U's Smith laments games that got away

Looking back on the Gophers men's basketball team's just-completed regular season, first-year coach Tubby Smith was not happy with the results, even though the team has won 18 games -- double what it won a year ago.

Smith said two of the weaknesses the team had this year were a lack of rebounding and poor post defense.

And he hopes those two weaknesses can be corrected with next year's recruiting class, regarded as a pretty good one that will give the Gophers some athleticism along the front line. Ralph Sampson III should help provide a shot-blocking presence the team lacked this season. This year's Gophers were really thin up front, in part because of the departures of 6-9 Bryce Webster after last season and 6-6 Brandon Smith before this season.

"So that bulk, and really, that frontcourt strength would have given us a little more rebounding power, a little more post defense," Tubby Smith said. "But the guys we have coming back will help us."

Even so, Smith looks back to several games this season where the Gophers led late in the game but couldn't hang on. He said the team had a chance to win 25 games.

He pointed to Saturday's 67-58 loss at Illinois as an example. "It's a three-point game [with less than four minutes remaining], they go back up by three, we change to zone defense," Smith recalled. "Trent Meacham, who didn't hit a three in the game before against Michigan State, we're doing a good job on him, so let's go zone. Everybody now follows, he's on the wing there, so make sure you cover him. First play down, we don't come out and contest, he makes the three and now it's a six-point game. ... Now you have to change your game plan, you get a little more anxious, you set a play, you don't capitalize on it, you don't convert.

"The same thing happened at Indiana [on Wednesday, a 69-55 loss]. ... We're up 47-46 [with 8:26 to play] and then they tie it up, we have a chance to take the lead again, but we miss [a free throw], now they come down and score, hit a three. And it's been that way here [at home] against Indiana, the same thing happened."

"We're leading, we're taking the lead late in the game and just needing offense, needing a guard that can kind of run the show," Smith said. "Al Nolen does a good job there and he's going to be excellent at it.

"Blake Hoffarber and Devoe Joseph coming will be on hand, but we may sign another guard. That may be the thing we need to do."

Possible candidates for that spot include Champaign (Ill.) Central guard Verdell Jones, whom Smith watched play Friday night, and Jorge Gutierrez, a prep school standout in Nevada.

O'Brien joins U Dan O'Brien, the athletic director at Hamline since 2002, will be named director of football relations at the University of Minnesota.

O'Brien is replacing Randy Taylor, who has moved to Los Angeles to work in NFL scouting. Taylor spent the past five years in scouting services and prior to that was director of football operations at UCLA from 1996 to 2003.

O'Brien, a 1987 St. Thomas alum and an All-MIAC defensive back for the Tommies, previously served as athletic director at Concordia (St. Paul) for four years, and he was instrumental in getting the Golden Bears to move up from NAIA to NCAA Division II. O'Brien originally joined Concordia as an assistant football coach in 1995, and he served as head coach in 1998 and 1999.

Gerald Green released While Kirk Snyder has seen a lot of minutes with the Timberwolves since coming over on a trade-deadline deal from Houston last month, Gerald Green, the player the Rockets received in exchange for Snyder, was released Saturday. The 6-6 Snyder, a restricted free agent after the season, has played more minutes in his short time with the Wolves than he had all season with the Rockets. On the release of Green, Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said, "Green is young, he will be a NBA player someday, but he need to get some experience playing elsewhere."

Jottings Now that Julius Jones has signed a four-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks worth a reported $3 million per season, it would appear that would lead to more carries for former Gophers standout Marion Barber III with the Dallas Cowboys, assuming Barber, a restricted free agent, remains with the team. On Feb. 28 the Cowboys placed a $2.56 million tender on Barber, meaning another team would have to give up a first- and third-round draft pick should Dallas not match an opponent's offer on him, the Dallas Morning News reported. The newspaper also said Barber and the Cowboys are working on a long-term contract. Though Jones started every game at running back this season, Barber had more carries, yards and rushing TDs (204 carries, 975 yards, 10 TDs) than Jones (164 carries, 588 yards, two TDs) and was named to his first Pro Bowl.

New Vikings safety Madieu Williams told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the chance to reunite with Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who coached Williams as a rookie in 2004, played a big part in his leaving the Bengals. Of course the Vikings were willing to play Williams $33 million, including $13 million guaranteed, something the Bengals would not do.

Defenseman Erik Johnson, who would have been a sophomore with the Gophers this season had he not elected to play in the NHL, is having a strong rookie season for the St. Louis Blues. Johnson ranks 11th among NHL rookies with four goals and 21 assists in 55 games. ... Defenseman Alex Goligoski, who played three seasons with the Gophers before turning pro this season, has two assists in three games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this year, and he has two assists, eight goals and 18 assists while putting up a plus-10 for their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. ... Center Phil Kessel, who would have been a junior had he stayed with the Gophers, has 16 goals and 16 assists in 69 games for the Boston Bruins.