The 2023-24 season marked head coach Ben Johnson’s third year at the helm of Golden Gopher men’s basketball. Johnson, 43, was named Minnesota’s 18th head coach in school history on March 22, 2021.
In Johnson’s third year, the Gophers held a 19-15 overall record. The Golden Gophers finished as the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, a five-seed improvement from the 2022-23 season. Minnesota improved from 2-17 in Big Ten play and 9-22 in 2022-23, to 9-11 in league action and 19-15 overall in 2023-24. That win improvement marked the best in the Big Ten and one of the best nationally among Power 6 teams. Dawson Garcia was named a Second (media) and Third Team (coaches) All-Big Ten player. Minnesota averaged 75.0 points in 2023-24, marking it the best scoring production since the 2017-18 season and highest under head coach Ben Johnson. In 2023-24, Minnesota also scored the program’s fifth most points in a season, 2,550, and the most since the 2016-17 campaign. The Gophers capped off the 2023-24 campaign when they advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the first time since 2014. Cam Christie, Minnesota’s first representative on the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team since Amir Coffey in 2017, was drafted 46th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the L.A. Clippers.
Minnesota went 9-22 in Johnson’s second year, playing an unprecedented four freshman in his second head coaching campaign. Johnson also added his first Big Ten Tournament win when the Gophers defeated Nebraska, 78-75. Off the court, the Golden Gophers graduated five individuals and recorded a program best 3.36 grade point average in the spring of 2023. Minnesota also had 12 individuals record a GPA over 3.0.
In his first season as the Gopher men’s basketball coach, Johnson had the task of assembling a team from scratch when he added 10 newcomers to the group. The Golden Gophers went 13-17 in 2021-22 and went 9-1 in nonconference play. Under Coach Johnson’s tutelage, Minnesota won five road games, the first road wins since the 2019-20 campaign. He also recorded six Power 5 wins last year, including two Quad 1 wins. Johnson notched his first Big Ten Conference win on the road when the team defeated Michigan, 75-65. It marked Minnesota’s first win at Michigan since the 2010-11 season. The Gophers also won the inaugural Asheville Championship and earned a thrilling win over Pitt in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Two players garnered All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2021-22. Off the court, the Golden Gophers have six individuals earn a degree in May of 2022 as the team held a 3.18 team grade point average last season. He also signed the No. 43 recruiting class in just his first year as a head coach.
Johnson, who graduated from Minnesota in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, returns to his alma mater after spending three seasons at Xavier as an assistant coach. Johnson previously served as an assistant coach at Minnesota from 2013-18 and was a two-time captain during his playing career for the Gophers.
Johnson helped lead Xavier to consecutive top-30 recruiting classes in 2019 and 2020 and the Musketeers posted a collective record of 51-37 in three seasons with him on the bench. In his previous stint at Minnesota, Johnson helped recruit local standouts and current NBA athletes in Daniel Oturu and Amir Coffey to the Gophers. Johnson was instrumental in recruiting and developing Jordan Murphy, who finished his career atop the Gopher record books in rebounds (1,307), free throws made (460), free throws attempted (698) and second in scoring (1,802 points).
Prior to returning to Minnesota in 2013, he spent one season as an assistant coach under Tim Miles at the University of Nebraska. While with the Huskers, Johnson assisted in all-day-to-day basketball-related duties while also serving as recruiting coordinator. Johnson also led the development of Nebraska’s backcourt players.
Johnson spent 2008-12 as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa. The Panthers went a combined 93-77 in that time frame, winning at least 20 games in all four years. Northern Iowa reached postseason play in all four years and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2009-10. That year, UNI won a school-record 30 games and upset top-seeded Kansas in the second round. During his tenure at UNI, the Panthers boasted three first-team All-MVC selections, including 2010 Missouri Valley Conference MVP Adam Koch in 2010. Four players were named to the MVC All-Freshmen or All-Newcomer teams, including a pair in 2011-12.
Prior to his stay at Northern Iowa, Johnson served as an assistant coach for two seasons at the University of Texas-Pan American. He was heavily involved in recruiting, worked with the Broncos perimeter players and coordinated UTPA’s summer camps.
Johnson’s coaching career began at the University of Dayton, where he served as a graduate assistant during the 2005-06 season.
Johnson started his collegiate playing career at Northwestern and played two seasons before returning to the Twin Cities to finish his career. He finished with 533 points in 59 games in Maroon and Gold and scored a total of 1,202 career points between the two Big Ten Conference institutions.
The Minneapolis native enjoyed a standout prep career, leading DeLaSalle High School to a pair of state championships. He was a two-time first-team all-state selection in both football and basketball, and as a senior, was named a Street & Smith All-American, as well as an honorable mention Nike All-American.
He was listed as the 60th-best basketball player in the country by Bob Gibbons in his senior season, totaling more than 2,200 points during his high school career. Johnson also was listed on Tom Lemming’s High School Football All-American list as a top-20 national recruit and was a two-time all-state performer on the gridiron.
