McHale’s seat on the bench might be filled by a Wolves alum, but apparently not by Flip Saunders.  Saunders, who was fired by the Wolves in 2005, got the same directive after last season in Detroit.  Earlier in the week Saunders, 54, was reportedly near a deal to become Washington’s coach.

The development seemingly ends the hope that Saunders, who kept his permanent home here even after being hired by Detroit, will return to the Wolves organization.  Saunders is popular with local fans, many of whom clamored for him to get the Gophers job two years ago.

Hiring Saunders would have been a marketing boost for the beleaguered franchise that annually operates in the red and whose team performs before thousands of empty seats in Target Center.  Ultimately, though, it will be about winning as a cure-all to restore the franchise’s image and that could happen with other coaches including Wolves alums Tom Thibodeau, Tyrone Corbin and Sam Mitchell.

Thibodeau was on Bill Musselman’s first coaching staff here and has a reputation as a defensive master including as an assistant for the NBA champion Celtics.  Corbin and Mitchell are former players under Musselman.  Corbin, although never an NBA head coach, has earned praise as a Utah assistant and Mitchell had a successful run at Toronto where he was 2007 NBA Coach of the Year before being let go last year.

People often ask how Taylor, the likeable Mankato billionaire, can run his businesses with such success and manage the Wolves with…well, you pick the word.  In the weeks ahead Taylor, who has been encouraged for years to revamp the basketball front office, will have the opportunity to write a new business plan at 600 First Ave. North.

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Jerry Robertson told Sports Headliners earlier this week he believes grandson Rodney Williams will have the high school GPA and college entrance credentials to be admitted to Minnesota.  Williams, the Cooper basketball star, is part of coach Tubby Smith’s outstanding freshmen recruiting class for 2009.

The NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association has selected Jay Pivec of Minneapolis Community and Technical College as Division III Coach of the Year after leading his Mavericks to a 33-2 overall record and runner-up finish at the NJCAA DIII Tournament. Pivec’s team held the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA DIII Men’s Basketball poll seven consecutive weeks last season.  The Mavericks lost in the Division III tournament championship game to Richland College (Texas), 58-57.  Pivec has coached seven NJCAA first-team All-Americans at Minneapolis, the most of any Division III program.

Sporting News Website reported on Tuesday that Konrad Zagzebski, a highly recruited linebacker from D.C. Everest (Schofield, Wis.), has changed his commitment for 2010 from Minnesota to Wisconsin.  More at https://www.sportingnews.com/blog/TheRecruitnik/tag/157565/college_football.

The Big Ten Conference announced yesterday that the Gophers’ first ever game in TCF Bank Stadium (versus Air Force) will be televised on September 12 starting at 6 p.m. local time on the Big Ten Network.  The October 31 home game against Michigan State will also be on the network, starting at 7 p.m.

Win Willy, despite a fourth place finish in last week’s Arkansas Derby, has enough earnings to qualify for the May 2 Kentucky Derby and may participate.  A source told Sports Headliners that trainer Mac Robertson and Minneapolis owner Jerry Myers are likely to enter the horse in the famous derby.

Former Stillwater High grad Glen Perkins has no wins in two starts for the Twins but has been impressive.  He’s 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA, giving up three earned runs in 16 innings, three walks and eight strikeouts.

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation 2009 Legend of Hockey recipient is Don Roberts, former head hockey coach at Gustavus.  Although Roberts never played the sport, he ranks 12^th in all-time collegiate hockey wins.  Roberts will be honored along with this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner, Matt Gilroy, at the Hobey Baker Award banquet May 7 in St. Paul.  Banquet tickets are available by visiting the Hobey Baker website, www.hobeybaker.com.

Center John Tavares of the Ontario Hockey League and defenseman Victor Hedman of the Swedish Elite League retained their respective top-ranked status among North American and European prospects for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, according to NHL Central Scouting Bureau final rankings released on Tuesday.  Gophers’ wing Jordan Schroeder is ranked fifth among North American skaters.  The Wild will pick 12^th in the entry draft on June 26.

It was a memorable weekend last week for the Fitzgerald family, Larry Sr. and sons Larry Jr. and Marcus.  Six years ago Carol Fitzgerald, Larry’s wife and the mom to her football playing sons, died from cancer but her memory and spirit live on through the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund.  Last week two fundraisers generated monies that will go to nonprofit organizations.  “We gave out $50,000 last year and we’re going to be close to that or more this year,” Larry Sr. said last Saturday.

What would Carol have thought about the fund and the activities that included friends, family and celebrities trying to help others?  “She’d be ecstatic about it,” Larry Sr. said.  “She was a very giving person.  That spoke to what she was all about.  …The money gets turned around right away to help others.”

Sean Gothier, from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, reports that his organization expects a 225 person sellout for its annual awards dinner on Sunday.  The event at St. Thomas University will honor 11 individuals associated with pro and amateur football.  Jim Malosky, former UMD coach, will receive the chapter’s Distinguished Minnesotan award.  St. John’s coach John Gagliardi will give a keynote address.  More at https://nffmn.org/.

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Among decisions the Wolves need to make in the off-season is whether to remain committed to Sebastian Telfair at point guard and Randy Foye at shooting guard.  Awhile back you could have advertised them as the team’s future backcourt but neither player has earned our confidence.

Telfair, 23, has been coming off the bench lately with 36-year-old Kevin Ollie starting games at point guard.  Ollie was among the last to earn a roster spot in the fall, beating out Blake Ahern for a job.  It’s been obvious throughout the season that the Wolves sometimes preferred Ollie, a .400 percent shooter, to Telfair for his ability to run the offense.

Telfair averages 9.8 points per game, making .383 percent of his field goals.  His average of 4.5 assists ranks him 33rd among players in the 30 team NBA.  The five-year veteran apparently isn’t making enough progress for the Wolves to justify giving him more than about 27.8 minutes per game, or provide two previous teams reason to regret his departure.  Telfair is averaging 3.9 assists and making .389 percent of his field goals during his NBA career.

Foye’s three year NBA resume includes too much missed time because of injuries including the 2007-2008 season when he played in only 39 games.  Now a late season hip injury has caused him to miss the last eight games.

Whether playing point guard or shooting guard, Foye, like Telfair, shows no great basketball IQ with his playmaking or creativity, nor is either player a defensive stopper.  On a roster desperate for talent, the role of No.2 star after center Al Jefferson was presented to Foye this season, but he hasn’t earned that label.  He’s taken plenty of shots and averaged 16.3 points per game but he’s made only .407 percent of his field goals.

We’ve known for awhile that Foye, 25 isn’t going to be Brandon Roy, the almost superstar who the Wolves once drafted only to trade to Portland for Foye.  On a team searching for better guard play, the hope had been the disparity between the two wouldn’t be so wide.

The Wolves, who have exceptional front court players in Jefferson and Mr. Double-Double Kevin Love, will need better guards to make a push for .500 basketball and the playoffs during coming years.  This may require a changing of the guard.

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