Vikings’ head coach Brad Childress was asked yesterday following three days of mini-camp for impressions of second year center John Sullivan who is trying to replace Matt Birk: “Just about what I expected.  He can hold his own in there. He can direct that line the way he needs to.  He’ll have to work with (Anthony) Herrera on his right when Anthony comes back.  But all good work by him, too; very minimal mental and physical errors.”

Is Childress comfortable with Sullivan as a starter?  “I am comfortable with him,” Childress said. “We have seen (Jon) Cooper jump in there. We have seen Ryan (Cook) jump in there. So there are a number of guys (who can play center).  Anthony Herrera can play in there. So, yeah, I am comfortable with that.”

Childress was asked how much more dangerous his offense can be with No. 1 pick Percy Harvin, the explosive wide receiver from Florida.  “Well, I just think anytime you talk about (Percy Harvin in terms of) football, you talk about explosion and somebody that can take it the distance when it (the play) is blocked the right way and when it gets in his hands. There is no such thing as too many of those guys, whether it is a tight end, a running back, a wide out, or a quarterback. I just think it just adds another piece.  It can be more explosive, but that is up to us to put the ball in his hands.”

The Wolves will be working out the following potential draft choices today at Target Center in preparation for the NBA draft later this month: USC guard Daniel Hackett, Ohio State center B.J. Mullens, Utah center Luke Nevill, Israeli forward Omri Casspi, North Carolina forward Danny Green, Connecticut guard A.J. Price, UCLA guard Darren Collison, Villanova forward Dante Cunningham, Texas A&M forward Chinemelu Elonu, Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal and Gonzaga forward Austin Daye.

Congratulations to long time tennis volunteers Joan Baker, Sue Gregor and Dick Riley on being selected for the United States Tennis Association Northern Hall of Fame.

Author Jim Holden has four book signings this week for Tennis in the Northland, a comprehensive history of boys high school tennis in Minnesota.  Tomorrow from 8 to 11:30 a.m. he will be at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center, the south Minneapolis site of the Class A boys state tournament.  Also, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. tomorrow he will be at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus, the site of the Class AA tourney.  On Thursday he will be back at both sites at the same times as Tuesday. https://www.jim-holden.com/

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Williams Arena, the sentimental yet flawed home of Gophers basketball for 81 years, managed to avoid the scrap heap 20 years ago and it might still be around two decades from now but controversy will define its existence.  The University athletic department is spending $600,000 on a new floor this spring, the latest in millions of dollars in renovations that have been allocated to improve the building that’s one of the oldest college basketball facilities in the country.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi, 64, told Sports Headliners the “reality” is that the building will have to be replaced or significantly renovated 10 to 15 years into the future. “It won’t happen during my time,” he said.

When Rick Bay became Gophers athletic director in 1989 he consulted with Jim Dutcher who coached the Gophers basketball team for 11 seasons before resigning in 1986.  The two had become friends when both worked at the University of Michigan.

“When he came to town he wanted my take on the significance of Williams Arena,” Dutcher said.  “He knew that there was a lot of emotion attached to it and there were some expensive remodeling and updating (that) had to be done. …My view was I said, ‘It might be a good time, Rick, just to go for a brand new arena.’

“He knew the emotion attached to Williams Arena and he kind of hesitated about that, but I said that from a recruiting standpoint and updating your facilities there comes a time when the emotion of an old building gives way to a new facility whether it’s Carver-Hawkeye (Iowa), or the new arena at Ohio State, or the new arena at the Kohl Center in Madison.

“There comes a time when you have to step up and keep up with the competition.  If you’re going to put money into an old facility, now might be the time to consider that.  I don’t know how seriously he considered it but they went ahead and remodeled Williams Arena.”

Remodeling has included installing chair back seats, creating suites (“barn lofts”) and locker room renovation.  As part of the process to make the 81 year old building more functional and compliant with safety codes, seating capacity has been reduced by about 3,000 from what it was 30 years ago.

The arena isn’t as noisy now days.  Not only are there fewer fans but they are, on average, older than in the wild days of the 1970s when the place was jumpin’ even before tipoff.  The basketball product was in decline for years until Tubby Smith came two years ago and once in awhile now when the building is full and a Michigan State or Wisconsin is in town Williams Arena is a special place once again.

Long mentioned in the same breath with college basketball’s most historic facilities, Williams Arena is an intimate venue with a rarity seldom seen, a raised playing floor.  That playing surface is part of the building’s enigma.  A fall from the raised floor by a player poses a potential danger not present in other buildings, yet fans regard the floor as part of the building’s charm.  Spectators sitting down low and near the court, even those paying premium prices, can’t see part of the game when coaches and referees block their views.

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The old building is quaint but it’s partially held in place by steel supports that obstruct the sightlines of spectators.  Those tickets are sold with advance notice that you will have a partial view, not exactly 21^st century marketing.

Concourses and restrooms are crowded, even for games with less than capacity crowds.  The old building is less charming when your bladder is about to burst and the bathroom line reminds you of gasoline rationing in the 1970s.

Then, too, the building is a recruiting liability with out of state player prospects when they look at it without fans on non-game days.  It’s pretty hard to relate to a facility that was built before their grandparents were born and by comparison must compete with the newer palaces of college basketball.

The recruiting formula will receive a lift when a new practice facility is built in the near future.  Maturi said costs and location haven’t been determined but it may be connected to Williams Arena where the Gophers not only play but practice.

Further into the future a new facility might replace Williams Arena.  Although totally new, it could have a retro Williams Arena design.  More seats, better sightlines, improved concourses, rest rooms and practice facilities.  A facility capable of generating more revenues for the athletic department while better serving the fans and basketball program.

Even 15 years into the future, though, Dutcher thinks the original Williams Arena, then almost 100 years, will still be around.  “…I think the alternative is the new practice facility,” he said.  “I think they’ve already decided to go that route, to build a nice building that has the practice facility, that has the coaches’ offices, probably academic counseling rooms for basketball players. …When a recruit comes on campus the showcase is probably going to be the new basketball building. The sideline is going to be Williams Arena with all the emotions and so forth. …”

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