All Things Considered

Gophers coach Ben Johnson is out at U of M

man with hand near mouth
Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson yells to his team as they play against Nebraska during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lincoln, Neb.
AP Photo | Rebecca S. Gratz 2024

Gophers coach Ben Johnson is out. In a dramatic turn, University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle fired Johnson late Wednesday night after the team’s loss to Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Gophers announced the change at 1:07 a.m. Thursday morning.

To sports writers like Andy Greder, who covers the Gophers basketball team for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Johnson’s ousting didn’t come as a complete surprise. The team did better than expected this year, but still finished 12th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten Conference.

Coyle told Greder today that Johnson’s inconsistency had become too much.

“They didn’t win at a high enough level to be considered in the mix for the NCAA tournament,” Greder said. “[Coyle] felt it was time to move on.”

Greder spoke with MPR News host Tom Crann about Johnson and what the Gophers might be looking for in a new coach.

Click play on the audio player above to listen to their full conversation.