Minnesota will open up its season against Concordia St. Paul Nov. 14, as part of the NABC Classic at Williams Arena, according to a release sent out today. Concordia plays Division II basketball in the Northern Sun conference. The Golden Bears went 16-12 and finished fourth in their conference last season.

Concordia will count the game as an exhibition, but the Gophers will count it as an official nonconference contest. Minnesota’s full 2008-09 schedule will be released some time this week, according to Big Ten officials.

Trevor Mbakwe, the former Marquette forward, fits the profile of the kind of player that the Gophers really need. It was clear throughout last season that players like D.J. White, Raymar Morgan, Geary Claxton and Marcus Landry hurt the Gophers because of their lack of bulk inside.

At 6-7, 240 pounds, Mbakwe would help out a team that added height with its latest recruiting class but little muscle. But I don’t think he’ll wind up with the team this season for a number of reasons.

Tubby Smith doesn’t like to bring in transfers. Keeping a guy on the bench for a year doesn’t help his team win now, which is why he’s not in favor of them. Also, Minnesota is out of scholarships.

Sources tell me that the Gophers think the best thing for Mbakwe to do is go to a junior college for a year, play well and earn a scholarship for the 2009-10 season. But, Smith’s staff doesn’t know much about Mbakwe, who was a star at St. Bernard’s High School. When Mbakwe first thought about leaving Marquette earlier this year, the Gophers were focused on Krys Faber and Verdell Jones and told Mbakwe that they weren’t interested in services at the time.

Mbakwe’s definitely worth a look because of his size alone. His presence would give Minnesota more power in the paint. He didn’t get off to a good start with Marquette because of injuries, but he showed signs of his potential in limited action last season.

Overall, Mbakwe would be a nice addition for team that has a lot of scorers and needs more sturdy defenders and rebounders.

About a month ago, I was told that the Gophers were going to release their 2008-09 schedule. But here we are a month later and I have yet to see one.

The nonconference schedule is set. But the Big Ten hasn’t finalized its games yet. After numerous “it’ll be out next week” responses from Minnesota spokesman Matt Slieter, I went back to him today.

He said he received an e-mail from the Big Ten today stating that the 2008-09 schedules will arrive next week. Maybe.  Slieter said the hangup is related to TV scheduling conflicts.

After talking to Matt, I called Big Ten spokeswoman LaTonya Sadler, who told me that there were some “moving parts” that needed to be finalized but that the schedule should be out next week.

Indiana wants to lock up new head coach Tom Crean for awhile. The former Marquette leader recently signed a 10-year, $23.6 million deal. He originally agreed to an eight-year deal, but Indiana added a few more years to his contract in July. The length and numbers make sense considering what Crean has been asked to do.

Former Hoosiers coach Kelvin Sampson signed a seven-year, $10.7 million deal in 2006. And his predecessor, Mike Davis, signed a four-year deal worth $2.19 million in 2002.

Two years into his contract, however, Sampson left the school after a sea of controversy tied to NCAA violations overtook him and the school, while Davis decided to leave the Hoosiers five years after he followed Bob Knight in 2001.

Sam Dower, the 6-9 Osseo PF/C who recently received an offer from the Gophers, will take an unofficial visit to Minnesota Wednesday, according to his AAU coach, Marquise Watts. He’ll meet with Tubby Smith.

Watts said Dower narrowed his list down to five schools (Gonzaga, George Mason, Cal, Minnesota and Marquette) last week, after receiving nearly 25 Division I offers, some of which came after Dower’s strong performances at AAU tourneys in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Minnesota seemed hesitant after watching his performances in various tournaments this summer, but now, they’re interested.

But Watts said Dower wants to make sure that the Gophers really want him. Watts said coaches from George Mason and Gonzaga attended all of Dower’s games in Phoenix and Las Vegas. He also said Dower doesn’t feel obligated to play closer to home.

A few weeks ago, Gophers sources told me that they weren’t sure about Dower. They were worried about his rebounding skills and his sporadic aggressiveness.

We’ll see how this all plays out. I think Dower is a project. The Gophers already have two projects in the post already in Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson.

Dower reminds me of former Georgetown C Roy Hibbert. When he’s into the game and playing with a lot of heart, he’s dangerous. But there are times when you watch him play and wonder if he truly has a passion for basketball. But he’s young, and he may turn out to be a great player. He definitely has a ton of raw talent.

Former Gophers guard Lawrence McKenzie signed with a team in the newly formed Balkan League earlier this week, according to his father, Larry. Lawrence McKenzie will leave for Macedonia, where his new team is located, Aug. 10.

McKenzie, who was one of Minnesota’s top players after transferring from Oklahoma after the 2004-05 season, will play for BC Feni Industries.

Spencer Tollackson recently signed a contract with the Digibu Baskets Paderborn professional club in Paderborn, Germany, according to Gophers officials. Tollackson, who averaged 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds during his career with the Gophers, was considering a return to baseball after his college basketball career ended in March but will instead suit up with a team that plays in the top division of the Bundesliga league.

For months, rumors have suggested that Royce White was preparing to transfer to another high school for the second time since the spring. White, who was kicked out of De La Salle earlier this year, said Friday afternoon, however, that there’s no way he’ll play for any other school but Hopkins during his senior year.

“There’s nothing possible that’s going to make me go anywhere else other than Hopkins,” he said. “I’m playing my senior year at Hopkins High School.”

Hopkins coach Ken Novak said White’s under a lot of pressure because of his talent, which fuels rumors about him. Novak said former Hopkins star Kris Humphries endured similar scrutiny when he was in high school.

But the current buzz surrounding White has nothing to do with his next move. During a Howard Pulley summer league game Wednesday, White was kicked out after an altercation with future teammate and Gophers forward Damian Johnson.

White said that Johnson is “my boy,” and he attributed the altercation and ejection, which was preceded by White trash talking and tossing a ball at Johnson when his back was turned, to his competitive spirit.

“Me and Damian were just in a good competition,” White said.

Tubby Smith was upset and befuddled when he learned about White’s verbal sparring session with his future teammate. During a conversation with a colleague, Smith questioned White’s immaturity. And who wouldn’t? White got into a public feud with Johnson, who might be his captain when he joins the team in 2009. That can’t be good for team chemistry.

-I had a chance to watch Osseo’s Sam Dower at the Twin Cities Summer Classic earlier this week. He reminds me of Roy Hibbert. I know he’s 6-9, not seven feet tall. But his mannerisms remind me of Hibbert. That’s a good and bad thing.

It’s a good thing because I think Dower, like Hibbert, will get better with the help of a collegiate strength training program and Division I coaching/competition. But I question his motor. I saw too many lost rebounds and unchallenged shots when he was in the game. But he also showed some impressive moves underneath the basket and used his length well when he wanted to.

I understand why Iowa and other Division I schools want him. But I also understand why coaches like Tubby Smith aren’t 100 percent sold on his game. He’s definitely a project. But I think he has a lot of potential.

-Jamal Abu-Shamala scored 11 points Friday and helped the Jordan national team win the William Jones Cup in China.

Next year’s roster features two guys with international experience (Devoe Joseph, Abu-Shamala), a two-time ESPY award nominee (Blake Hoffarber), the former national prep scoring champ (Lawrence Westbrook), the son of one of the greatest college basketball players ever (Ralph Sampson III), two NCAA champs (Tubby and Saul Smith) and a national juco player of the year (Devron Bostick). That’s some resume.

-Former Michigan State point guard Drew Neitzel is averaging 5.3 points per game for the T-Wolves summer league squad. Former Gophers forward Dan Coleman only played seven minutes in one appearance. He didn’t score, but he recorded one block.

-What else will go wrong with Indiana basketball?

-Rodney Williams Jr. has performed well at camps and AAU tournaments throughout the United States and has continued to solidify his standing as one of the top players in the country. I think Royce White is a more complete player at this juncture, but Williams’ ceiling is higher.

An obvious target of the Gophers, Williams has listed Minnesota among the schools he’s considering. And even though he’s received offers from schools around the country, I’ve been told by sources close to Williams’ recruiting process that his father would like his son to stay close to home, a sentiment reiterated by another source last week.

That doesn’t mean he’ll choose the Gophers. He has offers from Iowa, Bradley, Iowa State and Wisconsin, too.

But my sources suggest that his father doesn’t want him to play anywhere that forces him to drive a long distance to see him play. My sources also said that Williams did well academically last semester and they’re confident that he’ll do what he takes to qualify to play in 2009-10.

-Sam Dower, a 6-9 forward from Osseo, is picking up steam along the recruiting trail. He’s reportedly picked up offers from Iowa, Marquette and Colorado State. And the Gophers are also interested. But if he intends to play for Minnesota next year, he’s  not helping his cause, according to one insider.

Dower hasn’t heeded to the Gophers’ requests for him to attend various Minnesota team camps and workouts this summer. He has reportedly traveled a lot this summer, which is why he hasn’t accepted Minnesota’s invitations. But the insider said it feels like Dower isn’t giving Gophers officials the opportunity to complete a more thorough analysis of his game. And based on what they’ve seen so far, he has some work to do to convince them that he’s ready for Big Ten ball. But Minnesota, along with a number of other schools, will attend this weekend’s TC Summer Classic in the western suburbs, where Dower’s skills will be on display.

A Gophers insider told me earlier this week that former Gophers point guard Lawrence McKenzie recently received an offer from a German professional team for $60,000 a year.

McKenzie, a 6-2 guard, has been working out six days a week at a local YMCA with his father, Larry, to stay in shape. Larry McKenzie said at least seven European teams are interested in McKenzie’s services, but some of the teams want him to play point guard, while the others want him on the wing.

Larry McKenzie said his son is currently weighing his options, but he thinks Lawrence will have to prove himself as a point guard overseas, if he hopes to make a transition back to an American team. If given the chance, Larry McKenzie said Lawrence would probably be torn between plying his trade in Europe and playing in the NBA’s D-League.

-This summer, Damian Johnson has played with a ferocity that Tubby Smith would admire, but he’s not allowed to attend Johnson’s Howard Pulley pro-am games. Johnson has added 15 pounds to his frame, and he now weighs 207, but he’d like to get up to 215 by the start of the season, he said.  Al Nolen has also gained five pounds since the end of the year.

-Blake Hoffarber must be excited about the upcoming ESPYs, his second trip in three years. Johnson said he witnessed Hoffarber dunk for the first time in a recent open gym.

-After watching Colton Iverson in Howard Pulley, it’s clear to me that that Gophers should go after his clone (based on style of play): Hopkins’ Mike Broghammer.