Monday's exhibition for the Gophers men's basketball team against Concordia (St. Paul) won't count as Ben Johnson's official head coaching debut, but it's still a big deal to him.
Johnson sees the exhibition as an opportunity to make a feel-good first impression of his program in front of fans who haven't been at Williams Arena for more than a year.
"I'll be excited," said Johnson, who replaced Richard Pitino after last season's team finished 14-15.
"I don't think I'll have to give a motivational speech about competing. They're excited to get out there, they're excited for fans, they're excited to prove and show what they can do."
Gophers faithful will get their first look at an almost completely new roster. Johnson's style of play is a work in progress, but he hopes they can play up-tempo and be efficient in grind-it-out half-court games.
"We're not going to be Gonzaga where we're just flying up and down scoring 90," he said. "We'll have to have that balance. But the way we're going to play offensively will correlate to who we have personnel-wise."
The Gophers have 10 newcomers, most of whom have never played in front of a crowd like the Barn's when it fills up. Six of the eight transfers are from the mid-major Division I level while the other two are from Division II.
"When the Barn is rocking, they say it's one of the best places in college basketball to play," Lafayette transfer E.J. Stephens said. "With no fans being allowed at games last year, we're really looking forward to having fans back this year. I think it's going to be a great experience."
