The University of
Minnesota Twin Cities is well known for its academic and athletic
accomplishments. Originally built in 1851, the University of Minnesota Twin
Cities campus is the oldest and largest campus in the University’s school
system. The University is home to the Golden Gophers. The team moniker was
adopted early on when Minnesota was nicknamed
the “Gopher State” in 1857. The “Golden” adjective was later added when Legendary
KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined the term “Golden Gophers” when
referring to the gold pants and jerseys of the Minnesota team. The term stuck and the
University amended their formal moniker to the Golden Gophers even though the
teams’ colors include maroon, white and gold.
The Golden Gopher Mens
Basketball team is a member of the Big Ten Conference in the NCAA and calls
Williams Arena their home court. Williams Arena is located on the East Bank of
the Minneapolis
campus and is nicknamed “The Barn” thanks to its barrel-vaulted roof and VIP
loft style seating. Williams Arena can seat 14,000 fans and is often packed
full of University
of Minnesota hoops fans.
The
Minnesota Golden Gopher Mens Basketball team has experienced up and down
success throughout its history. The team has won the National Invitation Tournament
twice, in 1993 and 1998, but has yet to win the coveted NCAA Championship. The
team came closest to that title in 1997 when it made it to the prestigious
Final Four of the tournament. Sadly, the honor of being in the elite of college
basketball was not fully enjoyed due to the academic fraud that engulfed the
mens basketball team in the years to come. Clem Haskins, once thought to be one
of the greatest basketball coaches the university ever had, came under great
scrutiny for the means he used to keep the basketball players academically
eligible. Haskins was accused of having
a tutor write papers for the players to insure their grades did not fall below
the NCAA requirements. The University
of Minnesota received
much shame from the mens basketball academic scandal. The NCAA spanked the University with four years probation and the loss of five scholarships
over three years. The Big Ten stripped the University of the conference title that
it had won that year.
On the
upside, the University
of Minnesota Mens Golden Gopher
basketball program has produced many superstar players including NBA stars like
Lou Hudson, Mark Olberding, Kevin McHale, Flip Saunders, Bobby Jackson, Voshon
Leonard, Quincy Lewis, Randy Breuer and Joel Pryzbilla.
Randy
Breuer was a 7’3” Center who was born and raised in Minnesota.
He played for the University
of Minnesota Golden Gophers
team in the 80’s and was drafted in the first round of the 1983 NBA draft. He was
an excellent player and a definite home town favorite.
Kevin McHale
played for the Minnesota Gophers from 1976 through 1980. He averaged 15.2
points and 8.5 rebounds per game, second in the schools record books. McHale
was also awarded the top overall player in the University of Minnesota’s
history. He went on to play for the Boston Celtics for 13 seasons and is a
member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Kevin McHale returned to Minnesota as the Vice President
of Operations for the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves.
Coaching
legend, Flip Saunders played at the University
of Minnesota before
beginning his illustrious coaching career. Together with McHale, Flip led the Golden
Gophers to a school-best 24-3 record. Flip went on to coach at several colleges
including the University
of Minnesota and also
coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for ten years in the NBA. He guided the
Timberwolves to their first-ever playoff berth in the 1996-97 season, his first
full season as an NBA head coach, and to a franchise-record 50 victories in
1999-2000 which was duplicated in 2001-2002.
The University of Minnesota Mens Golden Gopher basketball
team is moving forward and doing things the right way. Current coach Dan Monson
is working toward improving the talent level and keeping the team in the hunt
for the Big Ten title and placing his team in the NCAA Tournament.
The
University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a large school in a huge basketball market,
so Golden Gophers Basketball tickets are a great commodity. Fans are constantly
clamoring for the chance to see a fast-paced game at Williams Arena and the
Gophers Mens Basketball program has what it takes to put on a fabulous show!
The Big 10 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers mens basketball team had a rollercoaster season. Ending the season at below .500 was a definite disappointment. The Gophers had a difficult time winning games on the road despite playing with great passion and energy. The Gopher mens home record was fairly solid and fans who traveled to Williams Arena were rarely disappointed. The biggest games of the year are always the Big Ten border battles when the Gophers take on the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. The Golden Gophers Mens basketball team needs to work out its coaching trouble and hire some fresh blood to lead the team to more victories next year. If the University of Minnesota can recruit a big name leader, the Gopher Mens Basketball team will surely fill the “Barn” for many more seasons to come.
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