University of Minnesota sports are coming back! The athletic department announced Friday, that student athletes will be returning to campus in waves. Those waves kicked off today, when Gopher football players started arriving on campus to begin COVID testing measures (see below). This is a major first step in returning to some form of normal.

Any Student-athlete that returns to campus will do so voluntarily. Scholarships will be honored, if someone chooses not return for fall semester.

After the football team, men’s and women’s basketball will be summoned, eventually followed by soccer and volleyball. Additional athletes will return to campus in the weeks that follow the sports listed above..

“The health and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches and staff will always be our top priority. Our staff has spent the past several weeks preparing for our student-athletes to return to campus and has worked diligently to provide them with the safest environment possible. Our decision to bring students back to campus is supported by medical experts and leadership at the NCAA, Big Ten and on campus. With regard to testing for COVID-19, we have worked with numerous medical professionals and infectious disease specialists to ensure we are using the most current information and testing procedures.”

University of Minnesota Athletic Director, Mark Coyle

TESTING MEASURES

The Big Ten “highly recommends” COVID-19 testing for student-athletes, as they return. First though, athletes will complete a symptom and exposure questionnaire. There will also be daily temperature and symptom checks.

Athletes that test positive will self-isolate, while still receiving access to necessary resources. They won’t return to their teams until meeting specific criteria. Those who have positive antibody tests, will take their pre-participation physicals or annual health appraisal, but will require more testing before being cleared to resume athletic activities.

This announcement comes a week after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “relaxed” restrictions on businesses including bars, restaurants, places of worship, and entertainment venues.

The announcement does not mention anything related to fan attendance. However, I expect some form of in-person fan presence by football season.

POTENTIAL ISSUES

The announcement does not mention what will occur if multiple student athletes start testing positive. This became an issue at the University of Houston, who had to suspend voluntary workouts today, after six athletes tested positive for COVID-19. Minnesota would likely go this route too, if something like that happened here.

Let’s just have Goldy come in and truck coronavirus like he does those kids at halftime. Ski-U-Mah!

via GIPHY

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan

The University of Minnesota’s decision to appoint Lindsay Whalen as the HC of the Gopher’s Women’s basketball team was a proverbial slam dunk. As soon as she was mentioned as a candidate, it was evident that if you build it hire her, ‘they’ will come.

In this particular circumstance, the word ‘they’ is referring to top-tier recruits. Not whoever the hell DJ Khaled is talking about.

Less than one month into her coaching tenure, the 4x WNBA champions’ impact on “Gophers recruiting is already being felt.”

Lindsay Whalen has nabbed an in-state commit.

Scalia is a 2019 guard who averaged 26.5 PPG for Stillwater this season https://t.co/E2nhMJjqWs

— jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) May 7, 2018

On Sunday, Sara Scalia’s Maroon and Gold commitment was the first of the Whalen era. Just three days later, the rookie coach quickly doubled down on her personal recruiting total:

The @GopherWBB family just got bigger! Welcome to the fam @mercedesstaples!! 〽 pic.twitter.com/Jy6DMCQg5u

— Lindsay Whalen (@Lindsay_13) May 9, 2018

Mercedes Staples played her high school basketball at Viewmont High School in Utah. The four star guard is currently the 64th ranked player in the class of 2018. As for why the 22 point per game scorer decided to take her talents to Minnesota, it wasn’t because of the weather:

Obviously, without Whalen at the helm, the highly coveted recruit (95 overall grade) wouldn’t be a future Gopher.

Unlike Staples, the earlier mentioned Sara Scalia’s college relocation won’t involve crossing any state lines. As stated in her announcement to attend Minnesota, the Stillwater product is “STAYING HOME!!”:

Thus far, Whalen’s ability to juggle her immense amount of coaching and Lynx related responsibilities has been more than impressive.

Minnesota’s Queen of Basketball’s day-to-day must be an absolute grind factory. However unimaginably jam-packed her schedule may be, all of that hard work appears to be paying off.

Lindsay Whalen’s recruiting pitch be like pic.twitter.com/M0INLi8YRn

— Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN) May 10, 2018

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)

MinnesotaSportsFan.com

The reactions surrounding Thursday’s reports that Lindsay Whalen will be the new head  coach for our Gophers Women’s Basketball Team were overwhelmingly positive. For the man who made the official announcement, Mark Coyle, hiring Minnesota’s Queen of Basketball was far from a brain teaser. It’s like the U of M Athletic Director was in need of a lumberjack, and Paul Bunyan was on the market.

If Lindsay Whalen wants to be the next U of M Women’s ? Coach, you give her the job. #SkiUMah #Gophers

?: @TheJohnnyMN https://t.co/AkCfMrje9A

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 10, 2018

Basically, all Coyle (and our article) did was what was expected of him (us). While the role of not screwing this up was successfully completed, when it’s all said and done, it takes two to tango.

Thankfully, Whalen has been waiting for this proverbial dance:

Lindsay’s hiring comes in the aftermath of former coach Marlene Stollings’ departure for Texas Tech. Here are the financial details behind Lindsay Coach Whalen’s new gig:

• $400,000 (2018-19 season)
• $457,500 (2019-20 season)
• $496,500 (2020-21 season)
• $521,325 (2021-22 season)
• $547,391 (2022-23 season)

The current Lynx star got a five-year deal that averages out to $484,543 (and twenty cents) annually. For comparison purposes, prior to leaving, Strollings had three years left on her $500,000 annual contract. As a result, the U of M is saving almost $15,500 a year with this move. That’s nice, right?

That’s right! That is nice. Although, when you peel back the curtain, the actual financial benefit of bringing in Whalen laughs at the idea of SAVING money on the switch.

via GIPHY

While her predecessor was under agreement until the 2020-21 season, the terms of Whalen’s deal go all the way through the 2022-23 campaign. As a result of those two additional years, annual comparison amounts are skewed.

To (properly) zero in on only the next three years, the Whalen deal totals almost $150,000 less than what Stollings’ now-voided contract would have come to. Speaking of what’s her face, check this out:

I understand everything is bigger in Texas, but damn. 

The way I see it, hiring Whalen while saving money, directly contradicts Business 101. The proverbial Paul Bunyan has agreed to come on board at a payroll reducing rate. Amazing. Fortunately for us, this contradiction is a blessing.

Oh, you need proof:

#Gophers AD Mark Coyle said 600 percent jump in season ticket sales from this point last year. There were 178 season tickets sold in 23 hours after Whalen was announced as head coach. @GopherWBB sold 1,138 season tickets last year. Might double that at this rate pic.twitter.com/hqmKI9XBuZ

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) April 13, 2018

I can’t even begin to imagine that dollars and cents attached to that influx. And, it’s just the beginning

When it comes to the former Gopher player’s ability to recruit fans, those results speak for themselves. As for gathering top-tier recruits, you can expect similar results:

“Wow”

That was Geno Auriemma’s response earlier this week to the #Gophers idea of hiring Lindsay Whalen:

MORE: https://t.co/QdndlHzhk9
from @BloodStrib pic.twitter.com/fN3kiRvyLw

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) April 13, 2018

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Unlike their male counterparts, the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team had, what can be considered, a successful 2017-18 season. Last month’s upset victory over Green Bay (Nice), marked the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2009.

On top of tasting some March Madness success, the Maroon and Gold are set to return three starters for next year’s campaign. When you consider all of the positivity surrounding the women’s hoops squad, Monday’s news seemed to come out of left field:

Marlene Stollings leaving #Gophers basketball for Texas Tech.

STORY: https://t.co/unYDen0QPS
from @Marcus_R_Fuller pic.twitter.com/UfgbMGwEw3

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) April 9, 2018

Okay, okay. Do your thing, Marlene. Or should I say, Tubby?

While Tubby Smith’s departure was to prevent his inevitable shit-canning, that doesn’t seem to match the motivation behind Stollings’ relocation to Texas. Back in August 2015, even before the earlier mentioned success and seemingly bright future, her contract was extended through 2020-21. I know that doesn’t handcuff a University’s from moving in a new direction, but you’d assume the U of M was more than happy to pay her annual $500K salary.

Whatever the reasoning may be, it is what it is. This (despite what the NCAA wants you to think) is business. After four years as the HC of Gophers women’s b-ball, Marlene Stollings is onto the next one.

Speaking of onto the next one, we are probably going to want to hire a replacement. That makes sense, right?

In regards to women’s basketball in the State of Minnesota, Lindsay Whalen is the Queen (Beyoncé who?). While that’s the first name that jumped into my head to replace Stollings, the logical part of my brain got pissed. That’s a pipe dream, right? Surprisingly enough, maybe not:

Note: Whalen “has given no public indication that she won’t play in the upcoming WNBA season.“

Along with her Gopher and Lynx legend, Marcus Fuller’s StarTribune article mentions Aaron Johnston (South Dakota State HC), Niele Ivey (Notre Dame Asst.), and Nikki Lowry-Dawkins (Gophers Asst.) as other names to watch. With all due respect to those individuals, if I’m Mark Coyle, this shit is simple.

As long as there is a possibility that Lindsay Marie Whalen may become Minnesota’s next women’s basketball coach, this job stays open. The position is available at her convenience. What the Hutchinson native lacks in coaching experience, she more than makes up for with her basketball experience. Even if she can’t coach a lick (I’m sure she can), the recruiting implications alone would be positive.

I know my advocating for Whalen to call the playing part of her career quits may sting some Lynx fans. However, the 4x champs will be just fine. Cheryl Reeve is rock-solid. You’d also assume that Reeve would be a rock-solid mentor:

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com