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Ben Johnson’s Gophers Basketball Program Still Way Behind in NIL
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- Ben Johnson’s Gophers Basketball Program Still Way Behind in NIL
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Minnesota Gophers had an impressive run, securing three consecutive victories which included back-to-back wins against ranked opponents. However, they've hit a rough patch recently , losing their last two games. This skid included a particularly disappointing defeat to Washington, who are at the bottom of the conference.
After briefly easing some of the pressure with that win streak, Ben Johnson 's seat is scorching hot again. But he does have one classic excuse, that he doesn't have enough NIL money to work with. Is that an excuse or is it his fault? You can argue that. There's no debating the actual problem, however.
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Minnesota basketball needs to find more NIL money ASAP
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
According to longtime Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters , the Gophers are still way behind when it comes to NIL money. He reports that the average top 25 college basketball team spends around $4 million per season on its roster.
The Gophers, meanwhile, aren't even shelling out a third of that. One big problem with the Minnesota Gophers current NIl situation is that they do not have an agent to help facilitate and secure top recruits.
Meanwhile, the NIL price tag for a top-25 team now is in the $4 million a year range, and the Gophers aren't close to even a third of that . What Minnesota doesn't have is an agent who can deliver impact players to the program.
Last season, the Gophers had a solid squad, featuring freshman Cam Christie . He's now with the LA Clippers . But, they lost a lot of key players to the transfer portal. Pharrel Payne, a Cottage Grove native, took a $40,000-per-month NIL deal to play at Texas A&M.
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Standout point guard Elijah Hawkins is making $30,000 a month at Texas Tech. Isaiah Ihnen is putting up 10.4 points per game as a starter for Liberty. Homegrown Braeden Carrington is one of the best players at Tulsa and Brooklyn Park's own Joshua Ola-Joseph is averaging 7.6 points in 18.1 minutes per game for California .
The Gophers program need's an NIL agent
The Gophers caught a huge break this season by managing to keep their best player, Dawson Garcia . He wasn't in it for the money, he just wanted one more season with his hometown team. But in today's world of college sports, that kind of loyalty won't last forever.
The Gophers need to start adapting, and that could mean making a change at head coach first. Minnesota has nine games left, and every single one matters as they fight for a spot in the Big Ten tournament, which only takes the top 15 of 18 teams.
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If they fall short, I'd be shocked if Johnson keeps his job, but at the end of the day, time will tell. That said, changing head coaches won't mean much if the program doesn't give him the right resources and funding to succeed.
