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Message: [QUOTE="Vagopher, post: 680197, member: 3514"] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]Greetings. As one who has long been impressed with the Syracuse basketball program and is also familiar with the great beauty of upstate New York, I'm not here to denigrate either. But I feel compelled to respond to a handful of derogatory references on this board to my alma mater including the characterization of Minnesota as the "boonies". [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]The University of Minnesota is located in a metropolitan area of 3.3 million people. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, and per capita income in the State of Minnesota ranks in the top ten nationally. Currently, its economy is the nation's fifth fastest growing. It's the birthplace of the shopping mall of which the Mall of America is the nation's largest. MOA, moreover, is in the process of expanding to more than twice its current size. [/FONT][/COLOR] [FONT=Calibri][COLOR=#000000]As I'm sure most of you known, the Twin Cities has a full complement of pro sports teams. The Twins play their home games in a beautiful new ball park located in downtown Minneapolis across from Target Center which is being significantly upgraded. It's an area of bars, restaurants, night clubs, art galleries, and boutiques. The Vikings will soon break ground on a new $1 billion domed stadium, which will also be located in downtown Minneapolis.[/COLOR][/FONT] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]It's an area of great natural beauty and cultural richness. The Trust for Public Land recently ranked the Minneapolis park system as the nation's best. The system incorporates a network of 21 lakes within the city. Minneapolis was also recently ranked sixth nationally as an arts venue. See [url]http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@clerk/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-103117.pdf[/url] The Twin Cities boasts the second largest number of live theater seats in the nation with numerous venues including the famed Guthrie Theater overlooking the banks of the Mississippi River. It is second to only New York City in per capita attendance at theater and arts events. The Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are among the nation's finest, and the Walker Art Center is among the more avant guarde galleries in the country. Two of the 4 winners of this year's National Book Awards, Louise Erdrich and William Alexander, live in Minneapolis. A third, Katherine Boo, is the daughter of a Minnesota couple. Her parents were aids to the late Senator Eugene McCarthy. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]As for the University itself. it is one of the highest ranked research universities in the world. A 2012 study ranked it 29th out of the more than 1000 reviewed. See [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Minnesota[/url] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]My understanding is that Whitehead and Newton plan a joint visit to Minnesota in September. I've always felt that if we can get out of area recruits on campus, we have a pretty good shot at getting them. Whatever you may think of "The Barn", it's a great game day experience. There are many Golden Gopher fans who would use their bodies to block the bulldozers if anyone tried to raze it. One only needs to watch a video of the Minnesota win over Indiana last year to appreciate why. In any event. I doubt that The Barn will be a serious liability in recruiting these guys. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Calibri]The term "boonies" or "boondocks" implies remoteness and a lack of sophistication. From the perspective of the East Coast, Minnesota might be remote, but it's not unsophisticated. Thanks for the opportunity to respond. Best wishes for the continued success of your program as you take on the new challenge of the ACC. I hope you will be able to continue your historic rivalry with Georgetown. [/FONT][/COLOR] [FONT=Calibri][COLOR=#000000] [/COLOR][/FONT] [/QUOTE]

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