Ben Johnson is a Disaster

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kg21 said:
tubby called it basically the worst job in the big 10, because he sucked here.

Why is this job so horrible? You are in a mega-market and all you need is 5 guys on the floor.

someone explain why this job is so terrible?
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There's another thread about the good old days. This program has had its moments, but that doesn't fit the narrative, so that inconvenient fact is dismissed. The moments, though, have admittedly been tarnished or fleeting and not sustained.

The frustration of Gopher fans and boosters is that the alumni of this school are some of the most accomplished people in their professions and industries in the world. It's astonishing to them/us that success in the basketball program has been so elusive and the efforts so hapless much of the time.

I can't speak for any of you or the community of alums and boosters, but I think of the good old days as being in the future. I remain enthused at what this program ought to be able to accomplish and what it someday will.
 

Gopherfan84 said:
I thinking coaching matters on defense. For there I’ve seen improvement. I’m not ready to crush them on player development cause we haven’t had much to grade on.
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The staff has been working with this freshmen class since the summer. I haven’t seen much difference in the freshmen from early November to late January.

The staff shouldn’t be crushed on player development at this point but criticism is warranted. Not saying the freshmen should be given up on and they can’t improve but so far either the staff hasn’t done a good job with the freshmen or the players haven’t done a good job with the coaching they’re getting.
 
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scools12 said:
The staff has been working with this freshmen class since the summer. I haven’t seen much difference in the freshmen from early November to late January.

The staff shouldn’t be crushed on player development at this point but criticism is warranted. Not saying the freshmen should be given up on and they can’t improve but so far either the staff hasn’t done a good job with the freshmen or the players haven’t done a good job with the coaching they’re getting.
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I guess I’ve seen growth from JOJ and Payne. Carringtons been hurt. Henley has gotten better defensively (still not good) and has been better offensively the last two games. Maybe we’ve seen/expected different growths. I expected them to be a little better at the start of the year so there’s that.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I realize this is impossible, but -

It would be interesting to know what percentage of people are criticizing Ben Johnson strictly on his coaching performance, vs people who are criticizing Johnson because they see him as a "diversity hire" who didn't deserve the job.

to put it another way -
if you don't like Ben Johnson because you think he's a bad coach, well, that goes with the game.

but, if you don't like Ben Johnson because he's black - or you think the only reason he was hired is because he's black - that is a very different situation.

But, it's impossible to know that.
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I think the majority of people that were critical of the hire (including myself) were critical not due to Ben Johnson's race. It was because of his resume when he was hired. The anger wasn't directed at Ben Johnson, who from all indications is a great guy and would have been a fool to turn down the opportunity. The anger was directed at the administration for treating this like a lower division job.

It was either a diversity hire or a massive overplay of the "Minnesota connections" angle or both. Ben Johnson's qualifications were much more suited for Montana State than a P6 conference job. There were much more qualified candidates with "Minnesota connections" like Medved/Smith/Dutcher/Musselman? and much more qualified minority candidates like Shrewsberry/Gates/etc. The results on the court have thus far matched the expectations at the time of the hire and thus have elicited a negative response. The lack of a resume has also led to a shorter leash for many.

One more comment on race. I don't understand why a person would follow college or professional sports, which has a very high minority participation rate, but then be so bothered if the person leading that team was a minority. I just don't buy it as any meaningful percentage of the criticism he is receiving. Tubby Smith and Clem Haskins were as revered as any coaches in this town.
 




Spaulding!No! said:
Why would MN hire one of Pitino’s ex assistant. If Ben was the next Mark Few we woulda had better success with Pitino and Ben. Instead Ben was part of Pitino’s sad reign. It’s bad math.
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Maybe it was the stellar tutelage he got at Xavier under the guy who made zero NCAA tournaments and got fired?
 
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FWIW - on the Strib website, Michael Rand does a podcast called the "Daily Delivery." Reusse is on every Monday.

for today's episode, they get into a fairly lengthy discussion of Gopher basketball - both Men and Women.

Reusse said that Johnson was hired in part because the powers-that-be were trying to save money on the coach's salary. I think the quote went something like - "of course, if they would have been willing to pay a coach $6-Million, they could have gotten Musselman and he would have brought in some NIL, just like his old man used to."

but the segment is worth listening to. Reusse is more down on Whalen than he is on Johnson.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
FWIW - on the Strib website, Michael Rand does a podcast called the "Daily Delivery." Reusse is on every Monday.

for today's episode, they get into a fairly lengthy discussion of Gopher basketball - both Men and Women.

Reusse said that Johnson was hired in part because the powers-that-be were trying to save money on the coach's salary. I think the quote went something like - "of course, if they would have been willing to pay a coach $6-Million, they could have gotten Musselman and he would have brought in some NIL, just like his old man used to."

but the segment is worth listening to. Reusse is more down on Whalen than he is on Johnson.
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In life that is often what happens- you go cheap - you pay anyway. We are not paying Mussy the 4-6 million he would have wanted...and the stands are empty costing us a few million or more per year. Reusse is right- Muss would have come here- he never got the phone call.

Nobody should be mad at Ben. Given a chance he might make it here yet. He's a guy who, with no head coaching experience anywhere, landed a 2 mil a year Big Ten job. No one in their right mind turns that deal down.
 



As of this writing, the Gophers are 14th in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency in the B1G (Iowa is behind them). That is objectively bad in both categories, Being close to middle of the league in either category is not an unreasonable ask to provide evidence that you can coach basketball.
 

He hasn’t been around a lot of winning basketball programs so he needs some time.
 

formerlybis said:
As of this writing, the Gophers are 14th in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency in the B1G (Iowa is behind them). That is objectively bad in both categories, Being close to middle of the league in either category is not an unreasonable ask to provide evidence that you can coach basketball.
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As a complete basketball layperson saying this:

bball seems like a sport where there is actually very little that an opposing defender can do to physically prevent you from attempting a shot at the basket. (Compared to sports like hockey and football) You might not get the ideal shot that you'd like .... but it seems very rare to outright swat away a jump shot or steal the ball away before one can even be attempted.

So that must necessarily mean we are one of the worst shooting teams?? Why is that? Is it impossible to coach to be better in that?
 

Gophers_4life said:
As a complete basketball layperson saying this:

bball seems like a sport where there is actually very little that an opposing defender can do to physically prevent you from attempting a shot at the basket. (Compared to sports like hockey and football) You might not get the ideal shot that you'd like .... but it seems very rare to outright swat away a jump shot or steal the ball away before one can even be attempted.

So that must necessarily mean we are one of the worst shooting teams?? Why is that? Is it impossible to coach to be better in that?
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Oof. At the risk of mansplaining the sport, the defense’s aim is to make the opponent as inefficient as possible. That can happen any number of ways. Some teams use high-pressure defense to create a lot of turnovers. Another way is to try to make the opponent shoot low-efficiency mid-range shots (as opposed to layups and 3s). Being able to limit opponents to one shot per possession through good defensive rebounding is a good thing.

Reverse all of these things for offensive objectives. Don’t turn it over, take good shots, rebound (and shoot a lot of free throws helps, too).

Short summary - it’s not just about shooting. Minnesota doesn’t do well at most anything I’ve mentioned.
 



Spaulding!No! said:
He hasn’t been around a lot of winning basketball programs so he needs some time.
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Down the rabbit hole I go...

As a player at Northwestern Johnson's teams went 16-44 (3-29 in conference, including an 0-16 campaign)

As a player at Minnesota Johnson's teams went 31-32 (11-21 in conference)

Johnson's first assistant job was under Tom Schuberth at UTPA. In his two seasons there the Broncs went 33-28 (no conference) However, in that time there was many NCAA infractions that led to self imposed sanctions. This school no longer exists.

Johnson moved north to Norther Iowa for the next 4 seasons. The Panthers went 93-44 (48-23 in conference) with Coach Ben Johnson on the bench. Ben Jacobson has had a nice run there. He has made 4 NCAA tournaments and won a couple games--two of those tournament appearances came while Ben was there--including a run to the regional semifinal.

Next up, and for reasons I do not care to research, Ben moved to Nebraska for 1 season. That squad went 15-18 (5-13 in conference) in Tim Miles first year taking over for Ol' Doc Sadler. Off we go...

The following year Ben was roaming the locker room and sideline as an assistant at Minnesota and learning from current New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino. The Gophers would employ Mr. Johnson from 2013-2018, and in those five seasons they went 90-78 (31-59 in conference). The Gophers appeared in 1 NCAA tournament as a 5 seed and lost. We all know this.

Next up--Xavier came calling. The Musketeers had played in 16/18 NCAA tournaments when CBJ arrived. While there they were more like the Mousketeers and missed the tournament 3 consecutive times. The team went 51-37 (23-26 in conference).

Finally, BENJO ended up at his Alma Mater the University of Minnesota where he served as an assistant under Coach Pitino. His current record is 20-29 (5-24 in conference).

Overall from his college playing career to now his record on teams he was with is...
349-310 (126-195) 53% (39.3%)
 
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UpAndUnder43 said:
Down the rabbit hole I go...

As a player at Northwestern Johnson's teams went 16-44 (3-29 in conference, including an 0-16 campaign)

As a player at Minnesota Johnson's teams went 31-32 (11-21 in conference)

Johnson's first assistant job was under Tom Schuberth at UTPA. In his two seasons there the Broncs went 33-28 (no conference) However, in that time there was many NCAA infractions that led to self imposed sanctions. This school no longer exists.

Johnson moved north to Norther Iowa for the next 4 seasons. The Panthers went 93-44 (48-23 in conference) with Coach Ben Johnson on the bench. Ben Jacobson has had a nice run there. He has made 4 NCAA tournaments and won a couple games--two of those tournament appearances came while Ben was there--including a run to the regional semifinal.

Next up, and for reasons I do not care to research, Ben moved to Nebraska for 1 season. That squad went 15-18 (5-13 in conference) in Tim Miles first year taking over for Ol' Doc Sadler. Off we go...

The following year Ben was roaming the locker room and sideline as an assistant at Minnesota and learning from current New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino. The Gophers would employ Mr. Johnson from 2013-2018, and in those five seasons they went 90-78 (31-59 in conference). The Gophers appeared in 1 NCAA tournament as a 5 seed and lost. We all know this.

Next up--Xavier came calling. The Musketeers had played in 16/18 NCAA tournaments when CBJ arrived. While there they were more like the Mousketeers and missed the tournament 3 consecutive times. The team went 51-37 (23-26 in conference).

Finally, BENJO ended up at his Alma Mater the University of Minnesota where he served as an assistant under Coach Pitino. His current record is 20-29 (5-24 in conference).

Overall from his college playing career to now his record on teams he was with is...
349-310 (126-195) 53% (39.3%)
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I knew it wasn't good, but yikes. Take out Northern Iowa, and the Power 5 conference record is 78-172 (31%.) But I guess we would be thrilled with 6 wins this year.
 

speaking of records - saw this in a tweet somewhere:

since Mark Coyle became the Gophers' AD in the Spring of 2016:
the men's basketball team in B1G play is 43-83
the women's basketball team in B1G play is 46-67
combined B1G record of 89-150. winning % of .372

(but the football team won 11 games, so everything is fine......)
 

Bfan said:
View attachment 23524

Let's be honest. Money talks with other schools.

I once knew a guy, played offensive line, who said he was paid a little money, not a lot.

The reality is that Minnesota has to come up the hard way competing with more powerful basketball programs.

Minnesota Basketball is not a powerhouse basketball prograM.

Stop with these vague and flippant conclusions.

Judge Johnson on who he has managed to bringi in. Let's get specific here. Payne, JOJ, Christie...

And the Indiana game. That was dynamite coaching on video.

Let's see Johnson's ream finally assembled and then judge him.

Like the Indiana game.

Ok, early this season was an embarrassment. I am not in denial.

But Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan... that's legit coaching.

And we don't know why they did 't show up against Northwestern besides Garcia being out. Is that coaching or youth? O don't know.

Ok, I am done. Hey Coach Johnson gets to coach to next season is all I am saying.

I empathize with season ticket holders giving up and keeping the money.
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WINGSPAN
 

scools12 said:
The staff has been working with this freshmen class since the summer. I haven’t seen much difference in the freshmen from early November to late January.

The staff shouldn’t be crushed on player development at this point but criticism is warranted. Not saying the freshmen should be given up on and they can’t improve but so far either the staff hasn’t done a good job with the freshmen or the players haven’t done a good job with the coaching they’re getting.
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The biggest development occurs in the off-season when they’re not in school.

Playing twice a week, Watching film, traveling. Learning the game plan, going to class, studying and enjoying being a college student.
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
Down the rabbit hole I go...

As a player at Northwestern Johnson's teams went 16-44 (3-29 in conference, including an 0-16 campaign)

As a player at Minnesota Johnson's teams went 31-32 (11-21 in conference)

Johnson's first assistant job was under Tom Schuberth at UTPA. In his two seasons there the Broncs went 33-28 (no conference) However, in that time there was many NCAA infractions that led to self imposed sanctions. This school no longer exists.

Johnson moved north to Norther Iowa for the next 4 seasons. The Panthers went 93-44 (48-23 in conference) with Coach Ben Johnson on the bench. Ben Jacobson has had a nice run there. He has made 4 NCAA tournaments and won a couple games--two of those tournament appearances came while Ben was there--including a run to the regional semifinal.

Next up, and for reasons I do not care to research, Ben moved to Nebraska for 1 season. That squad went 15-18 (5-13 in conference) in Tim Miles first year taking over for Ol' Doc Sadler. Off we go...

The following year Ben was roaming the locker room and sideline as an assistant at Minnesota and learning from current New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino. The Gophers would employ Mr. Johnson from 2013-2018, and in those five seasons they went 90-78 (31-59 in conference). The Gophers appeared in 1 NCAA tournament as a 5 seed and lost. We all know this.

Next up--Xavier came calling. The Musketeers had played in 16/18 NCAA tournaments when CBJ arrived. While there they were more like the Mousketeers and missed the tournament 3 consecutive times. The team went 51-37 (23-26 in conference).

Finally, BENJO ended up at his Alma Mater the University of Minnesota where he served as an assistant under Coach Pitino. His current record is 20-29 (5-24 in conference).

Overall from his college playing career to now his record on teams he was with is...
349-310 (126-195) 53% (39.3%)
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This should be a sticky!
 



WindyCityGopher said:
Wingspan is totally going to be the name of Dennis Evans’ 175 acre mountain estate after his NBA playing days are done.
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Would be surprised if he didnt have the rockies renamed after him post-playing career. Or at least get Abe Lincoln replaced with his goggle headed mug on Mt. Rushmore.
 







short ornery norwegian said:
speaking of records - saw this in a tweet somewhere:

since Mark Coyle became the Gophers' AD in the Spring of 2016:
the men's basketball team in B1G play is 43-83
the women's basketball team in B1G play is 46-67
combined B1G record of 89-150. winning % of .372

(but the football team won 11 games, so everything is fine......)
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The funny part is, there's talk of Whalen's seat getting awfully warm and if you look at it, if Ben had Whalen's record, we have a few posters who would be pushing Ben for National Coach of the Year
 

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