Basketball hotbed has cooled off considerably

There was a three-month period in the spring of 2004 when basketball dominated the Minnesota sports scene. First, it was the Gophers women going on an underdog journey to the Final Four. Then, it was the Timberwolves winning two playoff series and going six games against Shaq and Kobe in the Western Conference finals.

The only major basketball entity missing out on the fun was Dan Monson's outfit. The Gophers went 12-18 in a season that eventually was dedicated to getting freshman Kris Humphries early entry to the NBA.

No matter.

This was hoops heaven for that stretch. Minnesotans marveled at the way Linsday Whalen could work with Janel McCarville, and what a difference it made when Kevin Garnett was surrounded by the savvy Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

Three seasons later, the basketball situation at Minnesota's top levels has declined precipitously.

The Timberwolves are a mess. Basically, they have eight guards on a 13-player active roster, and their best center is Craig Smith, a second-round draft choice listed generously at 6-7.

This is the Wolves' 18th season, and they never have been the source of so little local conversation -- not even when Jimmy Rodgers was coaching them to 15 victories in 1991-92.

It's also clear nothing that takes place at Williams Arena this winter will create basketball hype.

Last week alone, both Monson's and Pam Borton's teams were outclassed by a pair of midmajors: Marist and Southern Illinois for the men, Middle Tennessee and Wisconsin-Green Bay for the women.

There was hope when the men's team started practice that Monson could sort through an expanded group of athletes and find a workable eight-player rotation. Five games into the schedule, the Gophers have a three-game losing streak and Monson has been uttering the words of a dead coach walking.

The women's team -- after losing eight players (three seniors, two that quit and three transfers) -- has a strong chance to join the men in the bottom three in the Big Ten. The crowds that fell off dramatically last season now have dwindled to a few thousand.

Target Center: empty sections and no excitement. Williams Arena: a death rattle from the dwindling crowds for the men's games, and several dozen lonely voices whining about the officiating for the women's games.

Three seasons later, the Twin Cities are now hoops Hades.

"Not at the grass roots," said Mark Klingsporn, the boys' coach at Tartan High School. "The state of basketball here is very strong. The game is promoted so much nationally -- endless college games on ESPN, the constant exposure of NBA stars like LeBron James -- that I don't think the Wolves and the Gophers being down has any impact on the number of kids playing basketball.

"I don't think a winning Wild season and a losing Wolves season influence the decision on whether someone plays hockey or basketball. Usually, the parents steer the kids one way or the other, depending on their backgrounds."

Klingsporn and Larry Ronglien, the boys' coach at St. Louis Park, started AAU basketball in this state with the Minnesota Selects in 1989. To say that it has boomed would be an underestimate.

Randy Carlson, the boys' basketball coach at Belle Plaine for 22 years, said: "We're a Class 2A school and, ultimately, the numbers pretty much are what they are, no matter what's happening with the Gophers and the Wolves.

"I'll tell you this: My son Drew went through our program and graduated in 1999, and now my son Trent is a senior. The growth in offseason basketball -- spring, summer and fall leagues and tournaments -- has been tremendous in just these seven years.

"With all that opportunity to compete, Minnesota high school basketball has better players than ever."

The health of youth and high school basketball doesn't mean a basketball nut such as Klingsporn is indifferent to what's happening at the higher levels.

"I've been a Gophers [men's] season-ticket holder for years," Klingsporn said. "Let me put it this way: I beg for the days to return when Williams Arena is so loud I can't talk to the person next to me."

Patrick Reusse can be heard weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP at 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. • preusse@startribune.com