Souhan; Ben Johnson Has to Be About Recruiting [PODCAST]

The Gopher men's basketball program is undergoing numerous changes including a new coaching staff and an overhaul of new players. Star Tribune Sports Columnist Jim Souhan joined me on WJON today. He says new head coach Ben Johnson needs to recruit Minnesota and secure the 4 and 5 star recruits that consistently leave the state. He says he doesn't expect Johnson to get every top local talent but he does say he should be able to do better than those who've held this position recently. He says it can be more challenging to coach a team in an urban area that has many other sports options in town including professional sports franchises.

The top boys basketball recruit in the state and nation 7-footer Chet Holmgren from Minnehaha Academy announced Monday that he'll be attending Gonzaga. Jim says Holmgren's game will transfer well to the college game but he'll need additional muscle to withstand the size and strength he'd be facing in the NBA.

The Minnesota Wild downed the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 Monday night to improve to 28-13-3. Jim says the record can be a bit misleading because of the opponents they consistently face. Jim says the Wild are good but not a great team but are in a solid position to make the playoffs. He says the unbalanced schedule this year in the NHL puts the Wild in a position where it is difficult to determine how good they are.

The NFL draft will take place in just over a week. The Vikings are holding the 14th overall pick in the first round but do not have a 2nd round pick. Jim says it is unlikely the Vikings take a quarterback in the first round but could take a QB in rounds 3 or 4.