Alumni & Boosters Again Trying to Influence Minnesota Gophers MBB Coaching Hire
So… there’s a Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball game today. In a perfect world, a Golden Gophers vs Maryland Terrapins hardcourt appetizer leading right into tonight’s Vikings vs Rams NFC Wildcard game, would be something worth getting excited about.
But this world is far from perfect, just like Ben Johnson’s head coaching record, and the 2024-25 Gophers men’s basketball team is proof of that. Entering Monday, Minnesota is sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten, as the only team remaining (0-5) without a conference victory (8-8 overall).
| Rk | School | W | L | W-L% | W | L | W-L% | Pts | Opp Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan St | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 14 | 2 | .875 | 81.3 | 66.0 |
| 2 | Michigan | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | 3 | .813 | 85.1 | 68.1 |
| 3 | Purdue | 5 | 1 | .833 | 13 | 4 | .765 | 78.4 | 68.5 |
| 4 | Oregon | 4 | 2 | .667 | 15 | 2 | .882 | 79.4 | 70.2 |
| 5 | Indiana | 4 | 2 | .667 | 13 | 4 | .765 | 78.0 | 71.1 |
| 6 | Illinois | 4 | 2 | .667 | 12 | 4 | .750 | 86.9 | 67.2 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 3 | 2 | .600 | 13 | 3 | .813 | 83.1 | 70.6 |
| 8 | Iowa | 3 | 2 | .600 | 12 | 4 | .750 | 89.6 | 76.7 |
| 9 | Maryland | 2 | 3 | .400 | 12 | 4 | .750 | 85.1 | 63.3 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 2 | 3 | .400 | 12 | 4 | .750 | 76.9 | 69.1 |
| 11 | UCLA | 2 | 3 | .400 | 11 | 5 | .688 | 75.0 | 62.6 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 2 | 3 | .400 | 10 | 6 | .625 | 81.1 | 71.1 |
| 13 | USC | 2 | 3 | .400 | 10 | 6 | .625 | 76.1 | 70.5 |
| 14 | Penn State | 2 | 4 | .333 | 12 | 5 | .706 | 84.4 | 70.6 |
| 15 | Northwestern | 1 | 4 | .200 | 10 | 6 | .625 | 73.7 | 66.9 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 1 | 4 | .200 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 76.4 | 74.6 |
| 17 | Washington | 1 | 5 | .167 | 10 | 7 | .588 | 73.2 | 71.8 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 0 | 5 | .000 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 68.2 | 67.5 |
If only Ben could schedule FCS and DII schools all season. Unfortunately for him, that’s not how it works in arguably the deepest conference in college basketball. Eventually, you have to play with the big boys and this team does not have the talent or coaching to do that.
Ben Johnson’s firing is near… but who replaces him?
I’ve said it before and I will note it again here, the Minnesota Gophers may not win a Big Ten game all season. If that were to happen, maybe the angry DMs and emails from U of M alumni and Ben Johnson apologists will stop…
Thankfully, those people do not hold the final decision. More than likely, after yet another season that will go down as one of the worst in Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball history, Ben Johnson will be relieved of his head coaching duties.
Related: Minnesota Gophers Fans and Media Need to Stop Making Excuses for Ben Johnson
At that point, it won’t matter who has his back. This program is in such bad shape — and it’ll be even worse two months from now — that not even his most dedicated and powerful supporters will be able to object against his firing.
When that happens, who will be the Minnesota Gophers next head basketball coach? There are a lot of proven college basketball coaches who have had interest in the Gophers men’s head coaching job before, going all the way back to Richard Pitino’s initial hiring.
This time around, it’s already been reported that usual contenders Craig Smith (Utah), Niko Medved (Colorado State) and former Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders all have interest, among others. And guess what, only one of those names has ZERO collegiate coaching experience and ZERO success at the one level he did coach.
Minnesota Gophers alumni and select boosters want Ryan Saunders
Yet, according to a report over the weekend from Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), University of Minnesota “alumni and select boosters” have already set their sights on Ryan Saunders, who played two seasons at the University of Minnesota from 2004 to 2006 and went 43-94 as an NBA head coach in three seasons from 2018 to 2021.
Alumni and assorted boosters are pushing Ryan Saunders, the ex-Gopher who is an assistant for the Denver Nuggets, for the Gophers head job if there is a coaching change at season’s end.
Charley Walters – Pioneer Press
It doesn’t surprise me that the University of Minnesota alumni and “select” boosters want Ryan Saunders to be the next hire for the Golden Gophers men’s team. This is the same group that demanded athletic director Mark Coyle hire Ben Johnson, after Richard Pitino was fired. Ryan is a great guy, but in no way is he the best or most qualified candidate interested in this job.
But we are talking about a group of alumni and boosters who only care about one thing, and it’s “one of us”. If someone did not go to school at the U of M and/or grow up in the state of Minnesota, there is no amount of winning that would make them support that coach. Which is why these “alumni and select boosters” should never be allowed a say in head coaching hires.
Has Minnesota AD Mark Coyle learned his lesson?
Hopefully, after one failed round of allowing “alumni and select boosters” to choose the head men’s basketball coach (yes that is how Ben got the job) Coyle is smart enough to ignore them. Remember, our athletic director’s expertise, upon arrival, was basketball.
Related: Local Insider Floats the “Logical Choice” for Next Gophers MBB Head Coach
He was in the AD office at Kentucky and Syracuse when those schools were making National Championship runs. He made a smart football hire, with PJ Fleck, but basketball is supposed to be his bread and butter.
Everyone needs to let him make the hire and live or die with the consequences. Get the alumni out of his ear before they screw things up yet again. Because Minnesota Gophers fans do not care where the next coach hails from. We just miss March Madness.
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