed by 12 points at halftime against Penn State. “The first 20 minutes was just flat, for whatever reason,” Johnson said at his news conference where he added the second half strategy was to tighten up on defense and “chip away” at the deficit.

If the Gophers can win their yet to be determined opening game in the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center next week, the town could get amped. In game two the Gophers would feel the adrenaline and maybe make a tournament run. Minnesota’s talent is similar or better than most of the Big Ten except Purdue and Illinois.

An overflow crowd of more than 300 heard from Paul Molitor, Glen Perkins and John Anderson at the recent Minnesota Breakfast Club gathering in Naples, Florida, per an email from event attendee Marshall Tanick. Molitor, the former Twin and Hall of Famer, is excited about the potential of 2023 first round draft choice and outfielder Walker Jenkins. Perkins, who played for Anderson with the Gophers before joining the Twins, lamented the pitch counts in MLB that limit innings by quality starters and strain bullpens.

Perkins praised Anderson as a “molder of men,” according to Tanick. He noted the coach’s emphasis on academics and graduating players. Anderson is in his final season as Gopher coach after taking over in 1982. The program has struggled of late but the Big Ten’s all-time winningest baseball coach told the gathering he sees improvement in 2024 with a “deeper and more talented pitching staff.”

Former Twins TV broadcasting icon Dick Bremer turned 68 last Friday.

Lou Nanne, the 82-year-old Mr. Minnesota Hockey icon who retires this month after 60 years of TV commentary at the boys’ state hockey tournament, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers at Interlachen Country Club Wednesday morning—the same day the Timberwolves Chris Finch, among candidates for NBA Coach of the Year, talks to the Capital Club at Mendakota Country Club.

Prep football coaching legend Ron Stolski emailed a note that registration for the annual MFCA Football Clinic April 4-6 in St. Louis Park is on a “record pace.”

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Vacation Leaves Your Correspondent in Good Spirits

Posted on March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 by David Shama

Loyal readers may have noticed much of February was without dispatches from this columnist. You may wonder, “How was your vacation?”

Well, since you asked, here are some musings:

Grateful our luggage didn’t end up in North Korea. With checked bags, you never know what to expect.

A couple years ago my wife mistakenly took someone else’s travel bag off the luggage carousel. While waiting in a long car rental line she received a call from a stranger who had her bag. Jeanne’s luggage and that of the stranger were identical including Viking Cruises tags.

In case you are curious, I can report the pickleball rage has reached Southwest Florida. I have long been a tennis advocate, but “the sport of a lifetime” is giving way to the “pickle.” The picklers are taking over tennis courts and even small empty stores from Florida to California.

The easy to learn, easy to play game isn’t appreciated by all. In San Francisco there have been complaints about the annoying “ping, ping, ping” from dawn to dusk. Hard plastic against hard paddles isn’t so soothing to noise-sensitive residents.

Not that downtrodden San Francisco doesn’t have more serious issues. Some wealthy Californians have had enough crime and dirty streets. They are in motion to elect city supervisors to restore the sanity.

Where is the “cavalry” for Minneapolis?

Word reached me that Anthony Edwards thought it was cute to shoot left-handed in the NBA All-Star game. Next year, why not bounce the basketball off his head? That would be most intriguing on three-point shots.

Time in the Florida sun boosted optimism for improving my golf game. I found “therapy” on the putting green near our rental condo (adjacent to the pickleball courts). It was there I refined my trademark approach of striking the golf ball with the toe of the putter.

Will I consistently two-putt next summer? Will the Vikings give Kirk Cousins a guaranteed three-year deal? Will Ant Edwards stop doing dumb stuff? Will the boys’ state high school hockey tournament be played in front of empty seats?

We enjoyed dinner at a popular Peruvian restaurant with another couple from back home. Mr. Minnesotan reminded me of a restaurant quip from baseball humorist and Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra who reportedly once said of a dining establishment, “No, I don’t go to that restaurant anymore. Nobody goes there. It’s too crowded.”

We talked about shopping while at dinner. Mr. Minnesotan is still (“tongue in cheek”) upset about the Dollar Store raising prices from a buck to a $1.25. A few days later, I was pining for something like a Dollar Store when $750 shoes sent me scurrying out of Saks Fifth Avenue with no purchases in hand.

I had the other couple laughing with stories about my thrifty (but charitably generous) Uncle John. We lived together years ago and one day I trashed a winter cap that had seen better days. Awhile after that I was dispatched to the downtown bus station to pick up John and his cousin. Sauntering out of the station door was thrifty Uncle John wearing my old winter cap.

Perhaps you’re curious whether I keep up with emails while out of town for extended times. The answer is yes. I can report there was nothing found in my private email account more curious than repeated donation requests addressed to “Janet” from Biden-Harris.

Although the solicitors don’t seem to know my gender or correct name, I draw no harsh conclusions about their campaign. Heck, even our own Amy Klobuchar has it wrong.

Signing off for now. Your amused and humble correspondent, “Janet.”

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