As Selection Sunday approaches, teams are gearing up to get set for the biggest time of the year for college basketball. As March Madness is mere days away, another team is now without a head coach. This time, it comes in Ben Johnson, as Minnesota fired him.
It was made official with an announcement posted to social media at 2:19 a.m. ET. This wasn’t a massive surprise, as it came just days after Minnesota’s loss to Northwestern in their season finale. While fans hoped, and maybe even expected, a different outcome to the season, Johnson is indeed fired.
Minnesota Parts Ways with Head Coach Ben Johnson
Johnson finished at his alma mater with an overall record of 56-71. After taking over head coaching duties in 2021, Johnson would only bring the Golden Gophers to one winning season. The winning season came back in 2023-24, as Minnesota went 19-15.
Director of Athletics Mark Coyle Announces Head Coaching Leadership Change. https://t.co/f6lJlNaFTo pic.twitter.com/CQ5VxVdrCH
— Minnesota Men’s Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 13, 2025
Johnson’s Minnesota team had an abysmal conference record, winning only 22 out of 79 conference games. Johnson’s worst year came in the 2022-23 season, when Minnesota went 9-22 overall, including winning just two out of 19 conference games.
“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,” Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement.
Coyle added, “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.”
“These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation,” Coyle mentioned. “The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years.”
One source told CBS Sports that this was a “ruthless” firing. Coyle is the Minnesota Athletic Director and also serves on the basketball selection committee. They began their process recently in Indiana to start looking at teams who should be selected for this year’s tournament. Coyle flew back to Minneapolis in “secrecy” late Wednesday afternoon to fire Johnson.
Minnesota last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 under Richard Pitino. Though it has had success historically, it has struggled to be a consistent powerhouse in the Big Ten. While Johnson was at Minnesota, it ranked in the bottom two or three in the Big Ten in NIL resources.
KEEP READING: Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Coaching Candidates
Johnson’s time at Minnesota was his first as head coach. He was previously an assistant coach at Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Xavier, and Minnesota. Niko Medved is expected to be a prime candidate for the Minnesota men’s basketball head coaching vacancy.
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