Potential candidates to replace Ben Johnson as next Gophers men's basketball coach

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle fired men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson early Thursday morning, and soon was on the phone, searching for a replacement.

ADs typically know who they might want to hire or who would be interested in their most high-profile jobs in the program.

The last time the Gophers made a basketball hire was when they replaced women’s coach Lindsay Whalen with former West Virginia coach Dawn Plitzuweit. That search lasted about two weeks.

Now Coyle has an opportunity to change the course of the men’s basketball program. Here are some potential candidates.

School: Colorado State

Age: 51

Salary: $1.7 million. Buyout: About $4 million or 33% of remaining contract signed through 2030-31)

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: Two

Skinny: The former Gophers assistant and Roseville native has turned around programs previously at Furman, Drake and Colorado State, including with Gophers assistant Dave Thorson at Drake and Colorado State. Medved was named Mountain West coach of the year by the media in 2021 and reached the NCAA tournament in 2022 and 2024.

School: Oklahoma

Age: 56

Salary: $3.2 million. Buyout: $8.3 million

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: Two

Skinny: The former Loyola Chicago coach made one of the most memorable Cinderella runs in the NCAA tourney when he took the Ramblers to the Final Four with Sister Jean on board in 2018. He also went to the Sweet 16 three years later before jumping to the Sooners, who have been to the NIT once in his first three years.

School: West Virginia

Age: 49

Salary: $2.9 million. Buyout: 9.3 million

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: Three

Skinny: Former Drake coach won 150 games over six seasons with the Bulldogs, including back-to-back NCAA tournament trips. That turned into his first high-major opportunity this season with the Mountaineers, who finished .500 in the Big 12 in his first year. He’s a candidate for Indiana’s head coach opening.

School: Drake

Age: 43

Salary: Unknown, not public for a private university.

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: One

Skinny: Became a household name in college basketball this season after Drake won the Missouri Valley regular season and conference titles in his first year. But McCollum was one of the most successful coaches in Division II, with four national championships at Northwest Missouri State. He’s also a possible candidate at Indiana.

Team: Denver Nuggets

Age: 38

Salary: Top NBA assistants make up to $1-2 million

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: None

Skinny: The son of late former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders followed in his father’s footsteps to coach the Wolves from 2018-21. The Wayzata graduate and former Gophers walk-on and graduate assistant won an NBA title as a Denver Nuggets assistant in 2023.

School: Northern Iowa

Age: 54

Salary: $900,000*. Buyout: $500,000.*

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: Four

Skinny: Who could forget the Panthers' big upset against Kansas to reach the Sweet 16 in 2010? Northern Iowa hasn’t had a another deep March Madness run since, but returned to the NCAA tournament in 2015 and 2016. He has the most coaching wins in Missouri Valley Conference history with 207 since arriving at UNI in 2006.

*As of Jacobson’s last contract extension in 2021.

School/team: Milwaukee Bucks

Age: 51

Salary: Top NBA assistants make $1-2 million

NCAA tournaments as a head coach: none

Skinny: The Staples, Minn., native played college ball at Concordia (Moorhead) and Minnesota State Moorhead in the 1990s. As a coach, Joerger won three CBA titles and the 2007 NBA D-League championship before being hired as a Memphis Grizzlies assistant in 2007 and eventually head coach in 2013. He also was the Sacramento Kings head coach from 2016-19. Currently on Doc Rivers' staff for the second time, now at Milwaukee.

Other potential candidates: Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (St. Thomas graduate), McNeese State’s Will Wade, former Indiana and Georgia coach Tom Crean.