Sports

By Charles Hallman  Staff Writer Tubby Smith last month became only the third Minnesota coach to lead the Gophers to the NIT championship game. The school is now 2-2 in such games played in New York City. The season  — nearly one-third of it, almost 80 days — was marred with injuries where Gopher players […]

By Charles Hallman  Staff Writer The Gopher women are a couple of weeks removed from their first-ever WBI championship. “There were only three teams that get to win their last game, and we were one of those,” notes Coach Pam Borton. It wasn’t the NCAAs or WNIT, but the little-known tourney gave Borton’s 10 returning […]

Jesus died for us, and Easter Sunday he rose again for our salvation. When you hold an event that’s important to you personally and schedule it on the holy weekend when families are together, it had better be for a great cause that benefits others. That’s what the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund (CFMF) is all […]

I get into the WNBA annual draft the same way I used to get into the NBA draft before it became nothing more than too many annually selected players long on potential but very short on stardom. The W draft prospects are four-year seniors, matured players. But like any draft, some will be busts — one […]

Here are more pictures of some outstanding players from one of the most exciting girls’ state basketball tournaments in recent history. [imagebrowser id=4] Photos by Mitchell Palmer McDonald

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The city of Sanford, Florida today is known as the place where 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed. But almost 70 years ago, the city unfortunately earned another dubious distinction: Jackie Robinson wasn’t allowed to play there. He was the only Black member of the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ AAA […]

If you listen to the same old pundits, analysts, announcers — self-appointed coaches’ headhunters — who excessively yak about job openings and who should get them, they mostly talk about non-Black candidates. College Basketball Insider’s Jeff Goodman recently listed only 14 Blacks among his list of 77 “potential candidates” for openings, but no Black coaches […]

It’s been a long time coming, but the Wildcats of Kentucky have quenched their thirst for a title. John Calipari in just his third year wins his first NCAA Championship 67-59 over the Kansas Jayhawks before 70,000 in New Orleans. Man, can Calipari recruit: Previously at Memphis he recruited NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who after […]

Here are some more pictures of some outstanding players from one of the best boys’ state basketball tournaments in recent history. Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.  

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team is all but set — 11 players now hold roster spots, including three Minnesota Lynx players: Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen. This is Augustus’ second Olympic selection — she was on the 2008 team — and the first for both Moore and […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Minnesota women’s basketball team accomplished something that the other 11 Big Ten teams failed to do — win its final game of the season. Minnesota’s first victory of the 2011-12 season came last November in the WBI (Women’s Basketball Invitational) Tip-off Classic. The squad’s season-ending win last Sunday was […]

There are only 25 Blacks listed on the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) list of state boys’ and girls’ basketball tournament head coaches. Louis Boone, who coached Washburn to the 1994 state boys’ title, is one of 17 Black coaches who have appeared in the 100-year history of state tourneys. Winning the tough-from-top-to-bottom Minneapolis […]

The 2012 state boys’ basketball tournament held at the Target Center last weekend will certainly be one to remember. There were two buzzer-beaters in the Class 3A and4A title games. City Conference teams from Minneapolis and St. Paul placed second and third respectively in Class 3A. A private school power in Minneapolis reemerged as 3A champs, […]

Three-time Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness will headline the Eighth Annual Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund Benefit on Friday, April 6, at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley. Minnesota’s own nationally renowned, multi-talented recording artists and 2012 NAACP Image Award winners are joining superstar NFL six-time All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. and the rest of the Fitzgerald […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer All last week, endless bracket stories were told ad nauseam. But not a Mavis Staples hoot about Richard Lapchick’s annual “Keeping Score When it Counts” report on NCAA men’s and women’s tournament teams. Lapchick, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), each year examines the Graduation […]

I remember a few years ago covering the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships at Hazeltine National in Chaska. Northwestern from the Big Ten had the No. 1-ranked player — his name was Luke Donald. Lo and behold, that same guy, Luke Donald, last year made golf history by winning the European money title, which is called […]

Hopkins, DeLaSalle and Maranatha Christian repeated as state champions at the girls’ basketball finals held at the Target Center last Saturday. Hopkins, led by SYNDEY COFFEY, NIA COFFEY, TAYLOR ANDERSON, TT STARKS, VIRA LIVINGSTON, GRACIA HUTSON and ERIN O’TOOLE, defeated Osseo 77-55 to capture its second consecutive Class 4A crown. Osseo got outstanding play from […]

Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Associate Director Lisa Lissimore and retired basketball official Jim Robinson continue their discussion from last week on city Black athletes who played in state high school basketball tournaments. Lissimore on Christine Durand (St. Paul Highland Park 1976-78): “She had a vertical jump that was out of this world. Christine […]

It occurs way too often that historians treat accomplishments by Blacks in illusionary ways. Marc Hugunin’ssix-page article in the Winter 2012 “Minnesota State High School League [MSHSL] Bulletin” commending 100 years of Minnesota high school basketball tournament includes what is barely a paragraph — 83 words — on the historical contributions of Blacks in both […]