Fire Ben Johnson

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Gopheritnow said:
Ok,this is post #716 of the FBJ marathon. It’s time to come up with an answer. But how?

I propose a game between the Johnson coached Gophers and a team coached by someone who is a long time, experienced coach highly regarded in the profession. Someone who is a wet dream of all the Ben must go crowd.

The contest would be a one game winner takes all. It would settle once and for all whether Johnson is indeed a college basketball coach, or someone who was simply a DEI hire and should instead be an assistant at Cherry High School.

What? You mean the game has already been played? I haven’t seen much on here at all from the FBJ crowd? What happened? Who won? 🤔
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I rest my case. Dipshits like this continue to drive this program deeper and deeper into the mud.
 


Ope3 said:
In the current Portal climate, I'm not sure that's relevant anymore.At least it shouldn't be.
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Speaking of relevant, what we think is or isn't relevant with coaching contracts isn't...relevant.

It's the way things are done, right wrong or dumb. He won't come back unless there's an extension.
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
Speaking of relevant, what we think is or isn't relevant with coaching contracts isn't...relevant.

It's the way things are done, right wrong or dumb. He won't come back unless there's an extension.
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He could land an HC job for more pay
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
Speaking of relevant, what we think is or isn't relevant with coaching contracts isn't...relevant.

It's the way things are done, right wrong or dumb. He won't come back unless there's an extension.
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I don't disagree, and Coyle/Johnson are unlikely to be trend setters in that regard in P5 circles.

Different sports but John Anderson was allowed to coach out his contact, perhaps Don Lucia too? Dan Monson did it at Long Beach St as well and took his team to the NCAA Tournament as a swan song.

Other options would be that 4th Year having an extremely minimal buyout or come with a reduction after the 2026 season.

I'm not advocating anything one way or another, just suggesting "what if"?
 




GopherBlood777 said:
I take back every negative thing I've said about Ben if he starts Asuma/Patterson/Odukale/Garcia/F.Mitchell against UCLA. This will demonstrate growth.
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Would you accept play most minutes or does it need to be start? I’d think play most minutes is superior, right?
 






GopherBlood777 said:
I take back every negative thing I've said about Ben if he starts Asuma/Patterson/Odukale/Garcia/F.Mitchell against UCLA. This will demonstrate growth.
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That won't happen. Asuma is a sixth man, though Frank Mitchell may start. But, it's highly unlikely that Ben switches up his first five.
 





GopherBlood777 said:
I take back every negative thing I've said about Ben if he starts Asuma/Patterson/Odukale/Garcia/F.Mitchell against UCLA. This will demonstrate growth.
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Ben seems like a good man and the players seem to respect him and accept his values and beliefs.

But this is one of the things I dislike about Ben. He continues to trot out the same five no matter who is playing the best at the time. Being a starter has a certain stigma that all players strive for plus players want those who deserve that designation to be worthy. If not, it could cause dissension.

Somehow the guys seem to accept their given role versus the role that they often deserve.
 




USAF said:
THIS is why Johnson should have been fired long ago. Idiots are going to keep his sorry ass another year.
"They didn't give up!!" As if that's somehow something to hang your hat on, rather than something that should be expected.
You deserve to continue wallowing in the mud, but I hate that you idiots--who claim to be Gopher fans--cause this shit and then lament innocently, all while dragging the program down to laughing stock status.
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The team not giving up is part of why you play the games. The real problem is why have they started so horribly each season, so that we have to embrace the mentality of "but they didn't give up!"? Answer: the team, under Ben, blows up every year. This means we are on year 0 number 4.

Four year zeroes is unacceptable under any coach in any sport. You can blame the changes in the landscape, but everyone saw them coming. You can say the A.D. didn't help out, but Coyle had to deal with the changes and how they would affect all the sports teams. You have to look at the head coach, especially since we were told one of his strengths is recruiting. The changes in the landscape exposed how much of a fairy tale that was.

Ben has reassembled this team every year and it is not a noble thing, it is a handicap. If you buy in to the on-the-job training as a good thing, then putting in an inordinate amount of time finding players held back his development in the other areas.

Putting a new team together every year is not something a head coach should be doing. It says two things. First, players don't have this team high on their "want to play for" schools. Secondly, players aren't being swayed by the coach to give this school a chance. That's a recruiting failure.

You can argue that NIL was not pressed enough because it turns out we have been losing NIL battles for MBB players. You can't lay it at the feet of the A.D. entirely since he is caught between the administration and the program. Administration continually has pressure about not paying a head coach more than academics.

If the program needed that much more attention to retain players then it falls on the shoulders of the head coach to raise the issue to a level of his urgency and satisfaction with the A.D. The coach has to overcome the objections of administrators with the A.D. so his program can succeed. Four years of rebuilding each year says Ben didn't do that.

So, regardless of this year's outcome, Ben should be given opportunities elsewhere. He should realize four year zeroes is sufficient negligence of the program regardless of the circumstances. Worse, since he was an assistant under the previous HC, he should understand the historical hole this program has been in for over a decade. I don't think he grasps the urgency fans have in terms of putting zero win conference seasons behind us. We need a coach who has the drive to get consistently higher results on the court.
 

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 know it does fit your spiel but I don’t think there was many if any people that have not wanted this work. Yea there is definitely different camps in terms of how quickly some realized this just wasn’t going to work.

Also I think some inherently never liked the idea that there were factors other than objective qualifications that went into this hire. Whether it be Ben being here, relative affordability or the political climate at the time it is pretty clear that factors other than resume were definitely in play. But I think if you are implying that from the very beginning fans wanted to suffer through losing and no NCAA bids, I think that isn’t based in reality but rather a need to believe that you are the super fan and the rest of the fanbase isn’t. I don’t really have a dog in the fight but sorry just my observations.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
Ben seems like a good man and the players seem to respect him and accept his values and beliefs.

But this is one of the things I dislike about Ben. He continues to trot out the same five no matter who is playing the best at the time. Being a starter has a certain stigma that all players strive for plus players want those who deserve that designation to be worthy. If not, it could cause dissension.

Somehow the guys seem to accept their given role versus the role that they often deserve.
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I understand what you mean. It is something that is inherent in competitive people.

I think that is something lot of peope would say a good coach recognizes.

From my coaching days, I would like you to consider that while a good coach respects that, a great coach trains it out of you.

The “need” to start is a self limiting condition. A mentally tough player will learn to focus on “the next…..play.” The goal is tailored to sport/game function of player. The more specific in the instance the better.

For example, a baseball pitcher would focus on the next pitch, and throw a good low strike. This is always true; no matter when they come into the game.

If you start to focus in mental toughness traiing in sport you will see a consistent pattern amongst players that consistently win championships. People often call it “clutch” or has “it.” The truth is all one is doing is removing irrelevant information from their mind/focus.

A counterintuitive example would point to players who “put the team on their back,” or “get up for the playoffs.” They don’t actually get up. They distinctly stay the same, regardless of externalities. Thus, their performance stands out to the rest of us.
 

WoodburyTim said:
I know it does fit your spiel but I don’t think there was many if any people that have not wanted this work. Yea there is definitely different camps in terms of how quickly some realized this just wasn’t going to work.

Also I think some inherently never liked the idea that there were factors other than objective qualifications that went into this hire. Whether it be Ben being here, relative affordability or the political climate at the time it is pretty clear that factors other than resume were definitely in play. But I think if you are implying that from the very beginning fans wanted to suffer through losing and no NCAA bids, I think that isn’t based in reality but rather a need to believe that you are the super fan and the rest of the fanbase isn’t. I don’t really have a dog in the fight but sorry just my observations.
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I think at this point there really isn't much mystery who the jerks are that I am referring too when I talk about those that will take joy in Johnson getting fired. They are well known on this board and quite a few people have them on ignore. :)

Obviously most wanted the hire to work and take no joy in seeing it fail. Some definitely bailed quicker than others on the experiment. For my part, it isn't some desire to be seen as superior to other posters or be viewed as some sort of super fan....I just prefer to look for the good in sports as opposed to dwelling on the negative.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I think at this point there really isn't much mystery who the jerks are that I am referring too when I talk about those that will take joy in Johnson getting fired. They are well known on this board and quite a few people have them on ignore. :)

Obviously most wanted the hire to work and take no joy in seeing it fail. Some definitely bailed quicker than others on the experiment. For my part, it isn't some desire to be seen as superior to other posters or be viewed as some sort of super fan....I just prefer to look for the good in sports as opposed to dwelling on the negative.
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To be fair there are annoying posters on both sides of this. I am not sure why either side thinks the Ben Johnson hill is the hill to die on, but I guess the arguing makes for something to talk about.🤷‍♂️
 

MNVCGUY said:
I think at this point there really isn't much mystery who the jerks are that I am referring too when I talk about those that will take joy in Johnson getting fired. They are well known on this board and quite a few people have them on ignore. :)

Obviously most wanted the hire to work and take no joy in seeing it fail. Some definitely bailed quicker than others on the experiment. For my part, it isn't some desire to be seen as superior to other posters or be viewed as some sort of super fan....I just prefer to look for the good in sports as opposed to dwelling on the negative.
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So...the good thing is...we still have a shot at the #15 seed in the Big10 tournament. That bright side is like having a 5 watt bulb in an underground bunker made for one.
 

FinnGopher said:
So...the good thing is...we still have a shot at the #15 seed in the Big10 tournament. That bright side is like having a 5 watt bulb in an underground bunker made for one.
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Nobody thinks just qualifying for the Big Ten tournament is some sort of massive accomplishment but at this point its where the season is at. So for those of us that want to root for the teams still we will pull for the them to make it to the BTT.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Nobody thinks just qualifying for the Big Ten tournament is some sort of massive accomplishment but at this point its where the season is at. So for those of us that want to root for the teams still we will pull for the them to make it to the BTT.
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One can root for the team and not get excited about barely making the cut for a conference tournament. One can root for the team without getting excited for the team to play an extra game that won't change the outcome of the season.
I can be happy my son didn't drown in the pool even if he came in last place and all the other kids had to wait an extra 3 minutes for him to finish swimming the event, but that doesn't mean I'll be thrilled he gets to swim in sections.
 

FinnGopher said:
So...the good thing is...we still have a shot at the #15 seed in the Big10 tournament. That bright side is like having a 5 watt bulb in an underground bunker made for one.
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Actually the Gophers are currently 2 better than the #15 seed. They are tied for 13th place with Iowa and have the head-to-head advantage.
 

FinnGopher said:
One can root for the team and not get excited about barely making the cut for a conference tournament. One can root for the team without getting excited for the team to play an extra game that won't change the outcome of the season.
I can be happy my son didn't drown in the pool even if he came in last place and all the other kids had to wait an extra 3 minutes for him to finish swimming the event, but that doesn't mean I'll be thrilled he gets to swim in sections.
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I certainly hope he wasn't in the 100 meter freestyle.
 


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