Just a week ago, Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson reached what we can only imagine was the lowest of low points in his tenure.
Heralded recruit Dennis Evans had formally asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent, creating a 7-foot hole in the Gophers' rebuilding plans. A day later, Johnson's Gophers fell to 1-16 in the Big Ten with a loss at Nebraska.
Meanwhile, Lindsay Whalen was feeling optimistic. Despite struggles in the Big Ten, her women's team full of young players had been more competitive in recent weeks. "Good things are coming," she said. "You have to believe that."
A win over Purdue on Sunday to close the regular season offered evidence to go with her belief.
And then everything changed for both coaches. The last 24 hours have served as the ultimate reminder of the emotional ride — and toll — of modern coaching, something I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
A disappointing loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center on Wednesday gave way to what most of us would consider surprising news Thursday afternoon: Whalen was "stepping down" as Gophers women's head coach after five seasons.
The decision was described as mutual by Gophers Athletic Director Mark Coyle, but the story is still one-sided for now. Slated to speak to the media along with Coyle on Thursday, Whalen instead was absent.
She later tweeted that she was "was overcome with emotion in the elevator on my way to the press conference. I am a human being" — completely understandable and transparent.
Whalen, a Minnesota legend and one of the most accomplished winners in basketball history, had five years to put her stamp on the program. Year 5 was in some ways a complete reset, and there will not be a Year 6.
Johnson — like Whalen a former Gophers player and first-time head coach — is finishing Year 2, but in some ways it feels like his tenure is at a similarly critical juncture. The mounting losses and Evans news in a program that is a major revenue source raised legitimate questions of just how long Johnson would be given to prove himself.
If anyone needed some good news it was Johnson. Call it ironic or merely coincidental, but a double dose of it arrived Thursday: A stunning comeback from a 10-point deficit with barely a minute left to defeat Rutgers 75-74 (which Whalen, a proud alum still, was tweeting about joyfully just hours after her own tough news), and a commitment from a top in-state player, Cherry's Isaac Asuma, for the class of 2024.
The lure of potential alone isn't enough to assure coaches keep their jobs. If it was, Whalen might still be coaching and standout freshman Mara Braun wouldn't have tweeted late Thursday, "I wish we could've won more games so this didn't have to happen. This has been a very disappointing day."
Will Braun and others stick around through a new coaching hire? Will Johnson be able to keep his young players together long enough — or be here long enough himself — to find out if their potential can be transformed into production?
The cycles seem to move faster than they used to. The transfer portal, among other things, has made coaching in 2023 harder than ever — something Coyle acknowledged on Thursday.
Belief is powerful, but the truth is blunt. You never know when things are coming, good or bad, and everything is subject to change.
