Gopher Basketball
In his new book “œInspirations From The Bench” the former Gopher chronicles his path from hoops in the driveway to playing for Flip Saunders at Golden Valley Lutheran College to cutting down the nets after the 1982 Big Ten championship. Scott also details the Gophers 1982 championship season and offers never before heard stories and first hand tid-bits about the Gophers season and about the players who made it happen.
“œInspirations From The Bench” is a must read for any die-hard Gopher fan. Scott blends personal stories with life lessons in a fast and fun read that is a perfect gift for the Gopher fan on your holiday list.
GopherHole.com will be giving away three copies of this book to site donors. In addition, the book can be purchased at http://www.spiritnsport.com/, and Scott will also be signing copies of the book for purchase at Williams Arena this Saturday. GopherHole caught up with Scott to learn more about the book, his favorite memories as a Gopher and much more.
GH: Looking back to the 1982 season, did the team feel it had a chance to compete for the Big Ten title before the season?
KS: This was a team fresh off winning the NIT Championship, and also a senior class that had lived up to expectations from when they came to the “œU” as freshman, but had not exceeded those expectations. As I said in the introduction of the book, there was a true commitment and sense of determination from the moment of summer ball right through the entire season.
GH: When you played for Flip Saunders at Golden Valley GC, did you have any idea that he’d turn into the coach he is today?
KS: Coach Flip Saunders was an offensive and special situations genius from the moment I met him. He also, as I indicated in the book, created the match up zone which has become a big defense even in the pros today. Coach was always destined for greatness, but it still required a lot of hard work and things to fall his way to get to where he is today.
GH: What was the most memorable Gopher game you were a part of?
KS: Two games that I wrote about extensively in the book will forever be ingrained in my mind. First, the triple overtime game in Iowa, not only for the game itself but also for the death threat on Randy Bruer and my having to be his roommate for that game. The other game was winning the Big Ten Championship and the electricity that was in the air that day from the moment we arrived at Williams Arena. I knew there was no way we were going to be denied from winning that Big Ten Championship, both because of the great fan support but also the unbelievable determination we had to make sure we were the undisputed Champions of the Big Ten and to give this gift of a Championship to our fans and the wonderful state of Minnesota.
GH: You wrote about the sad death of teammate Mark Hall. Do you think he was the most talented college player on the team at the time?
KS: My time with Mark was limited due to his problems off the court. I came over to the University the summer of when he had those troubles. The stories as told by his teammates were legendary, but we had a number of talented athletes with different yet amazing qualities and the thing that put the whole thing over the top was hard work. In fact, one Saturday night at 10pm I had gone down to Williams Arena to get some shots up and found Trent Tucker had already beat me down there and was doing dribbling drills around chairs down the middle of the court and then shooting jumpers as he got to either end. This was at 10pm on a Saturday night!
GH: What did it mean to you to be a part of the Gopher program, and in particular a Big Ten title team?
KS: I had dreamed of being a part of the Gopher program from very young and in sixth grade I told my parish Priest that one day I would play for them and he just laughed and said it would never happen. I was bound and determined to make it happen and it did. The icing on the cake was to be a part of a storied run where we made history by winning the Big Ten Championship. In fact, we are the last Big Ten Championship banner hanging in Williams Arena and I would sure like to see Coach Smith and his team get an opportunity to do something special like that.
GH: What former coaches and players do you still keep in touch with?
KS: Zeb Howell and myself became good friends from the moment when we met and remain good friends today. I also keep up with Trent Tucker, Gary Holmes and Randy Bruer and have a couple of the assistant coaches on my Spirit & Sport video (www.spiritnsport.com) as I stay in contact with them. I did see Coach Dutcher in the last few weeks when we came together again, this time in more difficult circumstances, for the funeral for his wonderful wife, Marilyn.
GH: A few years back, the team had a reunion weekend at The Barn. How was it getting back together with everyone and sharing stories of that great season?
KS: The 25th Anniversary of our winning the Big Ten Championship was held over a weekend and we had an unbelievable time. Laughter, stories, and great fun remembering what happened on our march to the Championship made this so special.
GH: What was the impetus for writing “œInspirations From The Bench?
KS: The impetus for writing “œInspirations From The Bench” was two-fold. First, I hadn’t seen anything written that captured the hard work and excitement, the behind the scenes stories and great joy of winning a Big Ten Championship. Second, I have a drive coupled with a vision of a facility that will benefit youth and seniors. The book is a vehicle that will help to reach people to share the wonderful past of that glorious season while also hopefully inspiring people to rally around this effort to bring Spirit & Sport to fruition.
GH: How long did it take you to write the book and how did you enjoy the process?
KS: The book was stored up inside of me for quite some time, so it was an easy process to put it into writing and only took about six months to do that. The process of editing can be frustrating because I didn’t want to lose the flavor of what I was writing about, but between my daughter Jennifer, my sister-in-law Susie, and the great help of reading from cover to cover by my cousin’s wife Cheryl, we got through the process in very good fashion.
GH: Where can Gopher fans buy a copy of the book?
KS: The website www.spiritnsport.com is a fast and easy way to get the book and look at the video on there besides. If you are looking to pick it up, the Borders bookstores have them as does St. Patrick’s Guild in St. Paul, St. Georges in Ham Lake, and St. Maximillian’s in Elk River. We have been told there will be 2-4 games I can sell the book at Williams Arena but those dates aren’t set yet. We are adding additional places and the website is a great place to check for updates on this.
GH: Have any of the players or coaches from the 82 team read the book? If so, what is their feedback?
KS: The feedback from coaches and teammates has been very positive, and they have also supported the whole of what Spirit & Sport is trying to accomplish which I greatly appreciate.
GH: What is the goal of the Spirit & Sport organization?
KS: The goal of the Spirit & Sport organization is to train athletes, develop character in the youth, and give back to seniors through time spent with them and helping them find the services they need to live out full and productive lives. This ties in with NCAA and NBA stated goals for youth while also giving it an additional level of involvement and help to seniors. This is an idea that works as proven on a local level, with a financial and business plan that makes it ready for a much bigger stage, and a passion to help youth and seniors knowing the amazing good it can do for the community and nation.
GH: What local coaches and athletes have been involved in Spirit & Sport activities?
KS: Local coaches from area high schools have seen the work and even had their own kids involved in the training. Also, local athletes at both the grade school and high level have engaged the program to develop skills and give back to seniors. As a trainer, it has been outstanding the amount of skill development that has taken place and I know some of these athletes are going to jump onto the radar screen for fans and others to be thrilled at their development and achievements.