I met with Ben in-person early this morning when the team returned to Minneapolis from the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament and informed him that we were making a change in leadership,” Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement.

Gophers athletics 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.