Johnson, a Minneapolis native, is a Minnesota alum, having finished his playing career there after spending his first two seasons at Northwestern.

Minnesota fired Ben Johnson on Thursday morning after four years as the head coach at his alma mater. The Golden Gophers finished with a 15-17 record (7-13 Big Ten) after dropping a 72-64 setback to Northwestern on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

Ben Johnson had served as Minnesota coach since 2021-22 but was unable to return the Gophers to the NCAA tournament.