{"id":128499,"date":"2025-03-13T19:25:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=128499"},"modified":"2025-03-13T19:25:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:25:27","slug":"minnesota-makes-decision-on-ben-johnson-but-they-have-bigger-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/13\/minnesota-makes-decision-on-ben-johnson-but-they-have-bigger-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Makes Decision on Ben Johnson But They Have Bigger Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite fighting hard all season and finishing well above preseason expectations, the Minnesota Golden Gophers<\/a> have made a decision.\u00a0 The future of their head coach. Ben Johnson tried to give everything he had to his alma mater as coach, but it wasn’t enough. Coach Johnson was fired by the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n

It seemed like this was a possibility, despite Johnson doing everything he could with what the team had.\u00a0 It appears that Coach Johnson didn’t have a room to succeed. That might not be the biggest issue for Minnesota, though, as the leadership at the school doesn’t appear to know when it has something good. Sure, Minnesota never reached the NCAA Tournament with Ben Johnson at the helm, but he did some good work for not having the pieces or support from the school throughout his tenure.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Makes Decision on Ben Johnson, But They Have Bigger Problems<\/h2>\n

Minnesota has had one decent season in the last five-plus years. Not to mention, they have only made the NCAA Tournament twice in the last 10 years. Both these appearances came under the guidance of Richard Pitino, who was let go before Johnson got the job. You’re talking about a program that relived legendary coach Tubby Smith, after he got Minnesota to the second-round in 2013. That is the farthest the Gophers have reached in the Big Dance in decades. It was only matched by Pitino in 2019.<\/p>\n

It’s pretty clear that no matter who helms the sidelines, Minnesota doesn’t have the right people in charge at a higher level. It was even more clear when the Gophers made the news official that Ben Johnson was fired at 2:19 am ET. The firing came less than 24 hours after the Gophers lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle released a statement on the decision, citing that the Gophers weren’t competing at the level expected of them.<\/p>\n

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Director of Athletics Mark Coyle Announces Head Coaching Leadership Change. https:\/\/t.co\/f6lJlNaFTo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CQ5VxVdrCH<\/a><\/p>\n

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n