Golden Gophers Sit Tight on Ben Johnson’s Contract

 

There has been postseason anticipation about Ben Johnson’s contract as University of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach.  That suspense goes back to late March when Johnson’s Golden Gophers posted the best record in his three seasons of leading the program at his alma mater.

Athletic director Mark Coyle told Sports Headliners there will be no changes in Johnson’s contract this offseason.  The deal has three years remaining (ends April 30, 2027) and Coyle believes longer contracts are a thing of the past because of the flux in rosters with basketball players and other athletes coming and going.  The transfer portal and influence of NIL money can change rosters on a dime.

Minnesota will have two returning starters, Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr., from the 2023-2024 team that finished 9-11 in Big Ten regular season games and 19-15 overall.  The conference record was good for ninth place in the 14-team league standings.

That was a major improvement over Johnson’s first two seasons when his teams had consecutive last place conference finishes and a combined 6-33 league record.  That prompted public criticism of Johnson during his first experience as a head coach after being a career assistant college coach at Minnesota and elsewhere.

“We made great, great strides,” Coyle said during an interview at his campus office. “I’ve talked to Ben about if we go .500 in conference play, we’re going to be in the NCCA Tournament more times than not if you play a decent nonconference schedule.

“So, our goal is to continue to support Ben and help him take the next step.  I think Ben is very excited about the roster he brought in.  A lot of thanks to (program booster) Bob Klas and the people that support our NIL initiative. …Ben is in a really good spot, so we did not do a contract extension.”

The Gophers—who are bringing in eight new players including six transfers—lost three starters with remaining eligibility from last season’s team. It’s believed Pharrel Payne and Elijah Hawkins left for more lucrative NIL money.  Cam Christie is pursuing the NBA Draft.

Coyle said Johnson and other coaches are in his office on a regular basis to discuss NIL. Working with the Dinkytown Athletes collective, the Athletic Department has seen a surge in money benefiting athletes from many sports since DA started almost two years ago.  Coyle didn’t offer a figure as to how much money Johnson has had to work with in 2024 but an informed estimate by Sports Headliners is “north” of $1 million.

“I don’t think we know what our peers are at,” Coyle said.  “You hear rumors what our peers are at but then you see them lose two or three starters, too.”

Money is a centerpiece of Johnson’s responsibilities.  A Big Ten contending team in this market could command among the higher ticket prices in college hoops and those revenues would shoulder a big load in a department where the only programs making money are football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

The Gophers averaged 8,139 in home attendance last season, ranking 12^th in the Big Ten. That was down from 9,451 the previous year.

A spokesman from the Athletic Department emailed that the Gophers made $5 million from men’s basketball this past year.  The potential, he said, was to make $2 million more.

On a side topic, a visitor asked Coyle about the disruption of play by TV commercials during major college basketball games including in the Big Ten.  Combined with frequent timeouts by coaches, there are almost constant stoppages of play.

Coyle, who is a member of the Division I Basketball Committee, remembered a game in 2024 where the teams played through two designated media timeouts because nothing happened to stop the game clock.  A price was paid, though, when the timeouts finally came.  In about a five-minute span the action on the floor consisted of a couple of free throws.

Coyle said “we need to have that conversation” about the disruption in flow of men’s college games.

Worth Noting

Christie, who played one season as a freshman for the Gophers, doesn’t turn 19 until July 24.  If he is drafted later this month by an NBA team it will almost certainly be in the second round.

This what NBA.com, courtesy of RotoWire, said about the younger brother of Lakers reserve Max Christie: “Christie stands out due to his energy and shooting ability but needs to devote more time to improving on the defensive end of the court to reach his ceiling. Don’t be surprised if he starts his career in the G League. Given the similarity of traits, Christie could end up having a similar career to his brother.”

Richard Pitino, who preceded Johnson as Gophers coach, received an extension this spring that will pay him $1.2 million next season and rise to $1.4 million in 2028-2029, the last year of the contract. When Pitino started his career as Minnesota coach in 2013 his compensation was $1.2 million.

As of yesterday, Stub.com listed some tickets for more than $1200 each for the Lynx’s home game July 14 against phenom Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Don’t be surprised if the Timberwolves, Twins and Wild band together to televise their games next fall and beyond after the fallout this spring between Comcast Xfinity and Bally Sports resulted in no Twins games on local cable TV.

It was a spirited and heartfelt tribute yesterday for the late Jim Carter at 7 Vineyards and Winery in Dellwood.  Nicknamed “Hurricane” while at the University of Minnesota playing football and hockey in the late 1960s, the South St. Paul native was a fierce competitor in sports, business and life. He was a dedicated friend to many people including those in recovery from addiction.

Close pal and Gopher football teammate Bob Stein was among those speaking at the celebration of life for Carter who passed away in November from cancer.  Stein recalled Carter not liking a penalty call in a hockey game and storming out on to the ice with a chair in hand.  A game official recognized Stein who was seated near the ice, and asked for an intervention with the 6-4, 250-pound Carter.  “Are you crazy?” Stein said.

Stein, a defensive end, and Carter, a fullback, faced each other one-on-one many times in practice drills.  Stein likened it yesterday to Bighorn Rams butting heads in the popular Dodge Ram TV commercials.  He said after the drills both players would go back to the frat house with headaches, and then rest while needing to get ready for that evening’s party.

Stein spoke of Carter’s “humility,” interest in others and their welfare, saying it didn’t matter what a person’s stature in life was, he wanted to know about you.  Emcee Dick Jonckowski recalled that several years ago Carter approached him and said he heard the Gophers baseball public address man had cancer.  Carter asked Jonckowski about the financial impact on his life and he acknowledged there was uncertainty.  Not long after a check from Carter arrived in the mail.

Former teammates and other friends were in attendance including ex-South St. Paul goalie Gaylen Bicking who played with Carter.  He told the gathering that while efforts haven’t been successful yet, the will is there to name the South St. Paul High School football facility after the former Packers great: Ettinger Field at Jim Carter Stadium.