Youth once again served, this time by Minnesota Timberwolves

May 21, 2019 at 1:07AM
FILE - In this March 9, 21019, file photo, Minnesota Timberwolves interim head coach Ryan Saunders directs his players against the Washington Wizards in an NBA basketball game in Minneapolis. A person with knowledge of the process tells The Associated Press the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ryan Saunders are finalizing a contract to make the 33-year-old their permanent head coach. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday, May 20, 2019, because the Timberwolves had yet to announce
Minnesota’s young guns, clockwise from top left: Ryan Saunders, Rocco Baldelli, Lindsay Whalen, Richard Pitino, Derek Falvey and P.J. Fleck. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

It's probably time to create a keyboard shortcut — Ctrl+Shift+M, something to the effect of "one of the youngest coaches/executives in the game today" — to insert into stories about Twin Cities sports leaders.

It would save time, and the applications are endless.

Rocco Baldelli, P.J. Fleck, Richard Pitino, Lindsay Whalen, Derek Falvey … and now Ryan Saunders. All of them in their 30s, all among the youngest (or the very youngest) in their professions. Heck, even 40-year-old new Wolves executive Gersson Rosas is young by most measures.

Sure, Saunders isn't quite brand new to this list. He took over as the interim head coach of the Timberwolves in January after Tom Thibodeau was fired.

But even though it was widely expected that Saunders would get the permanent job — even when Rosas interviewed external candidates last week — news Monday that Saunders has indeed shed the interim label is noteworthy.

Saunders is the youngest head coach in the NBA; Baldelli is the youngest manager in MLB; Fleck was the youngest Power Five coach in college football when he was hired; Pitino is still one of the youngest coaches in major D-I men's hoops, as is Whalen on the women's side; Falvey was the second-youngest executive in charge of an MLB team when hired in 2016.

What's just as interesting is the list of adjectives describing each person could also be a keyboard shortcut.

When talking about executives, the keywords are "analytics" and "works to integrate all facets of operations from both a business and sports standpoint." When talking about coaches, the buzzwords are "able to relate to younger players" and "adept at conveying key points of analytics to help players achieve results."

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No silos here. Just collaboration.

Saunders checks both of those coaching boxes. Whether you're cynical or not about whether Saunders was going to be hired all along — and whether he might be Rosas' first choice if given the widest possible wide open search — he does appear to be a good fit based on his analytics-based approach and relationships with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Results-wise, it's hard to argue too much with what the youth movement has produced in Twin Cities sports so far.

The Twins are clicking with the Falvey/Baldelli approach. It's reasonable to say all three Gophers programs are in good hands and are primed for the postseason next year.

The Wolves aren't exactly at rock bottom, but they are at a different stage of building than many of the other teams helmed by youngsters in this market.

He'll have a chance to see this through, though, from if not the ground floor then at least a low floor. Towns broke out offensively after Saunders took for Thibodeau, while Wiggins had an uptick in some important areas such as rebounding.

But Saunders, who turned 33 in April, might be on the back half of his mid-30s before this thing has a chance to get significantly better.

Who knows how many more young coaches and executives we'll have in this market at that point.


Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli (5) ians on Opening Day Thursday, March 28, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Rocco Baldelli (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck walks on the sidelines during the Quick Lane Bowl NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018, in Detroit. Minnesota won 34-10. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) ORG XMIT: MERff1490fe748e99101bd743033cf8e
P.J. Fleck (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino directs his team during a first round men's college basketball game against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Richard Pitino (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minnesota Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen shouts instructions to her players in the first quarter against Penn State on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. (Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS) ORG XMIT: 1269585 ORG XMIT: MIN1902171705301450
Lindsay Whalen (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey, right, will remain in Minnesota alongside Senior Vice President and General Manager Thad Levine
Derek Falvey (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune

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