The double-edged new normal in college athletics today is the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness). Since it was introduced in 2019, the number of men’s and women’s basketball players in the portal has increased each year from hundreds in 2019 to thousands in 2025.
Ben Johnson
Posted inAnother View
Any chance for another Black head coach in Gopherland?
The University of Minnesota Gophers’ next men’s basketball coach will likely not be Black, as the self-appointed search committee has only suggested white candidates, despite the fact that there are 16 current Black head coaches and 20 Black assistant coaches on the Advancement of Blacks in Sports watchlist.
Posted inGophers/College
Dawson Garcia Leads Gophers to Turnaround: A Scoring Streak for the Ages
Dawson Garcia’s impressive performance has led the Minnesota Gophers to a three-game winning streak, including an upset victory over No. 15 Oregon, and he is now in the conversation for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Posted inAnother View
Defending Black coaches against ill-informed critics
Coach Coquese Washington has been criticized by the media and fans for her decision to bench a freshman player, while Coach Ben Johnson is facing criticism for his team’s struggles this season.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Fourth Black HC invades The Barn so far this season
Reggie Theus, head coach and athletic director at Bethune-Cookman, is raising funds to build a championship culture and appreciates the significance of competing against another Black head coach.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Mitchell comes back to bring the Gophers back
Mike Mitchell Jr., a senior basketball player at the University of Minnesota, is among the 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year, and is one of the probable starters for the 2024-25 home opener.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Coaching while Black
Ben Johnson and Mike Woodson, the only Black men’s basketball head coaches in the Big Ten, are preparing for their fourth seasons on the job, facing the challenges of player departures and unrealistic criticism due to their race.
Posted inSports
Gopher hoopsters in summer workouts
The Minnesota men and women’s basketball teams are in the midst of their summer workouts.
Posted inSports
Gopher men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson faces unfair scrutiny
Black coaches Ben Johnson and Dennis Gates face unfair criticism in mainstream media.
Posted inSports
Johnson remains focused on the positives
Is it make or break time for Gopher men’s basketball head coach Ben Johnson?
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
For Gopher men’s hoops, ‘the sky is not falling’
‘The criticism naturally comes with the territory of coaching in college or professional sports.’
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
Gopher hoops in crisis
‘You have to have patience with the coaches, because there’s just a lot to it.’
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
Black-on-Black coach matchups ‘definitely special’
The first-ever HBCU men’s basketball trifecta at Williams Arena started Dec. 14 when Minnesota hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
What’s the ‘big deal’ when Black coaches face off?
“I think we all take pride in handling ourselves the right way, developing our programs, and winning on and off the floor, setting a good example.’
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
Both Gopher hoops teams out to prove naysayers wrong
‘It’s been an interesting time for all of us in college sports, college basketball in general.’
Posted inSports
New Gopher coach adds third assistant to his staff
‘“I think that the African American community has a ton to offer when it comes to coaching.’
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
The transfer portal is here to stay
Jamison Battle, a Minneapolis De La Salle graduate, last week agreed to sign with Minnesota, the first of three former transfer portal players who’ve signed with new Gopher Coach Ben Johnson.
Posted inGophers/College, Sports
Johnson eager to seize the opportunity
Three years ago there were zero Black men coaching in the Big Ten. In less than two weeks, the conference now has three, including Ben Johnson.
Posted inFeatured, Gophers/College, Sports
New Gopher hoops coach is Black and a native son
The school announced Monday that Ben Johnson has been named Gopher’s head men’s basketball coach, the school’s fifth overall Black head coach in its history.
Posted inSports
For coaching diversity, Big East puts bigger conferences to shame
It’s not one of the almighty Power 5 conferences, but among college leagues the Big East leads the nation with 50 percent of its men’s basketball teams having Black head coaches.