Scoggins: Word is Mark Coyle wants to build Gophers men’s basketball. What does it mean for Ben Johnson?

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MaxyJR1 said:
More at the expense of Olympic sports, baseball, and softball. About 5% is going to be spread across those sports. NIL is still going to be important.

I feel like Ben might be back and Coyle is comfortable with the product the last two seasons. Maybe he truly feels that revenue sharing is going to be the difference for the MBB program and the coach isn't the issue.
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Please, no.
 




GopherGrit said:
Every Big Ten school can choose to spend the same amount as the Gophers on MBB, in terms of revenue sharing.

Wouldn't it then just go right back to any additional NIL that third parties can muster?


Maybe it puts us higher than some Big 12 and ACC (and other conference) teams though.
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He said he wants to be in top 1/3 of Big Ten. If he does that, that puts in top 1/3 - not spending same. Yes, everyone is choosing whatever they want to choose, Chip just saying word is Coyle wants to be top 1/3. That would be great! And would be more than 2/3 of Big Ten. Not that hard to understand.
 


If Coyle does bring Johnson back for another year and it’s another one of mediocre performance and no tournament (as many observers from his first 4 years expect), then Coyle’s ass needs to be on the firing line, too. He’s solely responsible for letting this program die on the vine and needs to be held accountable.
 

BleedGopher said:
Per Chip:

Coyle does not make it a practice to comment publicly on a coach’s job status during the season, so I’m not certain if he has made a final decision.

However, my conversations with people connected to the athletic department have shed light on a critical piece to the puzzle: Coyle plans to be aggressive in how much of the $20.5 million in revenue-sharing gets allocated to men’s basketball.

The goal, sources say, is for men’s basketball to rank in the top third of the Big Ten in revenue-sharing, which would close the gap on competitors in name, image and likeness (NIL) distribution to players.

The Gophers desperately need more success, and more revenue generated, from men’s basketball. Coyle seems willing and determined to invest financially to jumpstart that program.

www.startribune.com

Scoggins: Word is Mark Coyle wants to build Gophers men’s basketball. What does it mean for Ben Johnson?

People connected to the University of Minnesota say the athletic director wants to invest in the program. Does the coach get to come along?
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
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If this part of the article is remotely true, how can you bring him back?

Winning matters to him. Optics matter. Fan apathy is one of the factors in his decision to fire football coach Tracy Claeys in 2017. Coyle was worried and bothered when he looked out and saw rows of empty seats at Huntington Bank Stadium on gameday.

Fan apathy has settled into men’s basketball. The Gophers were averaging 8,606 fans at Williams Arena going into the home finale after averaging 8,140 last season, which was the lowest mark since 1969-70.

The program needs a jolt. Revenue-sharing at $20-plus million annually raises the pressure on athletic departments to be successful in football and men’s basketball. Johnson is a nice guy who got dealt a tough hand with the timing of his hiring during the vortex of NIL, but his program’s popularity has plummeted in this crowded sports market.
 

bmb5270 said:
There's been an ongoing debate where most have said that Ben is not a very good coach. Certainly the record supports this. Others have said that he hasn't had a fair shot because we lack the NIL resources to aquire and keep talent. If he is brought back and has 5-6 million to work with, as the Scroggins article says, it should settle the debate.
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He’ll need 10. 😗
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
They go hand in hand. See last 25 years of results.
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You make this point constantly. What you don’t acknowledge is that in poor results the last 25 years, the last four have been far and away the worst of any stretch. When you start sharing data that the only reason quality players are avoiding the U is poor administration and lack of cash, your point will gain credibility. I’m not seeing that. I’m open to be convinced otherwise.
 




Bad Gopher said:
Take this for what it's worth. Not sure if "steam" is the same as inside info.

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Let’s say this is true. Wouldn’t you have to give Johnson a 6th year?

If the last 4 years weren’t enough time to make a decision on Johnson it would seem logical you need to give him more than one year under the revenue sharing plan and increased NIL budget. 🤷‍♂️
 

howeda7 said:
If this part of the article is remotely true, how can you bring him back?

Winning matters to him. Optics matter. Fan apathy is one of the factors in his decision to fire football coach Tracy Claeys in 2017. Coyle was worried and bothered when he looked out and saw rows of empty seats at Huntington Bank Stadium on gameday.

Fan apathy has settled into men’s basketball. The Gophers were averaging 8,606 fans at Williams Arena going into the home finale after averaging 8,140 last season, which was the lowest mark since 1969-70.

The program needs a jolt. Revenue-sharing at $20-plus million annually raises the pressure on athletic departments to be successful in football and men’s basketball. Johnson is a nice guy who got dealt a tough hand with the timing of his hiring during the vortex of NIL, but his program’s popularity has plummeted in this crowded sports market.
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Coyle, Mr “I didn’t come here to finish .500,” is an empty suit, and bringing Johnson back for an unearned 5th year will confirm just how inert he is as a leader and decision maker.
 
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Holy Man said:
You make this point constantly. What you don’t acknowledge is that in poor results the last 25 years, the last four have been far and away the worst of any stretch. When you start sharing data that the only reason quality players are avoiding the U is poor administration and lack of cash, your point will gain credibility. I’m not seeing that. I’m open to be convinced otherwise.
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The 1st 2 years are a result in the lack of investment (cheap hire and behind in NIL infrastructure). The last 2 years have been largely in line with the mediocrity of the program the last 25 years. Is a player leaving for more money in May after saying he's coming back not an example of lack of cash? What more evidence do you need? How many times the last 15 years have the Gophers had an above average roster in the B1G?
 

MaxyJR1 said:
More at the expense of Olympic sports, baseball, and softball. About 5% is going to be spread across those sports. NIL is still going to be important.

I feel like Ben might be back and Coyle is comfortable with the product the last two seasons. Maybe he truly feels that revenue sharing is going to be the difference for the MBB program and the coach isn't the issue.
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$5M is 25%. Football should get 75%. So that leaves nothing for hockey, volleyball, etc.
 

scools12 said:
The current head coach is a huge part of the problem.
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I disagree but I don't care enough to convince anyone. I'm glad Coyle realizes you can't keep hiring coaches with 0 changes in infrastructure or they'll continue to fail.
 

Mist Big10 programs can go into a kids house and ask if they want to play on a team that consistently makes the NCAA tournament or if they want to play for a constant losing program at Minnesota. Ben Johnson cannot refute four years of bottom dwelling, non tournament basketball with him as a coach. If Coyle wants any chance at better recruits then he has to fire Ben and hire a coach that, at minimum, gives kids hope that they can play in the NCAA tournament. Ben has a 0% track record. Every coach will put that stat up before any potential recruit and then they will match the money.
Coyle, you fired Claeys for much less. Now you need to fire Johnson. As @Stan says "Getter Done!!!"
 


Johnnyboy18 said:
The 1st 2 years are a result in the lack of investment (cheap hire and behind in NIL infrastructure). The last 2 years have been largely in line with the mediocrity of the program the last 25 years. Is a player leaving for more money in May after saying he's coming back not an example of lack of cash? What more evidence do you need? How many times the last 15 years have the Gophers had an above average roster in the B1G?
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A year zero heading into what would be his 5th season... incredible
 


Johnnyboy18 said:
I disagree but I don't care enough to convince anyone. I'm glad Coyle realizes you can't keep hiring coaches with 0 changes in infrastructure or they'll continue to fail.
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If the current head coach is brought back with a change in infrastructure Coyle will be giving Johnson another opportunity to prove a whole lot of people wrong.

Good luck to them.
 

Gophers7633 said:
A year zero heading into what would be his 5th season... incredible
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What does that even mean? Every year of Minnesota basketball will be year 0 until they can afford to keep good players from year to year.
 

topos said:
My gut says this is posturing for the next coaching candidate. That's a nice carrot for a coach outside the BIG or SEC.
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Then fire Coyle right away.

If you believe that he's sending a cryptic message via Scoggins to the coaching fraternity...hoping that they see it with conference tournaments around the corner, instead of reaching out directly to any targets, or their agents, then just fire him.

I think it's a panacea leading into season ticket renewal season.
 

bmb5270 said:
There's been an ongoing debate where most have said that Ben is not a very good coach. Certainly the record supports this. Others have said that he hasn't had a fair shot because we lack the NIL resources to aquire and keep talent. If he is brought back and has 5-6 million to work with, as the Scroggins article says, it should settle the debate.
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Yep.....I would still make a change but if they decide to kick the can down the road one more year and they give him the resources to build a competitive team and he still fails it is an easy fire after next season.

Will be massive pressure to win next year because it will take a lot to get the fans back on board.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Yep.....I would still make a change but if they decide to kick the can down the road one more year and they give him the resources to build a competitive team and he still fails it is an easy fire after next season.

Will be massive pressure to win next year because it will take a lot to get the fans back on board.
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It's a lot easier to keep season ticket holders than it is to get them back. What is "failure" next year? Not making the NCAA tournament? Because that's incredibly unlikely.
 



howeda7 said:
If this part of the article is remotely true, how can you bring him back?

Winning matters to him. Optics matter. Fan apathy is one of the factors in his decision to fire football coach Tracy Claeys in 2017. Coyle was worried and bothered when he looked out and saw rows of empty seats at Huntington Bank Stadium on gameday.

Fan apathy has settled into men’s basketball. The Gophers were averaging 8,606 fans at Williams Arena going into the home finale after averaging 8,140 last season, which was the lowest mark since 1969-70.

The program needs a jolt. Revenue-sharing at $20-plus million annually raises the pressure on athletic departments to be successful in football and men’s basketball. Johnson is a nice guy who got dealt a tough hand with the timing of his hiring during the vortex of NIL, but his program’s popularity has plummeted in this crowded sports market.
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I disagree he was dealt a tough hand.

He came in with zero head coach experience. Hiring is a 50/50 proposition with experienced people. It is even less with inexperienced people. While I can appreciate outside the box thinking, this was outside the plant that makes the boxes thinking that failed.

I've been colleagues with and reported to people who were way in over their heads. Everybody knows it, It is not enjoyable for anyone, and they eventually were either moved on involuntarily or left before they were shown the door. A few recovered by dropping down to lesser roles. Most had to end up leaving the company to start over somewhere else.

He made in one season what most people will take 30-40 years of working to accumulate in their 401k's. Multiply that by four. Stop with this pity tour media people. It is not like he volunteered for the job. He has not produced results. Time to move on.
 


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