Fire Ben Johnson

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mngolf said:
I don't know how that will turn out, but there is an argument for going for it while you can. That success can then lead to more.
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The fact that Ohio State has more road games in future years due to the expansion of the BIG and the longer BIG schedule means that year over year Ohio State will not have as much game revenue for football. The loss is substantial. Due to that loss, their incentive to stay in this current BIG conference schedule is not in their financial interest. In fact, it is not in any of the BIG schools' interest to continue with more BIG games as opposed to more non-conference games.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Thanks for checking. Makes sense that the soft non-conf schedule kept the bubble just out of reach prior to dropping 5 of the last 6.

BTT is a month away. Surprised we don't have a countdown to the coaching change clock on the site as it should happen at some point in the next 30 days now. :)
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If Ben is let go it will be a sad story. Hoping for great finish to the season that gets an extension. Let’s go!
 

Spaulding!No! said:
If Ben is let go it will be a sad story. Hoping for great finish to the season that gets an extension. Let’s go!
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Unfortunately I think that ship has sailed at this point. i wanted it to work out for Johnson because that would have been the best case scenario for the team after he was hired but it just isn't happening.

There are some asshats here that will take some serious joy in Johnson getting fired because it will mean they were right about him which will make them feel special. But for the majority of us it will be a bummer that it didn't work out but it is time to try something different.
 

SelectionSunday said:
I checked history on GopherHole to confirn, and last season I never had the Gophers in the bubble conversation. So for sure it's been all 4 seasons not even a sniff.
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The peak of the Ben Johnson era was heading into January of his first season. I believe we may have even received a vote or 2 for top 25 following the strong non-conference play and splitting our first 2 B1G games. It was all downhill from there.
 



MNVCGUY said:
Unfortunately I think that ship has sailed at this point. i wanted it to work out for Johnson because that would have been the best case scenario for the team after he was hired but it just isn't happening.

There are some asshats here that will take some serious joy in Johnson getting fired because it will mean they were right about him which will make them feel special. But for the majority of us it will be a bummer that it didn't work out but it is time to try something different.
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I can't speak for anyone else, but there will be no joy on my part...there will, however, be relief and maybe hope. I say maybe because these four years have damaged the program so, perhaps irreparably. I want to believe there's a way to dig the program out of the hole it's dug itself into, but I don't know.

For various reasons--including some that are perhaps unknown or unclear--this is a tough place to build a program and win. Let's admit that. The empirical evidence is all that one needs to see. But nothing is a lost cause. This is an extraordinary challenge, requiring extraordinary measures and an extraordinary new coach to come in and get things going in the right direction. Whoever it is, they had better be extraordinary, because anything less won't do it.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
Unfortunately I think that ship has sailed at this point. i wanted it to work out for Johnson because that would have been the best case scenario for the team after he was hired but it just isn't happening.

There are some asshats here that will take some serious joy in Johnson getting fired because it will mean they were right about him which will make them feel special. But for the majority of us it will be a bummer that it didn't work out but it is time to try something different.
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I really wanted him to stay as well. There was a point after winning 3 out of 4 in the Big Ten where I thought we had genuinely turned a corner and were heading in the right direction but we turned the wrong corner against Washington. A five hundred record would be nothing short of a miracle. We have not progressed the way a senior heavy team should have
 

MNVCGUY said:
Thanks for checking. Makes sense that the soft non-conf schedule kept the bubble just out of reach prior to dropping 5 of the last 6.

BTT is a month away. Surprised we don't have a countdown to the coaching change clock on the site as it should happen at some point in the next 30 days now. :)
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Just out of reach?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 

Bad Gopher said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but there will be no joy on my part...but there will be relief and maybe hope. I say maybe because these four years have damaged the program so, perhaps irreparably. I want to believe there's a way to dig the program out of the hole it's dug itself into, but I don't know.

For various reasons-- including some that are perhaps unknown or unclear--this is a tough place to build a program and win. Let's admit that. The empirical evidence is all that one needs to see. But nothing is a lost cause. This is an extraordinary challenge, requiring extraordinary measures and an extraordinary new coach to come in and get things going in the right direction. Whoever it is, they had better be extraordinary, because anything less won't do it.
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Your first paragraph is spot on. Hiring Johnson set this program back a long way.

Mn admin must support the bb program in all aspects to make it successful. I don't think anyone needs to be extraordinary just very competent.
 



GopherBlood777 said:
The peak of the Ben Johnson era was heading into January of his first season. I believe we may have even received a vote or 2 for top 25 following the strong non-conference play and splitting our first 2 B1G games. It was all downhill from there.
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To me the peak was knocking off Butler in the NIT last year. At that point they had qualified for a post season tournament, won a game (against a program with a solid track record) and had a roster full of players that could return the following year.....but it was all downhill from there.
 

BarnBurner said:
Your first paragraph is spot on. Hiring Johnson set this program back a long way.

Mn admin must support the bb program in all aspects to make it successful. I don't think anyone needs to be extraordinary just very competent.
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No reason to not shoot for extraordinary, though. The kind of person that can transform your program and take it to a different level. Like Clem did, taking the Gophers to the Final Four for the first time ever. Like Bennett and Ryan for Wisconsin. Like Tarkanian at UNLV. Like Few at Gonzaga. Why not us? I feel strongly that, if you don't think the person you're hiring has hall-of-fame potential, you're hiring the wrong person.
 

MNVCGUY said:
To me the peak was knocking off Butler in the NIT last year. At that point they had qualified for a post season tournament, won a game (against a program with a solid track record) and had a roster full of players that could return the following year.....but it was all downhill from there.
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And even that was not at the same level that Pitino had accomplished through his third year (NIT title, NCAA contention his first two years).
 

Bad Gopher said:
And even that was not at the same level that Pitino had accomplished through his third year (NIT title, NCAA contention his first two years).
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Correct....but at least there were some signs of things moving in the right direction still at that point. Certainly wasn't a great accomplishment but after how brutal the 2 previous years were there was some reason for hope with a roster that definitely showed improvement and in theory would be mostly in tact the following year.

That's why I see that point as the high water mark....but even that low bar seem unreachable at the moment which is why I feel strongly a change will be made after the season.
 



Bad Gopher said:
No reason to not shoot for extraordinary, though. The kind of person that can transform your program and take it to a different level. Like Clem did, taking the Gophers to the Final Four for the first time ever. Like Bennett and Ryan for Wisconsin. Like Tarkanian at UNLV. Like Few at Gonzaga. Why not us? I feel strongly that, if you don't think the person you're hiring has hall-of-fame potential, you're hiring the wrong person.
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Oh no argument here on shooting for top line.

Agree with all of that. There is no reason Mn can't play near the top.

If you go on gi, so many are of the opinion it's just so much more difficult at Mn. Mn can't this and can't that.

That's garbage.
 


BarnBurner said:
Oh no argument here on shooting for top line.

Agree with all of that. There is no reason Mn can't play near the top.

If you go on gi, so many are of the opinion it's just so much more difficult at Mn. Mn can't this and can't that.

That's garbage.
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"Difficult" and "can't" are two entirely different things. I go back to my gradeschool-age daughters claiming they couldn't make their beds because it was too hard. Thank goodness they grew beyond that self-imposed limitation.
 

MNVCGUY said:
To me the peak was knocking off Butler in the NIT last year. At that point they had qualified for a post season tournament, won a game (against a program with a solid track record) and had a roster full of players that could return the following year.....but it was all downhill from there.
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Nah, if you receive votes for top 25, you are at minimum on the bubble for ncaa. If you're in the NIT, you've already missed the ncaa.
 

Gopheritnow said:
First you questioned whether a "five star" player could be coached up by the Gopher staff? Then you say that the only thing close to that kind of talent we had improved?

Then you question Paynes development course, which I disagree with, as apparently did Texas A&M. Either that or they forked over a reported $500k for little value.

Then you contend an NIL windfall is not forthcoming here, yet expect some miracle worker to come here and recruit talent to a sweet 16 level? Someone like Pitino or Tubby? Did Tubby or Pitino ever have to deal with the reality of NIL while here?

Asinine? Or self contradictory? I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder?
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You said:
"Nobody is asking for Kentucky level recruits. What we are asking is for our team to have a shot at a sweet 16 run, not unfeasible. We had it with Pitino, and we had it with Tubby."

Did you mean to say Clem Haskins who actually made to the S16 and final 4.
 

If Ben's high water mark was winning one NIT game, that only seemed like any kind of an accomplishment because of how historically bad his first two seasons were. When your best finish is worse than the season that got a coach fired in 2013, then things are not going well for the program.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
If Ben's high water mark was winning one NIT game, that only seemed like any kind of an accomplishment because of how historically bad his first two seasons were. When your best finish is worse than the season that got a coach fired in 2013, then things are not going well for the program.
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Ya think? Don't think you would be able to find anyone (at least anyone sane) who thinks things are going well right now with Gopher basketball.
 

MNVCGUY said:
To me the peak was knocking off Butler in the NIT last year. At that point they had qualified for a post season tournament, won a game (against a program with a solid track record) and had a roster full of players that could return the following year.....but it was all downhill from there.
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I think it was the Ohio State win last February.

Great crowd at the Barn, we booed Battle everytime he touched the ball, and beat the Buckeyes handily. That win got us to 8-7 in the Big Ten, we were playing well, making the Dance was very much possible at that moment.

2 weeks later...we'd completely flamed out, finished 9-11 in the league, and pissed away a very winnable game against Michigan State in our one chance at a home BTT.

Beating Butler was nice, but no way would I even consider that for Ben's high water mark.
 

PWell previously I was ok with letting the season play out with the team playing adequately but man they’ve just fallen apart even with an older lineup.
 

howeda7 said:
It's officially time. What will be done eventually should be done immediately. The chances of making the NCAA's this year is officially zero. Let the remaining fans know you care and are paying attention. Give the players something to re-group around. And most importantly get a jump on the search for a new coach.
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Hey hey hey

Not To Day🥳

Doris Day🤠
 




MNVCGUY said:
To me the peak was knocking off Butler in the NIT last year. At that point they had qualified for a post season tournament, won a game (against a program with a solid track record) and had a roster full of players that could return the following year.....but it was all downhill from there.
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peak was definitely beating Michigan State last year and nearing the NCAA bubble. had they finished 11-9 or better they would have had a shot
 

MNVCGUY said:
Similar to the winning streak, games like today aren't likely to change the end result of Johnson getting fired at the end of the year but it is great to see the players still out there playing hard and getting rewarded for it.
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Members of the local media are already declaring that he's earned another year. Imagine once he beats Northwestern and Penn State.
 



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