The Minnesota Gophers have hired Ben Johnson as the program’s new basketball coach.
The Gophers announced the decision Thursday afternoon for fans around the country and in the state.
Welcome home, Coach Johnson!
Meet our new coach: https://t.co/JhyIoQuFnQ pic.twitter.com/u1f3sTHrGI
— Minnesota Men’s Basketball (@GopherMBB) March 22, 2021
Jeff Borzello previously reported that the Xavier assistant would take over for the Gophers after Richard Pitino was fired. Terms of the deal aren’t known at this time. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
BREAKING: Minnesota is expected to hire Xavier assistant Ben Johnson as its next head coach, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 22, 2021
Johnson is a Minneapolis native who graduated from Minnesota in 2005. He played two seasons for the Golden Gophers. He established himself as a high-level recruiter in the state, namely landing top-100 prospect and future pro Amir Coffey.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 22, 2021
I’m very surprised that Minnesota hired a guy with zero head coaching experience. He has ties to the school, and he can obviously recruit.
Still, given how much money Minnesota has and the prestige of being a B1G program. you would have thought they could have gotten an established guy.
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At the same time, fortune favors the bold. Minnesota made a very risky hire here given Johnson’s lack of head coaching experience, but it could pay off in a huge way.
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As a Wisconsin fan, I’m not exactly worried. Until the Gophers can prove they can beat us on a regular basis, they’ll always be our dumb cousins to the west.
THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
