'Minnesota is home': Dave Thorson back as Gophers assistant for Ben Johnson
Dave Thorson DeLaSalle head coach gave instructions to his team during Wednesday March 22, 2012 boys AAA semifinal basketball action between DeLaSalle and Grand Rapids at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN.(Photo By Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Im ((Photo By Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - Dave Thorson walked into his new office at Athletes Village on the University of Minnesota campus Monday, and said the hair on his arms stood up.
One of the first people he saw walking in? His new boss, Gophers’ men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson. Thorson coached Johnson more than 20 years ago to more than 2,000 career points, and a pair of state championships. Now reunited, their goal is to get Minnesota basketball back on the map, and get Williams Arena rocking again.
"I walked in this morning and I was like Ben Johnson, what’s up man?! Are you kidding me?" an excited Thorson told reporters on Monday. "The hair stood up on my arms when I walked in this morning because I know what this place can be, and we’re going to make it happen."
Thorson lives and breathes Gopher basketball, once working for Clem Haskins in the 1990s. He then spent more than 20 years building a basketball powerhouse at DeLaSalle, leading the Islanders to nine state championships, including a stretch of six straight.
He left in 2017 to get back into college coaching, and spent the last three seasons with fellow Minnesota native Niko Medved at Colorado State. His decision to come home wasn’t easy, but being back on campus with Johnson last week sealed the deal.
"There’s so many great memories I have of being here before and it’s home. Minnesota is home for me. Having that and being with Ben Johnson, are you kidding me? I’m just so excited to be here," Thorson said.
One of Johnson’s top priorities after taking the Minnesota job was getting Thorson back on campus.
"He’s obviously a big, big piece of what we’re going to do here. He was a huge get for me personally," Johnson said. "Obviously he knows the state, the state knows him. He’ll do a great job connecting with relationships, a great job just being that face that we know we all need here to help our brand. That was a huge get for me."
When Athletic Director Mark Coyle hired Johnson, the message was clear: Minnesota has a ton of top basketball talent, and more of it needs to be staying in Minnesota. Johnson and Thorson have the goal to form those relationships in the local basketball scene to do just that.
Thorson joked that while recruiting at Colorado State, he could walk into a gym and nobody would know who he was. That won’t be happening anymore. Thorson is one of the most respected names in Minnesota basketball, and his passion for the game and developing relationships should give the Gophers a big boost in recruiting.
Thorson said Monday there’s no way he could’ve predicted returning to Minnesota, even though the chatter started the second Johnson was hired. He’s known Johnson since his seventh grade season, and says Johnson is the right guy for the Gophers.
"It’s an incredible relationship that he and I have had, going from coach/player to one of my closest friends. I’m just so proud of him. He’s the right leader for Minnesota at this time, and that was a big reason why I decided to come here," Thorson said. "I believe in him so much as a leader and what he wants to get done."
Thorson was so excited that he couldn’t wait to get his new laptop and start watching film. You can expect he’ll have a big say in the Gophers’ defense, it was his calling card at DeLaSalle. He says he still talks to Haskins once or twice a year. That’s who Thorson is, a relationship guy.
Too many times over the last eight years, local basketball talent have felt detached from the Gophers program. Between Johnson and Thorson, that won’t be an issue anymore.
"Those guys that have played for me know how much I care about them as people. That’s just who I am, I’m going to spend time with them. This is what I do, this is what my whole life has been is about those relationships," Thorson said.