MINEPOLIS – Ben Johnson was already dressed at the home of Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle for a visit.
Johnson wore a gophers pullover that left his first impression. His first job as head coach of the men’s basketball team will persuade more Minnesota kids to wear maroon and gold.
“We have great high school coaches, great AAU coaches and kids who feel good and know how to play basketball, so we’ll do our job in the state to keep those people at home,” Johns said. A social distance news conference on the team’s practice court on Tuesday, two days after he met with Cuckoo and university president John Gable to present his vision for the event, in which he was previously part as a player and assistant.
Johnson, 40, grew up in Minneapolis, plays for powerhouse Delaseyle High School and spent two seasons in the Northwest before moving to Gophers in 2001. His coaching career took him from Dayton to Texas-Pan American, Northern Iowa to Nebraska to Minnesota, where he was on Richard Petino’s staff for five years. He left for Xavier, where he spent the last three seasons.
When Petino was fired last week with a 54-96 record for the Big Ten play, Johnson quickly found himself on a short list of possible replacements for the Cuckoo despite never having been head coach before.
“Every kid in the state, just like me, needs to wait one day to play at Williams Arena. They need to try to be a gopher and look forward to generating that energy and enthusiasm,” Jones said.
For five years in his position, Cuckoo has been swept up by the lack of traction of the program during a time when state high school talent was never high.
Sure, the best local recruits went to a destination program like Duke or Gonzaga. Still, Colorado (McKinley Wright IV), Texas (Jericho Sims) and Wisconsin (Brad Davison and Net Reavers) were among the teams in this season’s NCAA Tournament with standout seniors from Minnesota.
“We look around the area and the number of kids who aren’t here. We’ll get them here,” Coyle said, adding that Brian Dutcher (San Diego State), Craig Smith (Utah State), Dennis Gates () were also present. Cleveland State) and Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa) among others on its radar.
Petino had some key-in-state players. Amir Kofi and Daniel Oturu now play for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, and Johnson’s A The main reason Why they chose to stay at home. The current team’s best defender, shooting guard Gabe Kalsheur, is another homegrown player.
Along with the Musketeers, Johnson also helped head coach Travis Steele sign in for the top two consecutive 30-year recruiting classes over the past two years.
“I’m not worried about the content of the game,” Coyle said, “he knows how to do‘ X ’and‘ O ’with someone. He will learn how to make timelines. He would surround himself with a great staff. “
Johnson, who has an annual base salary of 1. 1.95 million and a five-year contract, was asked what he believed would be his biggest initial challenge. He has named former Nebraska coaches Tim Miles, Jacobson, Steele and Petino among his many mentors. She then earned zeroes on Tom Izo (26 seasons) of Michigan State and Matt Painter (16 seasons) of Purdue as role models for identity and stability.
“You can tell Purdue players and Michigan State players. That’s going to be our goal. I want our fans to say, ‘He’s a Minnesota dude.’ “We are proud of our state and our program, and we will not fail,” Johns said.
Johnson also joins the athletics division at a time when every other head coach of the Gophers Sports is white. A report published two weeks ago by the Star Tribune found Minnesota to be the only current Big Ten organization without a school president, athletic director or head coach of color.
.Historically, the Big Ten leaders in that field are gophers hoops. Since Wisconsin became Bill Coffield’s first blackhead men’s basketball coach in 1976, there have been more than two programs in Michigan (Juan Howard, Tommy Amaker and Brian Allerbe) and Minnesota (Johnson, Toby Smith and Clem Hanskins). .
Rutgers had three Black Head coaches at the time, most recently with Eddie Jordan, but only in the Big Ten since 2014. Never one in four teams. Excluding interim replacements, Johnson’s first year will come in 22nd for the Gophers with Black Leadership in 46 seasons after renting the Cofield landmark. Wolverines will be with 13.
“Guys like me haven’t been given these opportunities in the past. He’s an elephant in the room, right? Our leadership has stepped in and provided this platform for me. Now it’s my job to do my best, and hopefully” I’m the next person. So I can open the door, “Jones said.” I have a lot of friends who are very capable coaches. I was lucky that a lot of things came up to put me in this position today, and I’m humbled by it, and I realize there are a lot more. Guys who can be here. I got it. I don’t think I’m the person who thinks I have all the answers, but I don’t know if I’m the right person for the job. “
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