New Minnesota coach is former player, assistant Ben Johnson

[ASFN Admin]

Minnesota hired Ben Johnson as its new men's basketball coach Monday, giving the former Gophers player and assistant a five-year contract — and favoring relationships over experience in the latest attempt to lift a long-middling program up to the top of the Big Ten. Johnson will replace Richard Pitino, who was fired after eight seasons and then took the job at New Mexico. The 40-year-old Johnson, whose base salary will begin at $1.95 million, was on staff under Pitino with the Gophers for five seasons before spending the last three years at Xavier under Travis Steele.

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