MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _Minnesota has picked former player and assistant Ben Johnson to be the new head men's basketball coach, according to a person with knowledge of the hire.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because university had yet to make the announcement.

Johnson will replace Richard Pitino, who was fired after eight seasons and took the job at New Mexico.

The 40-year-old Johnson is a native of Minneapolis who was on Pitino's staff for five seasons. He played two years for the Gophers after transferring from Northwestern.

9 Times People from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin Were Featured on MasterChef

How many MasterChef contestants are from our neck of the woods: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa? There are actually 9 former contestants from one of those three states! Below you'll find those contestants, where they're from, and what season they were on.

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