Gophers AD Mark Coyle addresses Ben Johnson's firing for first time

Coyle had a lot to say about Minnesota's men's basketball program on Friday

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle | Picture via: University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since firing Ben Johnson earlier this week. He had a lot to say, but the main takeaway is that Minnesota plans to move fast in its search for a new men's basketball head coach.

"We obviously are in conversations with our current student-athletes, keeping them updated," Coyle said. "Our goal is to be in constant communication with them. In terms of timing for the search, obviously, we want to be very efficient and move quickly because of the transfer portal, because of the collective NIL, because of the institutional NIL. We're trying to be very efficient, and our goal is to move as quickly as possible."

The question then becomes: Who will Minnesota hire? Coyle remains in Indianapolis, as he is on the NCAA Selection Committee for this year's tournament field. He said he is communicating with members of his staff who remain in Minnesota, but he has still been able to have conversations with a "handful of people" regarding the ongoing search.

Coyle expressed appreciation for the job Johnson did in his four years leading the Gophers, saying, "(He and) that staff gave us everything they had... he worked endless hours, he did everything he could to make us competitive."

“Ben (Johnson) and that staff gave us everything they had… he worked endless hours, he did everything he could to make us competitive.”

Gophers AD Mark Coyle on the decision to make a coaching change for MBB. pic.twitter.com/YymEWjiDQv

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 14, 2025

As for the search for a new men's basketball head coach, Coyle emphasized the need for someone who "embraces" Minnesota and can "generate excitement" around the program.

“We need somebody who embraces Minnesota… we need somebody who’s going to generate excitement.”

Gophers AD Mark Coyle on their ongoing search for a new MBB head coach. pic.twitter.com/KMoIKcRTam

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 14, 2025

He noted that they are not currently using a search firm—though that could change—but that they have asked assistant coach Dave Thorson to remain on staff in the interim. This is an interesting note, as potential candidate Niko Medved worked closely with Thorson at both Drake and Colorado State.

The financial struggles of the Gophers' men's basketball program in the NIL era have been scrutinized. However, Coyle seems confident in the university's financial standing, saying, "I think our NIL has been competitive, and we’ve done a good job in terms of the money we’ve raised for all of our sports programs."

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