Minnesota basketball's Ben Johnson fired overnight after Big Ten Tournament loss
Yesterday at 10:17 AM
The Minnesota basketball season came to a close on Wednesday as the Golden Gophers lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Northwestern. The 72-64 loss capped off another disappointing season for the Golden Gophers, and the team announced early Thursday morning that they are moving on from head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson has been with Minnesota since the 2021 season, and the Golden Gophers have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament during that time.
Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle released a statement on Thursday detailing his decision to move on from Ben Johnson.
“I met with Ben in-person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership,” Mark Coyle said. “I thanked him for his dedication and for guiding the program, one he cares deeply about, for the last four years. Ben is a terrific person, and we wish him well.”
The Golden Gophers want to be competing for championships, and Johnson was not able to make that happen during his time with the program. If you can’t win, you won’t keep your job.
“These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation,” Coyle continued. “The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.”
Now, the Minnesota basketball team will begin the search for their next head coach. Coyle is confident that this is an attractive job that gives the head coach everything that is needed to win.
“This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court,” Coyle added. “We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything that is needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men’s basketball coach.”
In four seasons with the Minnesota basketball program, Ben Johnson finished with a 56-71 overall record. He never made the NCAA Tournament, but the Golden Gophers did make the NIT last season.
After a dreadful start this year, Minnesota was able to turn things around to make their season more respectable, but it was still far some a success. The Golden Gophers finished 15-17 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play. The season is over, and so is the Ben Johnson era.
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