Guest: Ben Johnson, University of Minnesota Head Coach


In this week's coaching conversation, University of Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson joins the podcast to discuss transitioning into a head coaching position.
 
Ben Johnson is the new head coach of the University of Minnesota. Johnson, who graduated from Minnesota in 2005, 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. Coach Johnson was also previously an assistant coach at Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Texas-Pan American, and a Graduate Assistant at Dayton.
 
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 members of the Los Angeles Clippers organization Daniel Oturu and Amir Coffey to the Gophers. 
 
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 timeframe, 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. 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.
 
Breakdown
1:00 - Job as a Head Coach
5:00 - His Philosophy as a Coach
9:00 - Evaluation on His Current Players
12:00 - Part of Player's Process
14:00 - Mid and High Major Interview
16:00 - Potential Jobs
19:00 - Looking for Jobs
23:00 - Philosophy Books
27:00 - Players Handling the Environment
30:30 - Competitive Culture and Frustration
36:00 - Style Play
39:00 - Developing Skill
41:00 - Coach Spoelstra
44:00 - Raising Profile of the Program
46:00 - Transition
49:00 - Relationship with Richard Pitino
51:00 - Conclusion


Ben Johnson’s Bio:
Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Johnson_(basketball) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Johnson_(basketball))
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachBenJohnson (https://twitter.com/CoachBenJohnson)


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