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The Minnesota basketball season came to an end with a loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference Tournament on Wednesday. When the team returned home to Minneapolis, head coach Ben Johnson was fired.
Athletic Director Mark Coyle flew 600 miles to inform Johnson of the decision. The Golden Gophers announced the news shortly thereafter.
“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. 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.”
The timing of that announcement was curious. It was made public at 2:19am ET. Maybe more interesting is the fact that Coyle was nowhere near campus on Wednesday night.
The athletic director is a member of the NCAA Selection Committee. The group is currently in Indiana deciding the fates of teams bidding for the Big Dance. He reportedly left his post to meet Ben Johnson in-person as soon as the Golden Gophers landed in Minneapolis.
“It was ruthless,” one source told CBS Sports of the firing process. Many believe it was too soon to pull the trigger on the fourth-year coach. Ben Johnson was handcuffed by a lack of NIL support.
He spoke out on the issue multiple times throughout the year. The Minnesota basketball team was way behind other Big Ten teams in terms of spending. Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press expanded on the disadvantage Johnson faced earlier this season.
The NIL price tag for a Top 25 team is in the $4 million/year range. The Gophers aren’t close to even 1/3 of that.
As a result of the lack of spending, a number of last year’s players hit the portal. The Golden Gophers also lost star freshman Cam Christie to the NBA.
Mark Coyle didn’t believe it to be an excuse for the 15-17 finish. He mercilessly canned his coach in the middle of the night.