Tubby likes in-state talent

Tim Brewster and his Gophers football staff, when rating Division I prospects in the state, concluded there were only nine worthy of scholarship offers. Five chose the Gophers.

Minneapolis used to contribute a lot of football players to the national championship Gophers teams over the years. But this year, only one Minneapolis City Conference player, was offered a football scholarship anywhere -- Henry lineman Alonzo Melton at Division II Bemidji State.

Of course, Gophers men's hockey has long been dominated by Minnesota players. And of the 11 players on the Gophers men's basketball roster, nine are from in-state, including eight from the metro area.

Tubby Smith's first recruiting class includes five outstate players only because the good local prospects were pretty well committed to other schools before Smith got here.

But in the future, look for Smith and his staff to work hard to keep most of the in-state athletes, because the coach believes the caliber of basketball here is as good as any place.

"Basketball is basketball," Smith said. "Obviously, I think locally, when you look at just the region, we're as good as anybody, when you put in the numbers. The programs here, from little dribblers right on through high school, they're getting quality coaching.

"We have one of the largest AAU programs in America right here in the Twin Cities area, and that's a big help. Then you consider the young men that we have on our team that are leading us, all from the Minnesota area."

"So, you know the quality of basketball is equal to the quality of basketball anywhere in the country," Smith said. "...We're [eager] to have those young men join our program, you know like the Blake Hoffarbers, Dan Colemans from right here in Minnesota.

"Our job, my staff, is to make sure that these young men and coaches and parents know that there's an opportunity as well as making sure that they have a need here. We think we have one of the top academic universities in the country, and why wouldn't you come here and play and get a quality education?"

Stadium a concern Zygi Wilf made the mistake of saying he would never move the Vikings under any circumstances when he purchased the team.

Well, the NFL representatives who met recently with the staff of Gov. Tim Pawlenty painted a different picture, making it pretty clear the Vikings can't make it financially and would continue to finish last in the league in revenue if a new stadium isn't built before the Vikings' Metrodome lease runs out after the 2011 season.

Unfortunately, the current economic climate makes it tough to build stadiums. Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the Super Bowl that the NFL wants to return to the Los Angeles area but doesn't want to expand, so fans of teams such as the Vikings, Buffalo and Jacksonville need to be concerned about relocation.

The Vikings have mailed their 2008 season ticket order forms out, and because of the presence of Adrian Peterson, they expect more renewals than in recent years.

Jottings Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said he has been given the go-ahead to draw plans and also start raising money for the building of a new baseball stadium on the present site of Siebert Field. While the Pohlad family is not interested in naming the stadium after Carl and Eloise Pohlad, the family might have some interest in contributing to the cost of the stadium as they do for so many other things in this area.

Speaking of Gophers basketball recruiting, the program landed a real future superstar in Devoe Joseph of Pickering High School in Ajax, Ontario. He has been invited to try out for the Canadian national Olympic team and has been invited to the Hoop Summit this April in Portland, Ore., a game that pits the best foreign players against the best American players.

Some time in the near future, the Gophers ticket office will notify season ticket holders on how a new point system affects them when it comes to where they will sit in the new football stadium and how much they will have to contribute to the Williams Fund to get choice seats. Donors toward the Williams Fund will get some preference in seat locations in the new stadium. However, it doesn't mean that non-donors that have had their Gophers football season tickets for a long time will be hurt. ... Speaking of fundraising for the new stadium, the university is now $9 million short of what it needs to pay for the building.

David Brandon, the father of Gophers football recruit Xzavian Brandon, played linebacker for 11 seasons in the NFL, from 1987 to '97, with four teams: San Diego, Cleveland, Seattle and Atlanta. Xzavian Brandon is a wide receiver from Atlanta.

"I really feel this is the year we can actually win big, so I wanted to be part of it," Mbakwe told the newspaper. "This is a special team, and I'm happy with my decision right now."

Tom Chorske, the former Gophers and NHL player, spent last year doing color commentary on New Jersey Devils radio broadcasts, but he has moved back here to look for a new field. ... Former Gophers standout Paul Martin leads Devils defensemen in scoring with five goals and 20 assists. Bloomington native Zach Parise leads New Jersey in scoring with 22 goals and 29 assists for 51 points.

Former Breck standout Peter Mueller is the Phoenix Coyotes' fourth-leading scorer with 19 goals and 21 assists in 58 games. The forward has three goals and three assists in his past six games. Former Gophers defenseman Keith Ballard has four goals and 10 assists for the Coyotes this season.