After hiring familiar names in Tubby Smith and Richard Pitino, Minnesota went with an up-and-coming assistant when the Golden Gophers hired Ben Johnson from Xavier in 2021. While there were signs of improvement like a 19-15 campaign in 2023-24, Johnson was never able to get Minnesota to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons. The program decided to go in a new direction on Thursday, when Johnson was fired.
The Golden Gophers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and they will look for a leader with a talent acquisition plan that can position Minnesota for a return to relevance in the new-look Big Ten. 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. A prolific scorer at Oakland, Valentine quickly moved into coaching and worked his way up as a graduate assistant at Michigan State, an assistant at Oakland and an assistant at Loyola before getting the head coaching job there in 2021.
He’s gone 63-39 at Loyola and made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He’s won at least 21 games in three of his four years and is known as a strong recruiter.
“Valentine is young, he is energetic, and he has recruited Minnesota quite successfully landing a couple players and getting several to campus for visits,” James said. 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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