Minnesota Fires Ben Johnson Before The Break Of Dawn, Releases Horribly Timed Social Media Post

Minnesota decided not to wait until the break of dawn to fire men's basketball coach Ben Johnson following the Gophers loss in the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday. 

And when I say it was an early firing, I'm talking right after midnight type of dismissal. Following the 72-64 loss to Northwestern in the first round, which ended the Gophers season, the team traveled back home to soak in what had just occurred in Indianapolis. 

Unfortunately for Ben Johnson, he didn’t get a chance to even take a moment for himself at home before athletic director Mark Coyle called a meeting with the now former head coach. What makes this whole situation so interesting is that the Gophers AD is also part of the NCAA selection committee, and was actually with his colleagues discussing who should be part of ‘Selection Sunday’. 

According to CBS Sports, Coyle left the group session in secrecy to fly back to Minnesota, just to meet with Ben Johnson and deliver the news that the school was moving in a different direction. 

What makes this even crazier is that the school decided to release a statement on social media at 2:19 am this morning to announce the firing. Again, they couldn't wait until the next morning to release the news, and tried to bury it on X after midnight. 

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"I met with Ben in-person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership," AD Mark Coyle said in the early morning statement. "I thanked him for his dedication and for guiding the program, one he cares deeply about, for the last four years. Ben is a terrific person, and we wish him well.

"These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation. The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years."

Ok, so Ben Johnson most likely knew that his time as the Gophers coach was coming to an end, considering they went 15-17 record in 2024-25, with an overall record of 56-71 as the Minnesota head coach. 

But, firing the guy right when he got off the plane in Minnesota is pretty rough, even if Mark Coyle had to get back to the selection committee process. 

Now, the Gophers will look for a new head coach, without much help in the form of NIL, where they rank near the bottom of the Big Ten.