University of Minnesota Athletics
Goldy's Mailbag - March 10, 2011
3/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Welcome to this week's Goldy's Mailbag. This is your chance to get your questions answered about anything and everything related to Golden Gopher Athletics! Submit your question for next week's Mailbag!
I have been pleasantly surprised with the start for Gopher softball? What's behind the success? - Renee, Minneapolis, Minn.
Good question! With a new coaching staff and coming off a 16-37 season, I would venture to say most fans had tempered expectations entering the 2011 season. Minnesota got off to a 0-4 start at its season-opening tournament in New Mexico, but since then, has had a pretty remarkable stretch.
Minnesota has gone 11-4 in its last 15 games with one of those losses coming against fourth-ranked Arizona in Tucson last weekend.
I tracked down head coach Jessica Allister this week. She credits the chemistry on this team and how the players have bought in to what the coaching staff has wanted to accomplish. All the time spent on the road has also helped bring the team together.
Minnesota has been bolstered by the play of senior Malisa Barnes in the field. She's batting .466 with three home runs and 13 RBI. In the circle, it's been newcomer Sara Moulton leading the way. She's already 10-4 with 109 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched.
The softball team is certainly one to keep an eye as we inch closer to spring. Minnesota hits the road for the next week and a half for its spring break trip. The Golden Gophers open Big Ten play at Indiana on March 26, before opening its home schedule against Ohio State, April 2-3.
I was surprised to see that Mariucci Arena has hosted high school basketball games before? Are they doing it again this year? What's the process? - Joe, St. Francis, Minn.
It's always a shock to walk into the home of Gopher hockey and see a soccer game going on or as you mentioned, the state high school basketball tournament. Mariucci Arena won't host the basketball tournament this year, but has plenty of other events coming up that would be a lot of fun to see on ice.
Some of those events include the Minnesota North Star Regional robotics championship, several University of Minnesota graduation ceremonies, five to six high school graduations and a visit by the Dalai Lama on Mother's Day.
As for the process, according to facility manager Craig Flor, it takes about two days to remove the ice. The compressors are turned off, the ice melts and the water is removed via the drain by the Zamboni entrance. It then takes another day to set up for the event, with tasks such as removing the glass, installing turf or adding floor seating.
On average, how many walk-ons do you take for men's basketball? - Kierre, Illinois
I caught up with Joe Esposito, the Director of Basketball Operations, before the team headed to Indianapolis. This year, the Golden Gopher basketball team has two walk-ons, Dominique Dawson and Chris Halvorsen.
It varies how walk-ons are added to the roster. Some are referred to the coaching staff, some have contacted the basketball staff on their own and some are discovered via open tryouts conducted during the fall.
Recently, the Golden Gophers have had success with walk-ons, most notably, Dusty Rychart. He joined the U after an outstanding prep career at Grand Rapids. He finished his career with averages of 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He's ranked 17th all-time on Minnesota's career scoring list. Dusty is still playing professionally overseas.
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