FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[SagatagSam]

The tiles were shiny
They reflected my buffed hinie
I said, "We're kicking a$$, ar'n' we?"
As the police towed my Ferrari

Maybe they could get Nicki Minaj to perform that one.

[DuffMan]

That was some unreal fishing opener weather this weekend!  I don't normally even fish on the opener, but it was so nice that we headed out to our cabin.  Fishing was nothing to write home about, but I got a few pike to pickle and even caught an accidental walleye off the dock.  Unfortunately, the real opener (bass) isn't till May 26, but the bass were relentless!

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Congrats to SJU on winning the MIAC baseball playoffs for the first time ever. Their reward: a trip to McMinnville and the #6 seed in the (very very tough) West Region.

UST, #2 in the nation, is top seed in the Midwest Region, to be played at UW-W.

Good luck to both teams!

http://www.d3baseball.com/notables/2012/05/playoff-field

[Johnnie Red]

Duffman, I went over to Waconia Friday afternoon for the fishing opener event with the governor. Nice program and I got to meet Governor Dayton again and also Frank Vascellaro from WCCO.

I'm sure it will be exciting for the Johnnie baseball team to head out to McMinnville this week for the regional hosted by Linfield. I suppose the Tommies should keep their fingers crossed that they don't have to play UW Whitewater. Could be a repeat of the football game from last fall.

[DoubleO]

Apologies for not remembering who exactly it was with, but in the fall I had some back and forth with a John backer about a Loyola Academy (suburban Chicago) attending UST and UST's recruiting efforts in the CCL & ESCC. Out of respect for his privacy, at the time I was not interested in referencing specifically who I was referring to, but now that it is official...it was Dowdle. I've seen him make a number of outstanding plays on the field over the past couple of seasons and I know he is a great fit for the Tommie program. Well done Tom staff (you're getting a gem) and best of luck, Charlie!

[Retired Old Rat]

Duffman, I went over to Waconia Friday afternoon for the fishing opener event with the governor. Nice program and I got to meet Governor Dayton again and also Frank Vascellaro from WCCO.

I'm sure it will be exciting for the Johnnie baseball team to head out to McMinnville this week for the regional hosted by Linfield. I suppose the Tommies should keep their fingers crossed that they don't have to play UW Whitewater. Could be a repeat of the football game from last fall.

Wasn't it UWW who also took the Tommie out in basketball this year?

[AO]

Duffman, I went over to Waconia Friday afternoon for the fishing opener event with the governor. Nice program and I got to meet Governor Dayton again and also Frank Vascellaro from WCCO.

I'm sure it will be exciting for the Johnnie baseball team to head out to McMinnville this week for the regional hosted by Linfield. I suppose the Tommies should keep their fingers crossed that they don't have to play UW Whitewater. Could be a repeat of the football game from last fall.

Wasn't it UWW who also took the Tommie out in basketball this year?

To be fair, UWW also took out everybody else in football and basketball.  It's also worth mentioning that they split a pair of games in the dome back in March.

Have the Johnnies ever made a trip to Canada enabling them to have a spring game?

[Tom Thumb]

The kid from San Francisco St. Ignatius who is going to Tommieland is a pretty good player - made first team all city.  (I will note, however, that SI lost to Marin Catholic, where #13 went to school - a bragging point among my two kids since the older one attended SI.)  It's impressive to me the way that Caruso seems to be cherry picking kids from other states.  SJU could do the same thing, but so far as I know they don't even try.  The out-of-state kids who end up at SJU seem to be legacies or have some other prior connection with the school; only one or two, like us, just fall into their lap.  I know an SJU alum who is coaching in Colorado and had some good players he thought would be good fits for SJU.  He tried to get the coaching staff to reach out to them but nothing happened.  This needs to change.

tmerton,
Do you know anything about Jack Gilliland from Grace Brethren HS?  The team only has 22 players on it, but somehow St. Thomas recruited this kid.  I'm just curious about who he is and if you know how Caruso recruited him.  According to one web site (http://www.impactprospects.com/northroster.htm) he was being recruited by Cal Poly, Cal State Sacramento, Cal Davis, Northern Arizona, and St. Thomas.

[Tom Thumb]

Did anyone attend the St. Thomas spring ball game?  Also, does anyone know who St. Thomas will play in Winnipeg? 

From this article, it looks like Matt O'Connell will be playing QB in the fall.  He should be fun to watch:
http://www.tommiemedia.com/sports/football-team-prepares-for-saturdays-spring-game/

Ch. 9 KMSP-TV video story on Tommie Football
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18369602/st-thomas-spring-game-warm-up-for-3-peat-effort-in-2012

[Mr.MIAC]

Ch. 9 KMSP-TV video story on Tommie Football
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18369602/st-thomas-spring-game-warm-up-for-3-peat-effort-in-2012

It's a long way until start of season, but this story really got me in the mood for UST football.  Has anyone heard about any additional DI transfers not listed on the freshman roster?

[tmerton]

tmerton,
Do you know anything about Jack Gilliland from Grace Brethren HS?  The team only has 22 players on it, but somehow St. Thomas recruited this kid.  I'm just curious about who he is and if you know how Caruso recruited him.  According to one web site (http://www.impactprospects.com/northroster.htm) he was being recruited by Cal Poly, Cal State Sacramento, Cal Davis, Northern Arizona, and St. Thomas.

Sorry, had not heard of Mr. Gilliland or the school before, but I've been in back up in N. Cal for almost 20 years and it's a new school down in "the valley" area NW of Los Angeles.  Could be a fine player if those D-1AA teams were recruiting him.

[SJUrube]

Congrats to SJU on winning the MIAC baseball playoffs for the first time ever. Their reward: a trip to McMinnville and the #6 seed in the (very very tough) West Region.

http://www.d3baseball.com/notables/2012/05/playoff-field

Had the baseball team not won the MIAC playoff title SJU would have been shut out from having an MIAC title for the first time since the 1990-91 academic year. Not surprisingly football, and for the last decade, golf have lead the charge in ensuring the Johnnies had at least one MIAC title a year.

I'm hoping the baseball team can find similar success to what the football team had in Linfield back in 2002.

[faunch]

The kid from San Francisco St. Ignatius who is going to Tommieland is a pretty good player - made first team all city.  (I will note, however, that SI lost to Marin Catholic, where #13 went to school - a bragging point among my two kids since the older one attended SI.)  It's impressive to me the way that Caruso seems to be cherry picking kids from other states.  SJU could do the same thing, but so far as I know they don't even try.  The out-of-state kids who end up at SJU seem to be legacies or have some other prior connection with the school; only one or two, like us, just fall into their lap.  I know an SJU alum who is coaching in Colorado and had some good players he thought would be good fits for SJU.  He tried to get the coaching staff to reach out to them but nothing happened.  This needs to change.

tmerton,
Do you know anything about Jack Gilliland from Grace Brethren HS?  The team only has 22 players on it, but somehow St. Thomas recruited this kid.  I'm just curious about who he is and if you know how Caruso recruited him.  According to one web site (http://www.impactprospects.com/northroster.htm) he was being recruited by Cal Poly, Cal State Sacramento, Cal Davis, Northern Arizona, and St. Thomas.

This level of recruiting only reaffirms my belief that that Coach Caruso has his sights set on pastures greater than the MIAC.  There is no point in developing this level of recruiting system unless you have the goal of coaching at a higher level.   I may be proven wrong but IMHO he's hoping to parlay his UST success into something bigger.

[Tom Thumb]

The kid from San Francisco St. Ignatius who is going to Tommieland is a pretty good player - made first team all city.  (I will note, however, that SI lost to Marin Catholic, where #13 went to school - a bragging point among my two kids since the older one attended SI.)  It's impressive to me the way that Caruso seems to be cherry picking kids from other states.  SJU could do the same thing, but so far as I know they don't even try.  The out-of-state kids who end up at SJU seem to be legacies or have some other prior connection with the school; only one or two, like us, just fall into their lap.  I know an SJU alum who is coaching in Colorado and had some good players he thought would be good fits for SJU.  He tried to get the coaching staff to reach out to them but nothing happened.  This needs to change.

tmerton,
Do you know anything about Jack Gilliland from Grace Brethren HS?  The team only has 22 players on it, but somehow St. Thomas recruited this kid.  I'm just curious about who he is and if you know how Caruso recruited him.  According to one web site (http://www.impactprospects.com/northroster.htm) he was being recruited by Cal Poly, Cal State Sacramento, Cal Davis, Northern Arizona, and St. Thomas.

This level of recruiting only reaffirms my belief that that Coach Caruso has his sights set on pastures greater than the MIAC.  There is no point in developing this level of recruiting system unless you have the goal of coaching at a higher level.   I may be proven wrong but IMHO he's hoping to parlay his UST success into something bigger.

I too have heard all of the rumors that Caruso may be looking to move beyond the MIAC to pursue better opportunities either at a DI school or in the NFL.  Why this may seem plausible, I am not totally sold on this notion and believe that much of it is wishful thinking on behalf of some my SJU friends and a few of their coaches I maintain contact with. First, I am not sure where these rumors came from. Caruso is a very discipline man. He would not let up and tell anyone that his intent is to use UST to pursue a career somewhere else. Caruso has been able to convince several outstanding young men to come play football at UST. I know a liar when I see one and I am sure the recruits hammer him with that question and want to know if he's going to be around for the long haul.  Every time I speak to Caruso he looks like a man on a mission and I think players get the same vibe – unlike former St. Olaf head coach Meidt who attempted to recruit me.  There was something about him that wasn't quite genuine.  Although people are quick to make fun of Caruso for his over the top personality, I truly believe that he is passionate about what he does and he believes in what he is saying.  Young men like to be apart of something great...Caruso has an ability to show them his vision and get them to believe.

Second, Caruso previously was the offensive coordinator at Division II South Dakota in his two seasons and was also offensive coordinator at North Dakota State during a six-year stay as the Bison transitioned to Division IAA.  I guess my question is, why would Caruso leave those programs to coach DIII?  Maybe he truly does believe in the philosophy of developing good young men who strive for excellence in the classroom, on the field, and in their personal lives.  If he was trying to go to the NFL or Division I that doesn't seem like a logical move in my mind.

Third, quite frankly, I think Caruso badly wants to win a national championship.  Caruso is the type of guy that hates unfinished business.  Right now his problem is Whitewater and Mount Union.  I think it drives him nuts that there are programs out there that are better than his.  He's just a competitive guy by nature and he wants to be the best (which is why he added two WIAC teams to his nonconference schedule).  I think if he left now he'd feel like he didn't accomplish what he set out to do.  Which leads me to his recruiting strategy.  Caruso obviously knows that White Water recruits Wisconsin and northern Illinois and they pretty much have a monopoly over that entire region.  Thus, I think he realizes that he had to develop a different strategy and look elsewhere for talent.  Judging from where these outstate recruits went to school, it looks like he's taping into Catholic high schools all over the country.   

My last point, a lot of the execution of Caruso's recruiting strategy was headed by Blane Tetreault who left UST to pursue opportunities in the business sector. Blane is a squared away guy.  I had the privilege to play under him.  I feel like he played an important role in executing Caruso's strategy.  It will be interesting to see who fills that role because currently the position remains vacant, according to the Tommie web site.

And if I'm wrong I hope Caruso learns a lesson from coach Meidt...it looks like he may have left St. Olaf a little prematurely.  The economy has been hard for everyone:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/locked-out-former-redskins-assistant-chris-meidt-is-called-down-another-aisle-in-life/2011/03/10/AFpRmDAD_story.html.

[wildcat11]

Although people are quick to make fun of Caruso for his over the top personality

I swear I bought a used car from Caruso about 6 years ago.