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March 13, 2025
Ben Johnson News: Ben Johnson, the men's basketball coach at Minnesota, has been fired. He played for the Gophers for four years. The team never advanced to the NCAA tournament during his time here.
The Gophers had a challenging season in the tough Big Ten Conference. Each year Johnson faced roster turnover, making continuity a major challenge.
The announcement was made by Mark Coyle, athletic director. The program wants to compete for championships, he said. He said that the team hasn’t done that in the last four years.
Minnesota plays in a historic arena and has excellent facilities. Coyle thinks the program has what it needs to be successful.
In 2021, 44-year-old Ben Johnson became head coach. He was Xavier's assistant coach before to it. It was tough first season for him.
New transfer rules led to the departure of most of Pitino’s top seven scorers. In his debut season, Johnson's team finished 13–17.
The years that followed weren't any better. The team has struggled staying consistent. They finished with a 9–22 record in 2022–2023 with just two conference wins.
However, the Gophers improved in 2023–2024. They qualified for the NIT after finishing 19–15. Their 9-11 Big Ten record was still disappointing, though.
The growth of NIL deals was one of the biggest challenges Johnson had to overcome. Dawson Garcia was one of the athletes who stayed loyal.
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Pharrel Payne was another player who opted for a more lucrative opportunity elsewhere. Johnson found it harder to keep a competitive roster as such.
Williams Arena saw a decline in attendance as well. The NBA's Timberwolves attracted more interest from fans.
Minnesota is no longer so much a college basketball town as it is a pro-market city. Another up-and-coming Division I program that competed with the Gophers was St. Thomas.
Despite some encouraging moments, Johnson couldn’t turn the program around. He had two years left on his contract when he was fired. The buyout price is $2.92 million.
Minnesota will now start the process of finding a new coach. Their goal is to return their basketball program to its former level of success.
Source: ESPN
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