LET'S LOOK OUTSIDE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HEAD TO CABINS
THIS WEEKEND.
IT WILL BE A LOVELY WEEKEND IN
JANUARY UP NORTH.
TEMPERATURES ARE MILD ENOUGH TO
ENJOY ALL THE FRESH SNOW AND
COOL ENOUGH THAT IT WON'T BE
MELTING.
WE ARE STARTING IN THE 20s
RIGHT NOW.
WE ARE BACK NOW WITH FORMER
MINNESOTA GO FOR GREAT WILLIE
BURTON.
WE ARE SO GLAD YOU'RE WITH
US THIS MORNING.
WHAT A SPECIAL WEEKEND.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?
IT IS VERY SPECIAL TO ME AND
EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED
IN THE PROGRAM.
JUST LIKE YOU GUYS RUNNING THE
SHOW, THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT,
MY FORMER COACHES IN HIGH
SCHOOL, MY ASSISTANT COACHES,
ALSO, WE THANK OUR COACHES WHO
REALLY PLAYED A PART IN SHAPING
OUR FOUNDATION.
THAT IS TRUE.
YOU ARE GETTING THE HONOR BUT
THIS IS A TIME OF GOPHER
BASKETBALL WHERE THERE WERE
MANY INVOLVED.
YOU WERE NUMBER THREE ON THE
ALL-TIME SCORING LIST AND LED
THE TEAM TO THE SWEET 16 AND
THE LEAGUE EIGHT.
HOW DID THEY TELL YOU THIS
WOULD HAPPEN AND WHAT WAS YOUR
FIRST THOUGHT.
IT WAS OUT OF THE BLUE.
I WAS RIDING DOWN THE STREET.
HELLO, WE WILL RETIRE YOUR
JERSEY.
RIDING DOWN THE STREET.
THERE WAS NO PREPARATION.
IT WAS LIKE, OKAY.
LET ME TAKE A DEEP BREATH.
LET ME CALL CAITLIN MAHONEY.
SHE IS THE CONNECTION FOR
EVERYTHING CONNECTED TO
BASKETBALL AND HAS BEEN FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS TO VALIDATE IT.
THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY
HAPPENING?
YEAH.
I CALLED HER AND THE FIRST
THING SHE SAID IS, I CAN'T SAY
ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.
I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK.
THAT IS HOW I KNEW IT WAS REAL.
YOU KNOW IT IS A BIG DEAL
AND NOT A SECRET.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MOMENTS FROM
YOUR DAYS PLAYING?
MY FAVORITE MOMENT IS THE
GAME AGAINST IOWA, THAT HELPED
TO TURN THE CORNER FROM A TEAM
THAT IT WAS NOT BEFORE.
I THINK IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLES WE
WENT THROUGH.
MY TEAMMATES AND I WENT THROUGH
A LOT OF STRUGGLES TO GET TO
WHERE WE WERE.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I
WANT TO CONTINUE TO STRESS TO
THE TWIN CITIES THAT THEY
REALIZE THE FIRST ONE WAS ON
OUR TEAM.
RICHER COFFEE GETS A LOT OF
THAT.
MYSELF, YOU KNOW, MELVIN NEW
BERN, WE GET A LOT OF IT.
THAT WAS THE SILENT KILLER.
HE HIT THE GAME WINNER THAT
DAY.
HE ENABLED, IF YOU LOOK, MOST
OF THE HIGHLIGHTS SHOW I WAS
ABLE TO GET A LOT OF THOSE
DUNKS BECAUSE HE ALLOWED IT.
IT IS A TEAM SPORT.
LET'S BRING YOU BACK QUICKLY
TO PRESENT DAY.
I WAS JUST CHATTING ABOUT
THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS IS A
CONCERNING COEDUCATION,
ACCORDING TO THE ATHLETICS, WE
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DELIVERING
SIMILAR PROGRAMS TO STUDENT
ATHLETES, THEIR PARENTS, THE
COACHES, THE ATHLETIC
COORDINATORS BUT THE PROGRAMS
HAVE NOT EXISTED.
I PARTNERED UP WITH THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S
EVALUATION DEPARTMENT, AS WELL
AS THEIR FORMER ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT TO START BRINGING
LIFE SKILLS TO HELP US WITH OUR
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND
WHAT IS EXPECTED, EVEN THOUGH
THE REQUIREMENT IS THERE,
ACCORDING TO NATIONAL FAIRNESS,
WE DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT IN
PLACE TO SUPPORT IT.
THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MENTAL
ILLNESS, LIFE SKILLS, COLLEGE
AND CAREER READINESS, NCAA
QUALIFICATIONS AND TO HELP
PARENTS, ALSO.
FOR A FEW YEARS, WE HAD THE
NUMBER SIX PLAYER, I THINK, TO
GO TO COLLEGE THAT COULD NOT GO
BECAUSE HE DID NOT HAVE CERTAIN
GLASSES.
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO
HELP STUDENTS.
MEETING THE STUDENT AS A
WHOLE PERSON, NOT JUST THE
STUDENT ATHLETE.
TOMORROW, WILLIE BURTON WILL
BE HONORED AT THE HALFTIME