In my lifetime, Ben Johnson has the most surprising start to a head coaching career ever!

[60's Guy]

The majority thought he was a diversity hire and totally out over his skis as a Big Ten head coach.
Never a head coach at any level. Never on a winning college team or on the bench of a highly successful team as an assistant coach. Yet here we are with only one loss after nearly the entire team transferred and left him for dead.
It's not just the one loss and the win at Michigan. It's how he has melded a group of guys who didn't know each into a disciplined impressive team. They play for each other. In the two Big Ten games they committed four and three turnovers ...total, two games. They follow the game plan and we have one. Very impressive, fun basketball team and an amazing beginning to a career.

Indiana, storied basketball program, has not had a head coach win his first conference game on the road in 100 years. Ben Johnson accomplished this task for the Gophers. I liked that he was chafed by the loss to Michigan State and really genuinely felt we could have won the game.

It sure seems like the future is in good hands after this impressive beginning. Way to go Ben and the Gophers!

 

[plainsgopher]

Thanks 60's Guy....believe this resembles most how I feel and very glad for Ben and the team....thanks for putting it into words

 

[bga1]

The majority thought he was a diversity hire and totally out over his skis as a Big Ten head coach.
Never a head coach at any level. Never on a winning college team or on the bench of a highly successful team as an assistant coach. Yet here we are with only one loss after nearly the entire team transferred and left him for dead.
It's not just the one loss and the win at Michigan. It's how he has melded a group of guys who didn't know each into a disciplined impressive team. They play for each other. In the two Big Ten games they committed four and three turnovers ...total, two games. They follow the game plan and we have one. Very impressive, fun basketball team and an amazing beginning to a career.

Indiana, storied basketball program, has not had a head coach win his first conference game on the road in 100 years. Ben Johnson accomplished this task for the Gophers. I liked that he was chafed by the loss to Michigan State and really genuinely felt we could have won the game.

It sure seems like the future is in good hands after this impressive beginning. Way to go Ben and the Gophers!

100% agree. This is a very difficult job for an experienced coach- ask Clem Haskins or Tubby Smith. To do what he is doing so far with what he has to work with- is nothing short of amazing. I am beyond stunned with what he is doing. Regardless of how we finish I feel like the way he is doing it will be durable. I thought we were in for a dumpster fire and I was totally wrong. I said earlier in the year that anything more than 6 Big Ten wins would be a coach of the year type performance and I still say it. Amazing. I believe we are finally in for the good stretch that we have so long awaited and deserve!

 

[Stan]

100% agree. This is a very difficult job for an experienced coach- ask Clem Haskins or Tubby Smith. To do what he is doing so far with what he has to work with- is nothing short of amazing. I am beyond stunned with what he is doing. Regardless of how we finish I feel like the way he is doing it will be durable. I thought we were in for a dumpster fire and I was totally wrong. I said earlier in the year that anything more than 6 Big Ten wins would be a coach of the year type performance and I still say it. Amazing. I believe we are finally in for the good stretch that we have so long awaited and deserve!

This, so much this.

 

[Five for fighting]

In a state in which the teams consistently underperform to expectations, it is beyond incredibly refreshing to finally have a team that exceeds them. I literally thought this team would struggle to win a handful of games overall and was genuinely concerned about winning even one Big Ten game when the season started, particularly when we saw the small rotation Ben is using. I cannot remember any Minnesota team blindsiding me with success like this one has. And I am not a young man. This is so much fun.