The Minnesota Golden Gophers fired men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson after finishing with a 15-17 record and losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. They lost five of their final six games, and athletic director Mark Coyle announced the decision in the early hours of the morning following the team’s return from Indianapolis. Johnson finished with a 56-71 record at the helm, including a 22-57 mark in conference play. Coyle serves on the NCAA Tournament selection committee, so his expectations for the next Minnesota men’s basketball coach will include routine visits to the Big Dance.
The coaching change gave the entire Minnesota basketball roster an opportunity to enter the college basketball transfer portal. Three players have already entered the portal, so the new coach will be tasked with rebuilding the roster this offseason. If you love the Golden Gophers, or just want to know who will be calling the shots for Minnesota in the future, be sure to see what the proven team of experts are saying at Gopher Illustrated, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Minnesota.
Gopher Illustrated’s Minnesota experts are providing on-the-ground updates on every development surrounding Johnson’s firing and the future of the Minnesota basketball program, including insights from Ryan James and Ryan Burns, both of whom have deep-rooted ties inside the Minnesota program. Get all the inside scoop on the basketball program, plus and VIP intel on Minnesota football, recruiting and more, as well as access to the Gopher Illustrated VIPs forums, where you can connect with other Minnesota fans and insiders.
And right now, Gopher Illustrated is offering 60% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up. The team at Gopher Illustrated already has a list out of several potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to Gopher Illustrated now to see them all.
Top Minnesota basketball coach candidates
One name the staff has identified as a potential target on the Minnesota basketball coaching hot board is Loyola Chicago head coach Drew Valentine. The 33-year-old’s career has been on an upward trajectory since starting out as a graduate assistant under legendary coach Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Valentine joined the Oakland coaching staff as an assistant in 2015, becoming the youngest assistant hired during head coach Greg Kampe’s lengthy tenure at Valentine’s alma mater.
He jumped from Oakland to Loyola Chicago in 2017, where he spent four years as an assistant before taking over as the head coach in 2021 following Porter Moser’s departure for Oklahoma. Valentine has gone 63-39 at the helm, winning at least 21 games in three of his four seasons. This would be a natural time for Valentine to make the jump to a power-conference program, and Minnesota could use a young coach who is a proven winner. See more candidates at Gopher Illustrated.
How to get insider Minnesota coaching staff search updates
The rest of the list includes several other exciting possibilities, including a surprising name “who has surged to the front line as the lead candidate,” according to James. You can only see who it is at Gopher Illustrated.
Who are the top names in the Minnesota basketball coaching search, and who could the Golden Gophers be zeroing in on? Go to Gopher Illustrated to see their Minnesota coaching hot board and more, all from a team of reporters with extensive experience covering the Golden Gophers, and find out.
And reminder, Gopher Illustrated is offering 60% off an annual VIP membership as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
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