A Gophers menâÄôs basketball coach has scored some points of his own in a popular womenâÄôs magazine. On Monday, Cosmopolitan magazine named Steve Goodson, special assistant to head coach Tubby Smith , MinnesotaâÄôs most eligible bachelor. Goodson, 25, will be featured in the November issue of the magazine and is qualified for the bachelor of the year award, which people can vote for online. Goodson, or âÄúZoâÄù as his friends call him, found out he had won in early May, by playing phone tag. An unknown New York number showed up on his cell phone, but he couldnâÄôt answer at work. He called back later, suspecting old friends trying to reach him, but instead reached the answering machine for Cosmopolitan. âÄúI thought people were playing a joke on me,âÄù Goodson said. âÄúI was a little overwhelmed at first and didnâÄôt know what to think.âÄù Some female friends from his college days in Kentucky nominated the Indiana native by contacting his family members to get some photos, he said. Coworker and former Gophers menâÄôs basketball player, Ryan Saunders has become good friends with Goodson. âÄúIt couldnâÄôt have happened to a better guy,âÄù Saunders said. âÄúI think heâÄôs got a great chance; I put all my money on Zo.âÄù Goodson and Saunders try to find time during their busy schedules to go out and have a good time, but said itâÄôs tough in their profession. âÄúAt this point, youâÄôre kind of stuck being a bachelor at 25 years old in this business,âÄù Goodson said, âÄúâÄôcause you can up and go very quickly.âÄù Goodson added that he was in a serious relationship when he was still in Kentucky, but that changed when he took the job in Minnesota. âÄúItâÄôs not much different being a bachelor here than in Kentucky,âÄù he said. âÄúIâÄôm very dedicated to my work, but you got to find time to have fun or youâÄôll go insane.âÄù Goodson came with Smith from the University of Kentucky last year. He earned his degree there in 2005 while he was the student manager for the Wildcats basketball team. He also worked as an assistant to Team USAâÄôs coaching staff at the 2005 World University Games . Goodson didnâÄôt plan on participating after Cosmopolitan notified him, but the first thing he did was check with Smith, adding that he didnâÄôt want it to be a conflict of interest or have a negative impact on the program. Smith gave him the OK, and said it was a reputable magazine. âÄúAnd coming from a hall of famer , I took his advice,âÄù Goodson said. The players have had a positive response, and some of them have asked where they can vote online, he said. Voting to choose six semi-finalists for the grand prize, which includes $10,000, ends Sunday. Each stateâÄôs bachelor will be in New York on Oct. 14, when the winner will be announced.
Asst. basketball coach named Minnesota’s most eligible bachelor
Published October 6, 2008
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