Wolves' new center will miss training camp after freak elbow injury

New Timberwolves center Jason Collins probably will miss training camp and the regular season's opening week after undergoing surgery in California on Monday to repair an elbow tendon.

Collins was injured in what a team spokesman called a "freak" golf-cart accident. He partially ruptured his triceps tendon after his golf cart skidded and tipped over.

He is expected to miss eight weeks, which would return him to practice the first week of November. The Wolves open the season at home on Oct. 29 against Sacramento.

Collins, an eight-year NBA veteran, was acquired from Memphis in June's draft-night deal that sent O.J. Mayo to the Grizzlies for Kevin Love in an eight-player trade. He averaged 1.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 15.8 minutes in 74 games for Memphis and New Jersey last season.

Love, the fifth player chosen in the June draft, is the cover boy on this season's EA Sports' College Basketball '09 video game. He credits the UCLA mystique and his team's run to last season's Final Four for what he calls a "late birthday present." Love, who turned 20 on Sunday, was chosen instead of Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Mayo and college teammate Russell Westbrook, the draft's first four picks.

"If you saw the cover, you would know that's not why," Love said when asked if he was selected because of his handsome mug.

JERRY ZGODA

The 12-team field, the only home meet on the Gophers' schedule, includes eight teams that participated in the NCAA regionals last spring. Two of those teams -- Washington and Texas -- advanced to the NCAA meet.

U volleyball team in tourney The Gophers (5-1) will be the host team for the Diet Coke Classic this weekend, a three-day, four-team round robin with three nationally ranked teams. Minnesota, No. 11 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association latest poll, will play California (5-0) at 7:30 tonight in its home opener at the Sports Pavilion.

The Bears beat Minnesota 30-16, 30-21, 30-19 a year ago in their tournament in Berkeley, Calif.

The Gophers will face No. 16 Cal Poly (4-2) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and unranked Notre Dame (3-3) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Etc. • Seniors Gigi Marvin and Melanie Gagnon have been named co-captains of the Gophers women's hockey team for the 2008-09 season.

• Mike Snee has been named the executive director of Minnesota Hockey, the state's governing body for 55,000 youth hockey players.