Gophers could move in a different direction after this year
Ben Johnson was hired three years ago by the University of Minnesota to recruit and keep Minnesota talent in the state. Well, the difference NIL has made and the one-and-done aspect of College basketball, he hasn’t been able to get that job done. He had a vision to keep his starting point guard Elijah Hawkins, and starting center Pharrel Payne with the likes of Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr especially after the Gophers made it to the NIT tournament. Hawkins transferred to Texas Tech and Payne left for Texas A&M, both are seeking out better NIL deals at those two schools. Three other Gopher players left the program after last year, guard Kadyn Bates, Joshua Ola-Joseph, and Braeden Carrington.
Minnesota Gophers underwhelming three years under coach Johnson
In Ben Johnson’s three years at Minnesota, he was 41-55 (14-44 in Big Ten play) ”Minnesota’s Ben Johnson enters a critical campaign, with two years remaining on his deal after this season. While last season showed clear improvement over his first two years in Minneapolis, the Gophers need to continue the upward trajectory,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Borzello in an article looking at coaches across the country who could wind up on the hot seat. “They went a combined 22-39 (6-33 in the Big Ten) in 2022 and 2023, but finished 19-15 (9-11) last season.” Heading into the 2024-25 season the Gophers were picked to finish last in the 18-team Big Ten by 33 voting conference media members.
The end is near for Ben Johnson
Fans and alumni have been wanting the Gophers to fire Ben Johnson surprisingly, he is still the coach. Now in his fourth season as coach of the Gophers, it will be tough sledding to finish even .500 in a brutally competitive Big Ten. Johnson’s Gophers are 7-5 overall but all seven of their wins have been against inferior opponents, including 0-2 in the Big Ten. Will the Gophers even get one win in conference play? That remains to be seen. The Gophers will wrap up the non-conference part of their schedule against Morgan State. They will start their Big Ten schedule against the #21-ranked Purdue Boilermakers at home in Williams Arena.
Potential coaches that could replace Ben Johnson
Big names have been thrown around as potential replacements. Former Timberwolves coach and Minnesota native Ryan Saunders will be on that list. Also mentioned was Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney, who was a former standout atUniversity of St. Thomas and Cretin Derham Hall. Former headliner Tom Crean has coached at Georgia, Indiana, and Marquette. Crean led Marquette to the Final Four in the 2002-2003 season with Dwayne Wade as his star player. Colorado State coach Niko Medved, the former Gopher team manager from Roseville, and Utah head coach Craig Smith, from Stephen, Minn., are also expected to be considered.
This is a heavy list for a Gopher team that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2019. The interest is there, we will have to see if these potential coaches can turn around a starved Gopher basketball program. With the Gophers only getting around $1 million to spend on NIL deals, it will be hard to persuade these players to stay longer than one year. The Gophers NIL budget was rumored to be four times smaller than other Big Ten schools. NIL has taken over college sports in the last 3 years.
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