Although it hasn’t been announced, Tubby Smith told Sports Headliners yesterday Vince Taylor will join his staff at Texas Tech.
Taylor worked for Smith as an assistant coach at Minnesota until earlier this year. Already on the staff are Joe Esposito, who was Smith’s director of operations with the Gophers, and Alvin “Pooh” Williamson, the first player Smith recruited when he was head coach at Tulsa. Smith is still searching for a director of basketball operations at Tech.
Smith’s son Saul, another assistant with the Gophers, won’t be joining the staff in Lubbock. Smith said his son has always been interested in NBA coaching and could join a pro organization. “Saul has a great mind and feel for the game,” his father said.
Smith was the Gophers’ coach for six seasons before new athletic director Norwood Teague dismissed him last March. Smith, who will be 62 on June 30, was surprised by his termination and thought the Gophers job would be his last.
Throughout his tenure at Minnesota there were rumors other schools wanted to hire Smith who built a national reputation at Kentucky by winning the 1998 NCAA championship and routinely had his teams advance to the NCAA tournament second round or better. Smith confirmed yesterday there were a “bunch of times” he was pursued by other programs while at Minnesota.
If Smith had known one day the Gophers planned to part ways with him he would have reacted differently to the contacts from other schools. “I would have been long gone,” he said.
Smith said he left the Minnesota program and community better than he found it including through his work with the Minnesota Chapter of the Tubby Smith Foundation that supports charities benefitting underprivileged children. Highlights of Smith’s basketball success at Minnesota included three NCAA tournament appearances and a nationally publicized upset win over No. 1 ranked Indiana at Williams Arena last February.
At Texas Tech Smith takes over a team that was 11-20 last season and 3-15 in Big-12 Conference games. The two previous seasons the Red Raiders were 8-23 and 1-17, and 13-19 and 5-11.
One worry Smith doesn’t have is his former home in Minneapolis. He and wife Donna sold the residence a couple of weeks ago.
Worth Noting
Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino has a day camp for youngsters 7-18 this week at Williams Arena. Cost is $325 per camper.
Wally Ellenson, who will be a sophomore playing for Pitino next fall, earned All-American recognition last week in the high jump (2.20 meters) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Bob Sadek, who was the starting quarterback on the Gophers’ 1963 football team, passed away last month. Sadek’s career as a teacher and coach followed his sports success at Richfield High School and with the Gophers. His younger brother Mike Sadek played with the baseball Giants after signing his first professional contract with the Twins.
Gophersports.com is featuring a video highlight of the 1973 Minnesota football team that finished third in the Big Ten with a 6-2 record. The team included freshman running back Larry Powell who after the season developed French Polio ending his football career and changing his life. Powell was a special prospect and Gophers coach Cal Stoll often said Powell was going to be his “Tony Dorsett”—the University of Pittsburgh running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1976.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said at OTAs yesterday he was impressed with a telephone call from veteran defensive lineman Jared Allen. “He calls me, maybe a month ago now, and he says, ‘coach, count on me this season to be even a better leader than I have been in the past.’ That was music to Coach Frazier’s ears.
“It was unsolicited and he calls me out of the blue and tells me that. That’s what you need. You need your great players to be great leaders if you want to have a chance to change your culture and also win games. For him to call me and say he wants to do even better than I’ve done before, that’s inspiring. …”
Angel Morales, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, the three Twins prospects promoted earlier this week from Class A Fort Myers to Class AA New Britain, couldn’t make their Eastern League debuts last night because the Rock Cats’ game with Altoona was rained out.
Only three MLB relief pitchers have more saves than former Twin Joe Nathan who has 20 for the Rangers. His ERA is 1.71.
Public relations executive and WCCO Radio “Sports Huddle” co-host Dave Mona will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Twins-Royals game at Target Field on June 27.
The College World Series starts Saturday in Omaha. Indiana is the first Big Ten team to play in the series since Michigan in 1984. The Gophers’ last appearance was 1977. Minnesota won NCAA titles in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
Indiana advanced to the College World Series with a two-game regional playoff sweep of southern power Florida State. NCAA rules changes are making northern teams more competitive than in the past, according to Gophers assistant coach Rob Fornasiere. Teams across the country have the same starting date for practices, first games and number of games.
During the second day of last week’s first-year player draft the Twins’ selections included two players from Indiana, 6-9, 250-pound pitcher Aaron Slegers and 6-2, 200-pound third baseman Dustin DeMuth. Fornasiere said Slegers has “amazing control and athleticism for a guy that size.” He described DeMuth as “very athletic” with a strong left-handed bat.
Fornasiere said Coon Rapids High School pitcher Logan Shore is the “most polished” Minnesota high school pitcher he has seen in years. Fornasiere also said Shore showed no serious interest in the Gophers and will pitch for Florida. Fornasiere heard Logan was looking for major compensation in a pro contract but wasn’t selected until the 29th round by the Twins.
Jim Dutcher enjoyed a reunion last month with 13 of his former players in Ypsilanti, Michigan where he coached Eastern Michigan for six seasons. Among those unable to attend was one of Dutcher’s ex-NBA players, George Gervin, selected one of the league’s 50 greatest players in 1996.
Dutcher, the former Gophers coach from 1975-1986, thinks Minnesota’s Trevor Mbakwe will be a mid-second round draft selection in the NBA draft later this month.
Minnesota native Mike Muscala who played collegiately at Bucknell and Indiana’s Cody Zeller are among the NBA draft hopefuls who will workout this afternoon at Target Center.
Mike Miller, the Mitchell, South Dakota native who played for the Timberwolves during the 2008-09 season, has come off the bench to make nine of 10 three point shots in three games of the NBA Finals for the Heat who trail the Spurs 2-1 in the series.