Tag Archives: Spencer Tollackson

Missing Links

Posted on 18. Jun, 2008 by JF.

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Its summer, its Minnesota, regardless or the hail, the rain, the tornadoes, and inevitable mosquito induced mayhem, it is better to be outside than in front of a computer. Though I am barely able to muster enough anguish and regret, I do apologize for the lack of updates, though nothing newsworthy has really taken place.
To [...]

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Congratulations Seniors

Posted on 03. Jun, 2008 by JF.

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Congratulations to Minnesota’s four seniors, all of whom graduated recently. Just another sign that the program is going in the right direction.

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Seniors playing for pride in their last trip to Madison

Posted on 15. Feb, 2008 by JF.

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With their chance to go the NCAA tournament this year all but dashed, Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, and Lawrence McKenzie are in real danger of being known more for what they did not do than what they accomplished.
They did make it the NCAA tournament three years ago on a team actually led by seniors that [...]

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Gophers finally run away from the Hawkeyes

Posted on 11. Feb, 2008 by JF.

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So much for that freshman wall. Led by the speed and defense of Al Nolen and a small line-up, the Gophers blew open a close game to beat Iowa 63-50.
Nolen, who recently had been spending more time on the bench than on the court, energized Minnesota in the second half by playing his typical outstanding [...]

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Abu-Shamala and Tollackson dominate Northwestern

Posted on 07. Feb, 2008 by JF.

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Talk about drastic changes, I certainly didn’t expect that to be the headline.
Led by recently under-achieving players and a new starting line-up, Minnesota beat the Wildcats in energetic and high scoring fashion. If only anyone would have been able to see it. The Evanston, Illinois area was pounded by a blizzard throughout the game which [...]

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Gophers blown out by Badgers, but they don’t seem to care

Posted on 04. Feb, 2008 by JF.

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, from a Gopher fans perspective, all the words to describe Sunday’s embarrassing home loss would be negative. On a weekend that will go down in history in ways large and small because teams and individuals, against all odds, took it to their supposedly superior opponents, the Minnesota [...]

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Buckeyes blowout Gophers twice

Posted on 26. Jan, 2008 by JF.

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For 24 of the 40 minutes, Minnesota out played the Ohio State Buckeyes. They attacked the zone, found the open man, made easy shots, and forced the Buckeyes to live up to their turnover prone potential. Unfortunately, during the first and last eight minutes of the game, the Gophers caught Monsonitis so badly that 5th [...]

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Nolen-less Gophers look lost in loss to Spartans

Posted on 22. Jan, 2008 by JF.

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Al Nolen missed Sunday afternoon’s game against Michigan State, and the Gophers missed his steady ball handling, defense, and ability to distribute the ball particularly in the half court offense, as Minnesota lost 78-73.
At first glance, the final score could indicate that Sunday was another, albeit frustrating, sign that the Gophers barely missed another opportunity [...]

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Coaches have their work cut out for them as Gophers take on the Spartans

Posted on 20. Jan, 2008 by JF.

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Its a good things that Minnesota and Michigan State each have one of the elite coaches in the country, because both teams are in need of a pep talk. Tubby Smith will need to tell the Gophers to focus on how close they came to beating the two best teams they have faced this [...]

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Dan Coleman listened to Tubby, and in the process, found his own voice

Posted on 10. Jan, 2008 by JF.

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I don’t know what Hillary Clinton meant, but it was a good line, and Dan Coleman had a great game. Leading the Gophers to a 19 point win over Northwestern, Dan Coleman scored 19 points and collected 14 rebounds, and for at least one night, seemed to scratch the surface of what he can be [...]

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Spartans crash the boards and a chance for a Gopher upset

Posted on 07. Jan, 2008 by JF.

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Two days later and I am still shaking my head. After sitting in a bar/sandwich shop in the middle of a deserted University of Minnesota campus, watching the Gophers play Michigan State, I found myself forgetting that I was watching the same Gopher team that lost badly to UNLV just a week earlier. Could the [...]

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Post-finals Malaise beats Jet Lag in a Rout

Posted on 23. Dec, 2007 by JF.

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With the Gophers playing their first game after finals and Santa Clara playing another in a grueling string of road games, last nights poor shooting, occasionally sloppy, and rarely feisty game by both the Gophers and the Broncos was not unexpected. It was also a game ripe for an upset, but the exhaustion of Santa [...]

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The Other Bucky on the Block

Posted on 20. Dec, 2007 by JF.

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A long lay-off, holidays ahead, missing students, and finals finally being over could be the perfect recipe for a trap game when the Gophers take on Santa Clara on Saturday.
Santa Clara comes into the game with a 7-4 record in what has been a bit of an up and down season. In their most [...]

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Reality Check: Gophers Survive SDSU 78-72

Posted on 13. Dec, 2007 by JF.

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I had originally hoped to include several Watership Down references in this column. This novel of course tells the story of a dystopian rabbit society overcome by infighting and a totalitarian government. Note to all those with children or thinking of having children, even though rabbits are cute and the movie version of this is [...]

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Damian Johnson led Gophers win in near record breaker

Posted on 02. Dec, 2007 by JF.

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Bouncing back from a loss against Florida State in which the seniors failed to make a difference, Damian Johnson and the rest of the underclassman once again had to pick up the slack as the Gophers trounced lowly UC-Riverside. Giving up their second lowest point total ever, the Gophers won 75-38. In a season [...]

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Weaknesses exposed- Gophers look to rebound against UC-Riverside

Posted on 01. Dec, 2007 by JF.

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In 7th grade, I was the worst player on the worst team in a league full of very bad basketball teams. I doubt than even a D-III player eventually emerged from an of those Catholic school junior high teams that were happy to hit the rim with a lay up or the back board with [...]

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Seniors don’t show up as Gophers lose to FSU

Posted on 27. Nov, 2007 by JF.

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The Gophers knew they were going to need a nearly flawless game to beat Florida State, and the combination of bad fouls, bad shooting, and bad seniors were far from flawless. FSU won 75-61, and the ACC is on its way to winning another Big 10-ACC challenge.
For the first ten minutes of the game, both [...]

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An ugly win is still a win

Posted on 24. Nov, 2007 by JF.

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Tonight’s match-up against Central Michigan had the potential to be a trap game, and for the first 18 minutes, that potential was in danger of being realized. Eventually, Minnesota shrugged off its sluggishness long enough to win 77-59. The Gophers came out flat, stood still on offense, weren’t careful with the basketball, and forced Tubby [...]

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Tollackson, McKenzie help Gophers hold off Iowa State

Posted on 20. Nov, 2007 by JF.

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Last year the Gophers would have lost this game. At any point during the Dan Monson era, the Gopher’s could have lost this game. But it is a new year with a new coach and new toughness, and the Gophers are 2-0 already with a road win under their belts.
The final score, 68-58, was not [...]

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The “other” seven beat Army

Posted on 10. Nov, 2007 by JF.

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For the Gophers to win significantly more games this season, Lawrence McKenzie, Dan Coleman, and Spencer Tollackson will need to provide solid leadership, and against most opponents, score a combined 4o points. However, even in the offense starved Big 10, it is almost impossible to win a game scoring less than 50 points, as the [...]

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Al Nolen is just about perfect

Posted on 06. Nov, 2007 by JF.

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Next year’s Gopher recruiting class may be highly touted, but Al Nolen is showing that this year’s freshmen have impact potential as well. Despite a sluggish first half, the Gophers beat Southwest Minnesota State 88-52.
After last weeks solid floor game against Minnesota State, Nolen scored 24 points, didn’t miss a shot from the field [...]

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