I wouldn’t say Ben Johnson is a “disaster”. I will say he is in over his heard. He deserves a large chunk of the blame but I’m firmly in the belief that the University deserves the larger majority of the blame. They hired him. But what has this University done in their hiring processes to make you think they’d actually hire a “coach”? Truly. Look at the history. It’s been since the 90’s that they’ve had a competent coach that “consistently” has our beloved team prepared to play each and every game. They need to cut the crap and “PAY” for a proven coach. The University has the money to do it. They aren’t fooling anyone. We are in one of the best conferences in the nation. It shouldn’t be hard to get a guy here. Will they over pay? Yes. Will they have players that won’t pan out? Yes. Will we miss out on top in-state recruits? Sure. But will we see a gopher team come into a game looking like they should be regulated to a lower conference? HELL NO.
Hire a person who has a track recorded of winning/recruiting/developing. I know it’s easy for me to sit on my couch and type this out, but money tends to do crazy things to people. Even ones who have it made sitting in a comfortable position with not real reason to look for something “better”. It’s human nature. People have always and will always look to level up in some odd way, shape, or form. Till this happens we will consistently get the same results which include a couple of NCAA Tournament appearances.
Everyone do themselves a favor and take a deep breath. Don’t let this program be the reason you have a bad day. If it’s frustrating, please do yourself and others who genuinely enjoy your company favor and put the University sporting teams on the back burner . Focus on the positives in life and let the negatives flow with the wind.
Love this forum and all that contribute!
I couldn't agree more with your last paragraph. It's hard to see your team wallowing in last place. But I also disagree with the notion that Johnson is in over his head. I certainly don't have tangible evidence to support that right now, but I believe the guy can recruit, which is the lifeblood of any program. And the combination of Evans, Christie, a transfer portal guard, possible depth help from Ihnen and Fox, and the improvement of the current players may get them towards the middle of the pack of the Big Ten next year. That isn't fantasy, it's quite possible.
Lots of improvement needs to happen next year, but people tend to forget it is still his 2nd year, and his first year didn't start out with a perfect recruiting scenario. So I would say it would be great if everyone took a deep breath about this team, it's human nature to blame the coach. Sometimes it takes time. The circumstances haven't been great (arrived very late for recruiting the first year, injuries to key players, etc. Sure, excuses, excuses, "Johnson apologist". Let's see where they end up after next years season. Give the guy a chance..